Types of advocacy
There are different types of advocacy depending on the needs of the person.
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Formal advocacy | Providing support and taking action to make sure an individual's rights and views are represented and upheld. Supporting people to make decisions and choices. It is completely independent with no connection to services or other people who support the person. |
| Self-advocacy | Supporting people either individually or in a group to speak up for themselves and take control of their own lives. |
| Citizen advocacy | Helping people to gain the confidence to speak for themselves by building long-term advocacy relationships with trained volunteers. |
| Independent Mental Capacity Advocate (IMCA) | Supporting people who lack the mental capacity to make decisions for themselves. |
| Deprivation of Liberty (DOL) | Protecting people who lack capacity to decide about their care and who need to be cared for in a particularly restrictive way. |
| Uninstructed advocacy | Supporting people who lack mental capacity, meaning they cannot understand information that has been explained to them, or cannot remember the information long enough to think about it, or they are unable to communicate their views. |