Advocacy

What Is Advocacy?

Action for Advocacy’s Advocacy Charter states that:

“Advocacy is taking action to help people say what they want, secure their rights, represent their interests and obtain the services they need.  Advocates and advocacy schemes work in partnership with the people they support and take their side.  Advocacy promotes social inclusion, equality and social justice.”

City & Hackney Mind’s Advocacy Project

City and Hackney Mind’s advocacy project supports people to express their views and wishes about their mental health care and treatment.  Advocates help people to make informed decisions by providing information and exploring options with them.
The advocacy project is a rights-based service.  Advocates do not give advice or opinions about what may be ‘best’ for someone.  Instead, advocates act on the instructions of their advocacy partners.  Advocates support people to put forward their viewpoint and/or speak on their behalf but do not take the place of a legal representative.
The Advocacy Project is a project within City & Hackney Mind and is therefore independent of statutory mental health services.

Who can use the Advocacy Service?

City & Hackney Mind’s Advocacy Service is available to users of mental health services who live within the boroughs of Hackney and the City Of London.  We currently specialise in working with adults, but will occasionally work with people under the age of 18.

Some people have a legal right to advocacy support (see What Is IMHA? below) whereas others do not.  Wherever possible, however, the Advocacy Project will try to ensure that those who are in need of advocacy support are able to receive it.  We regret that this will not always be possible, though.

What Is IMHA?

IMHA stands for Independent Mental Health Advocate, or Independent Mental Health Advocacy.  Since April 2009, the Mental Health Act has granted certain people a legal right to advocacy support via an IMHA service.  City & Hackney Mind’s Advocacy Project also provides this service.

In general terms, anyone who is being compulsorily treated under a section of the Mental Health Act will have a legal right to access an IMHA.  
This includes those being treated in the community under a Community Treatment Order/Supervised Community Treatment/ (otherwise known as a CTO or SCT).  Individuals under guardianship or being considered for some specific forms of treatment under sections 57 and 58A of the Mental Health Act are also eligible.

An IMHA will support their advocacy partner to understand:

• their rights under the Mental Health Act, and those of other people in relation to them
• the parts of the Mental Health Act which apply to them
• any conditions or restrictions which may apply to them
• any medical treatment that they are receiving, or might be given, and the reasons for it
• the legal authority for providing the treatment, and any safeguards/requirements that may apply
• The City & Hackney Centre For Mental Health, at the Homerton Hospital East Wing
• The City & Hackney Centre For Forensic Mental Health (the John Howard Centre)
• City & Hackney Mind’s offices in Tudor Road

The Mental Health Act gives IMHAs the following powers:
1. The right to meet with a ‘qualifying patient’ (their advocacy partner) in private
2. The right to access the patient’s records (with their permission)
3. The right to interview a professional involved with the patient’s care

Confidentiality

The Advocacy Project is independent from statutory health services, therefore our advocates do not have access to individuals’ personal records without that person’s permission.  Similarly, the Advocacy Project does not share client information with statutory services (eg. nurses, social workers).

Within this, however, there are some situations in which the Advocacy Project cannot offer confidentiality to its service users.  Examples of this include incidences in which there is an overriding public interest, such as when an advocate learns that a service user is considering causing serious harm to themselves or others, where there is a legal requirement to do so, and in circumstances in which it is believed that a child or vulnerable adult may be at risk of abuse.  These exceptions will be explained to our service users as they begin to use the service.

Non-Instructed Advocacy

In very limited circumstances, the Advocacy Project may provide non-instructed advocacy for IMHA-qualifying patients who have been assessed to lack the capacity to make certain decisions for themselves.  
As a service, however, wherever possible we will always strive to gain meaningful instructions from our service users.

Where does the Advocacy Project provide its service?

The Advocacy Project operates at three main sites:

• The City & Hackney Centre For Mental Health, at the Homerton Hospital East Wing
• The City & Hackney Centre For Forensic Mental Health (the John Howard Centre)
• Our main office Tudor Road, Hackney

How do I contact/access the service?

Anyone wishes to use the Advocacy Service may contact us directly at the following venues.

In-patients at the City and Hackney Centre for Mental Health and patients receiving CTO/SCT treatment in the community
Mind Advocacy Office
1st Floor, North Block
The City & Hackney Centre For Mental Health
Homerton Hospital East Wing
Homerton Row
Homerton
London
E9 9SR
Tel. 0208 510 8079
 

Acute Advocacy Manager:
Jessica Millwood
jessica.millwood@cityandhackneymind.org.uk

Forensic Patients
Mind Advocacy Office
Centre For Forensic Mental Health
12 Kenworthy Road
Homerton
London
E9 5TD
Tel: 0208 510 2011

Lead Forensic Advocate:
Michael Kings
michael.kings@cityandhackneymind.org.uk

People living at home within Hackney, who are not currently receiving hospital-based support
City & Hackney Mind
8-10 Tudor Road
Hackney
London
E9 7SN
Tel. 0208 525 2313

Community Advocacy Manager:
Mark Hawksbridge
mark.hawksbridge@cityandhackneymind.org.uk

Can I refer someone to the Advocacy Service?

Most of our service users contact us directly, however we will accept IMHA referrals from any interested party.

However, due to the instructed nature of our service, if a referred individual tell us that they do not wish to use our service we will withdraw.

Individuals wishing to use the community-based advocacy service should call the service directly to refer themselves.