Case study: “I don’t want my life to go back to the way it was”

To mark Advocacy Awareness Week 2022, we are sharing examples of #AdvocacyInAction and how our advocacy services make a difference to people in our area. This case study shares some of the complexities of working as an advocate and the outcomes it can have for the people we support.

"Simon was referred to us by the local authority when a decision was being made about where he should live and if a secure setting was the right option for him. Simon has complex needs with a history of offending and drug and alcohol misuse as well as having a learning disability so it was important that he had the support of an advocate to help him understand the process and make sure his human rights were upheld.

"I’ve worked with Simon for over two years now and have seen him come a long way during that time. As an advocate, my role was to primarily provide an Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy (IMCA) service because Simon was deemed to lack capacity to make the decision about where he should live.

"Simon was clear that he did not want to have his liberty restricted, so as an IMCA I was there to support him and work with him to convey his wishes and help him be involved in the decision-making process as much as possible. On the surface, this involved practical tasks such as arranging independent mental capacity assessments and contributing to the many court hearings, reports and multi-disciplinary team meetings that are a necessary part of any legal process.

"Simon was also entitled to a Relevant Person's Representative which Your Voice Counts also provides so I was also appointed to this role for Simon so there would be consistency in the service he received from us. As part of this, I helped Simon to access legal representation and liaised with his solicitor throughout the process, ensuring Simon's wishes were heard and he was supported to understand what was happening.

"It’s more than all that though – at the basis of it all was building a relationship with Simon, making sure he trusted me and could rely on me as a consistent presence throughout the process. Some of this was as simple as ringing Simon at a regular time every week, even when I had no updates about his situation, so that he knew he could trust me and that I wouldn’t judge him.

"The court finally recommended supported accommodation for Simon and I’m pleased to say he’s doing well. He told me that he doesn’t want his life to go back to the way it was before he lived there, showing how much progress he’s made and just how important it was that he had an Independent Mental Capacity Advocate to represent him and help him challenge the original plan to move him to a secure setting."