Expansion for Your Voice Counts

Local charity Your Voice Counts is the new provider of statutory advocacy services in Gateshead.

Your Voice Counts are experienced providers of advocacy services, delivering statutory and independent case advocacy across the region to help people with different health and social care needs to be involved in decisions about their lives and stand up for their rights.

Following a successful tender exercise, the charity has now been appointed as the statutory provider for the Gateshead local authority area and is responsible for the delivery of statutory advocacy roles for people subject to the Mental Health Act, the Mental Capacity Act, the Care Act and DoLS legislation. This is in addition to the NHS Independent Complaints Advocacy service that Your Voice Counts has offered in Gateshead since 2022.

The new contract takes effect from 1 June 2023 and builds on the similar range of advocacy services that Your Voice Counts already provides across the Newcastle and South Tyneside areas. Your Voice Counts also has a well-established range of community-based services in Gateshead and South Tyneside that provide easy access for people with learning disabilities and autistic people to get personalised help around any issues affecting them.

David Woolley, Chief Executive of Your Voice Counts, said:

“We have been delivering advocacy services in Gateshead since 1991 and our team of advocates is highly skilled and experienced at working with the people referred to us and our colleagues across health, social and other voluntary services to ensure people’s wishes are understood, their rights upheld and their voices heard.

“We are delighted to be the new statutory advocacy provider for Gateshead – we have ambitious plans to grow our organisation to help even more people who need support to have choices and control in their lives and the awarding of the contract to Your Voice Counts is a fantastic opportunity for us as we move forward with our plans.”

More information

For information about our services and how to make a referral, visit www.yvc.org.uk/advocacy