Advocacy in Practice: The Troubled Position of Advocates in Adult Services

Citation

Forbat L & Atkinson D (2005) Advocacy in Practice: The Troubled Position of Advocates in Adult Services. British Journal of Social Work, 35 (3), pp. 321-335. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bch184

Abstract
This paper is a review, and critical appraisal, of the theory and practice of advocacy. Advocacy is not social work, but its principles and values resonate closely to those espoused by the British Association of Social Workers (BASW, 2002). In this paper, the authors interrogate the assumption that advocacy is necessarily always a positive and enabling experience. Indeed, the authors suggest that the use of advocacy can be contested from the point of the view of the service user (the advocacy partner), the advocate and from professionals working with advocates (or positioning themselves as advocates). Drawing on recent research that evaluated advocacy services in Nottinghamshire, the authors discuss some of the key tensions. In particular, we consider the reality of the advocate’s role, including where it relates to and differs from social work, and the issue of whether advocacy can be part of what a social worker does anyway. The authors also review, briefly, the dilemmas arising from professionals acting as advocates, especially in relation to being independent of services.

Keywords
adult services; adults services; advice services; advocacy; empowerment; professional associations; professional conduct; self-advocacy; service users; social workers; social worker-service user relationship; user participation; Older people Mental health; Older people; Social service; Old age assistance

Journal
British Journal of Social Work: Volume 35, Issue 3

People

Professor Liz Forbat

Professor, Faculty of Social Sciences