Advocacy is about representing the views, wishes and needs of children and young people to professionals making decisions about their lives, and helping them to navigate the system, especially in times of transition. Advocacy services provide independent and confidential information, advice, representation, support and, advocacy for eligible children and young people. High quality advocacy is an important preventative measure to ensure practical problems do not escalate, that children and young people are protected from harm or risk of harm to their wellbeing and to ensure that potential system level failures are identified and tackled at the earliest opportunity. This publication sets out the standards of the minimum expectations for the delivery of advocacy services from the U.K. Department for Education.
This guidance is for:
- Children and young people, particularly those accessing advocacy services
- Advocacy services
- Organisations and charities representing children and young people
- Local authorities
