The Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) and charities like Age Concern and Enable can offer advocacy in the short term. This often involves legal matters, housing disputes, consumer affairs and money problems. The CAB, for example, can help if you’re in debt. They can talk to people that you owe money to and negotiate repayment schedules.

Equal Say Citizen Advocacy

Equal Say provide Citizen Advocacy to people throughout East Renfrewshire, the advocacy service is open to anyone over the age of 16 years who is considered to be vulnerable.

They prioritise referrals from people who feel they are isolated, excluded and who do not have any unpaid people in their life.

A Citizen Advocate is someone who agrees to get to know another person who may be vulnerable and excluded or isolated. They will do their best to understand, respond to and represent that person’s interests as if they were the advocates own and to help the person participate actively in community life.

Citizen advocacy partnerships are one-to-one, freely given and long lasting.

Typically a citizen advocate will spend time listening to their advocacy partner, getting to know them and understanding their wishes, wants and needs.  This may be done in a variety of ways but usually by the advocate and partner spending time together, doing things they both enjoy.  This allows the process to happen in a more natural and unthreatening way.

Referral

The Equal Say referral process is completely open and confidential therefore anyone can make a referral at any time. Equal say won’t disclose the name of the referrer unless we have received confirmation from that individual that we have their authorisation to do so.  If you do intend to make a referral for someone you should where possible inform the person you intend to refer and ask their permission first.

Equal Say Crisis Advocacy

Crisis Advocacy is usually issue-based and short-term (usually 3-12 months) where there is an element of urgency in relation to the advocacy issue(s).

For further information and advocacy stories please visit the Equal Say website.

Email: joyce@equalsay.org
Tel: 0141 638 1846
Address: 1 Spiersbridge Business Park, Spiersbridge Way, Thornliebank, Glasgow, G46 8NL