Free Advocacy Skills Training in Bromley
Learn how to advocate for others with free advocacy training in Bromley.
How the Innovation Fund is being used to develop advocacy skills in Bromley
BTSE Associate Members have exclusive access to apply for the Bromley Well Innovation Fund, a programme financed by the London Borough of Bromley and South East London Clinical Commissioning Group.
In Summer 2021, BTSE Associate Members The Advocacy People won funding to deliver advocacy skills training to increase the capacity of the community to advocate for themselves and each other.
Now The Advocacy Training People want to hear from you
Bromley voluntary sector organisations have your say on how you would like to access the advocacy skills training.
All you have to do is get in touch with The Advocacy People to start the conversation. Email them training@theadvocacypeople.org
When people can’t speak up for themselves, we want to make sure that there is someone in their corner to help them speak, or speak on their behalf
Louise Basso, Contracts Manager at the Advocacy People
The Advocacy People believe in a society where people feel in control of their lives and are confident to speak up when decisions are being made about them, particularly about health and social care issues. When people can’t speak up for themselves, we want to make sure that there is someone in their corner to help them speak, or speak on their behalf, whether this is a professional or a family member/friend.
The Advocacy People’s mission
Our mission is to enhance the capability, connectedness and capacity of communities, as well as delivering services to people. Advocacy is transformational, developing life skills and self-reliance so that people feel able to speak up for themselves and the people around them.
What is Advocacy?
Advocating for others means putting people at the centre, without judgement or imposing your own views. Advocates support people to understand the process they are involved in, ask the right questions, weigh up the options, reach an informed decision and speak up about what they want.
Advocacy in Bromley
We know that advocacy works. In the London Borough of Bromley there is advocacy provision beyond what is required by statute, however this is limited to people who consider themselves to have a mental health condition.
As the provider of this service, as well as the Independent NHS Complaints Advocacy service, in the year ending March 2021 we had to turn away 15% of referrals or self-referrals as they didn’t meet the criteria for these services or other statutory advocacy services.
Avoiding the funding cliff edge
One possible response would be to seek funding to deliver more advocacy ourselves.
However, we know that there are inherent dangers with this, as funding is not guaranteed. So, in order to avoid this service delivery cliff edge, we have introduced a one year programme of advocacy skills development.
What does the training look like?
Through funding from Bromley Well Innovation Fund, we are delighted to be able to offer free advocacy skills training in the Borough. The project will have three strands of training:
- To upskill the VCSE sector to feel confident in using advocacy skills and principles as part of their toolkit
- For people in Bromley who are advocating for the people around them (e.g. unpaid carers)
- For people in Bromley who wish to self-advocate but are lacking the confidence in how to go about this.
BTSE Members and Partners
BTSE Associate Members and Partners don’t miss out. If you have any queries or would like to book a place on the training, please email training@theadvocacypeople.org.uk
