Independent Person Advocacy (IPA) Service
Independent Person Advocacy (IPA) is a specific type of service, funded by Hertfordshire Adult Care Services.
Independent Person Advocacy is aimed at working with those people who are not in a position to communicate their concerns directly. It is also some times known as non-instructed advocacy or non-directed advocacy.
Primarily this has been with individuals with a profound learning difficulty, a group who are often the most highly dependent members of our community.
Much of their dependency is based, not upon their disability, but upon the fact that other people make decisions on their behalf because they do not or cannot speak.
Due to this, there is a risk that the individual viewpoint of the client can be lost.
The Independent Person Advocate works with a client over a period of time by trying to get a sense of how they relate to their environment and the people around them.
A crucial part of this process is to get a sense of the client's preferences and develop an understanding of the client's way of life.
This will assist the Independent Person Advocate to raise issues on behalf of the client and to put forward their best guess of the preferences and wishes of the client.
The role differs from Generic Advocacy in that the Independent Person Advocate is raising issues on behalf of the client, rather than at the client's direction.
This requires considerable experience in working alongside the client group, as well as an ability to engage a wide range of service providers in a positive dialogue around the care provided to clients.
Case Study
Stage1: The client
- A 34 year old woman with profound learning difficulties and autism, had experienced problems with her family.
- She was admitted to an assessment and treatment unit.
Stage 2: The issue
- The Advocate was contacted by Adult Care Services about the client, as they wanted someone who was independent of the family and the care professionals to represent her.
- The Advocate explained that he would need to visit the client and gain better understanding of how she communicates, and relates to others around her.
- Through a series of visits the Advocate built up a profile of the client's likes and dislikes by speaking to staff members as well as directly observing the client.
Stage 3: Action
- Once the Advocate had developed some insight into the client's behaviour, he attended her care planning meetings to address his understanding of her choices and preferences.
- Over a period of months there were several care planning and resettlement meetings, as an appropriate placement was being found for the client.
- Throughout the time it took to find a suitable placement the client was showing increasing frustration.
- The Advocate negotiated with the service on the client's behalf to ensure that this did not set back the time-table for resettlement.
Stage 4: Review
- The client moved to a new home where staff were trained in supporting people with autism and communication difficulties.
- After a couple of visits the Advocate closed the issue as there was no further action required.
Referrals
To make a referral to our services please complete the referral form
Feedback about our services
If you would like to feedback to us about our services please complete the feedback form
Contact Us
If you would like more information abour our IPA services, please contact one of our offices and ask to speak with an Independent Person Advocate.
Our North Hertfordshire Office covers Stevenage and North Hertfordshire, Royston, Buntingford and Bishop's Stortford, Welwyn and Hatfield, South East Hertfordshire (includes Cheshunt, Ware, Hoddesdon).
Contact the North Office
Our South Hertfordshire Office covers St Albans and Harpenden, Watford and Three Rivers, Hertsmere (includes Potters Bar, Borehamwood, Radlett, Shenley), Dacorum (includes Hemel Hempstead, Tring, Berkhamsted, Kings Langley).
Contact the South Office
