Sandwell

POhWER has worked in Sandwell since 2006. Last year we provided advocacy support to 277 Sandwell residents.

We are pleased to announce that POHWER now provides IMCA and IMHA services in Sandwell and continues to deliver NHS complaints and Community/Care Act Advocacy.

We offer the following services in Sandwell:

NHS Complaints Advocacy for people who wish to make a complaint about treatment provided under the NHS
Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy (IMCA), including Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and Relevant Person's Paid Representative (RPPR) service is a statutory advocacy service to support vulnerable people who lack capacity and need to make important decisions but have no representatives as defined under the Mental capacity Act 2005.
Independent Mental Health Advocacy (IMHA). Anyone who is detained in a secure Mental Health setting in Sandwell is entitled to access support from an IMHA. This contract also provides an issue based advocacy service for informal inpatients of Sandwell (Hallam St) Hospital via drop ins.
Community Advocacy for any person in Sandwell receiving a care/welfare services who has age-related needs, disabilities or prescribed physical or mental health conditions.
Care Act Advocacy whereby Local Authority social care teams (and designated organisations) can make a referral to our service for you using the referral form Care Act referral form
Volunteering in Sandwell. If you would like to apply all you need to do is fill in the online application form and a member of our volunteer team will contact you to talk to you in more detail about local volunteer opportunities in your area.

How do I get support from an advocate?

To make a referral to the advocacy services in Sandwell, you can download the forms below:

If you are not sure whether you can get an advocate, or for more information, advice and support in your area, you can contact us on 0300 456 2370 or email [email protected].

Local Resources

A picture of the front of the POhWER IMCA leaflet.

Download the Sandwell IMCA leaflet (pdf)

The front page of the POhWER IMHA leaflet.

Download the Sandwell IMHA leaflet (pdf)

Download the Sandwell NHS Complaints Advocacy leaflet (pdf)

Community Advocacy Leaflet

Download the Sandwell Community Advocacy leaflet (pdf)

Download the Sandwell Community Advocacy leaflet in EasyRead (pdf)

Download the Sandwell volunteering leaflet (pdf)

Adele Needed Advocacy Support

Adele is talking to a hospital manager about a complaint.

Read Adele’s story of how, with advocacy support, she has been able to attend meetings in order to improve her health and well being and also to progress her NHS complaint.

Read Adele's story here

POhWER Sandwell held a care act event

Sandwell Care Act event held on the 6th of September was a great success.

This event was a great opportunity to increase Sandwell’s Community understanding of the legislation and how Care Act Advocacy can benefit people.

At POhWER we offer Care Act Advocacy for the people of Sandwell. Pohwer are passionate about helping people be heard. The Care Act was introduced in 2014 to protect and support vulnerable people in the community. We want to promote the Care Act so that people are getting the support that they might need.

The Care Act says that local councils must involve people in decisions about their care and support needs. If it would be difficult for someone to be involved in deciding on their needs without support, the council must make sure they get the appropriate support. If the person doesn’t have someone who can help them, they have the right to have an independent Care Act advocate.

Care Act advocates support Adults who need care and support, Carers, and Children who are moving to adult care services. If the council is making decisions about a person’s care they must consider whether they would have ‘substantial difficulty’ being involved. Substantial difficulty would be if they have problems with understanding information about the decisions. This can include remembering information, difficulty in using this information to be involved in the decisions or being unable to tell people your views, wishes and feelings.

The council then needs to consider whether the person has an ‘appropriate individual’ to support them. This is someone who the council agree will be available and able to support them. It can be someone in their family or a friend but should not be someone that person doesn’t want to support them.

An advocate will support the person and be involved as much as possible in decisions about the care of the person. The advocates can help when the council is making a needs assessment, making a carer’s assessment, making or reviewing a care and support plan or having a safeguarding enquiry (to check if you might be being abused) or arranging for a Safeguarding Adults Review.

The aim of the Care Act event in Sandwell was to inform the people of Sandwell of their rights and what support is out there for people in the area.

POhWER prides itself on informing people and getting their voices heard and events like this do exactly that.

If you require help and support or are a carer that cares for someone that needs an advocate please contact POhWER on 0300 456 2370

Latest

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Response to the Joint Committee on Human Rights inquiry into the reforms of the DoLS

POhWER's response to the Joint Committee on Human Rights inquiry into the reforms of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS)

Volunteers Celebrations day

Sandwell held a Volunteers awards celebrations day

NHS Complaints Advocacy

NHS Complaints Advocacy can support anyone who is unhappy with the care or treatment they or someone they know has received from the NHS and is thinking about making a complaint. Read more about this service.
Independent Mental Health Advocacy (IMHA)

An IMHA is an independent advocate who is specially trained to work within the framework of the Mental Health Act to support people to understand their rights under the Act and participate in decisions about their care and treatment. Read more about this service.
Make a referral
Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy (IMCA)

An Independent Mental Capacity Advocate (IMCA) can support someone who is not able to make certain decisions about their lives for themselves and has no suitable family or friends to speak for them. Read more about this service.
Central and East of England

We provide services across nine county councils/local authorities of Central and East of England that help people who need to get their voices heard. Here you can find the latest information on what’s happening in your local area. If you cannot find your local area listed below, this maybe because we currently do not provide service in the local area. However, you can call our advisers on 0300 456 2370 to find out who can help you.
London

We provide services across London that help people who need to get their voices heard. Here you can find the latest information on what’s happening in your local area. If you cannot find your local area listed below, this maybe because we currently do not provide services in the local area. However, you can call our advisers on 0300 456 2370 to find out who can help you.
What we do

POhWER is a charity and membership organisation. We provide information, advice, support and advocacy to people who experience disability, vulnerability, distress and social exclusion.
Southern England

We provide services across eleven boroughs of Southern England that help people who need to get their voices heard. Here you can find the latest information on what’s happening in your local area. If you cannot find your local area listed below, this maybe because we currently do not provide service in the local area. However, you can call our advisers on 0300 456 2370 to find out who can help you.
NHS Complaints Advocacy resources

POhWER NHS Complaints Advocacy Self Help Information for NHS Complaints Process. For those who wish to make a complaint about an NHS service they or one of their family or friends received we have a special NHS Complaints Advocacy Service self help pack.
West Midlands

We provide services across seven boroughs of West Midlands that help people who need to get their voices heard. Here you can find the latest information on what’s happening in your local area. If you cannot find your local area listed below, this maybe because we currently do not provide service in the local area. However, you can call our advisers on 0300 456 2370 to find out who can help you.