Residents in Hertfordshire are to continue to benefit from a range of person-centred advocacy services after we have retained an important local authority contract in the area.

The contract, awarded by Hertfordshire County Council, has always held a special significance for POhWER as meeting the needs of people in the area was the reason why our charity came into being 28 years ago. 

From those early beginnings, POhWER now provides advocacy services across the UK - supporting over 150,000 people in the past year.

While the contract has been held for a long time, it is always improving to meet the needs of local residents. For this reason, we are proud to be partnering with the Royal Association for Deaf People (RAD), Hertfordshire Independent Living Service (HILS) and mental health charity Viewpoint, to make sure everyone’s needs are being met. 

POhWER will also build on our network of local specialist providers including Headway, Carers in Herts and Herts Vision Loss, and maintain strong links with HertsHelp. 

Over 4,000 people a year will be supported by the service which is available to adults over 18 that reside in the county and who are registered with a GP. This includes prisoners, people living in residential or nursing care, and people in hospital and rehabilitation units.

Our team of trained, skilled and knowledgeable advocates will provide person-centred support to people to enable them to understand and safeguard their rights, obtain information, request access to services that meet their needs and ensure that their views, wishes, and choices are represented, understood and can be acted upon.

All of the advocacy services provided by POhWER are free to access, independent, and confidential.

POhWER Community Manager Martha Haruna: “I am really thrilled about the new contract, especially as we shall be working closely with our local partners who share our value of putting our beneficiaries at the centre of the support we provide.”

Sarah Watson, Operations Manager, Royal Association for Deaf People (RAD) “Royal Association for Deaf people (RAD) is proud to announce our partnership with POhWER, a collaboration aimed at championing the rights of the Deaf Community in Hertfordshire.  Through this alliance, our Advocates, who are either deaf themselves or fluent in British Sign Language, bring a deep understanding of deaf culture.  By providing a service in deaf people’s first or preferred language, BSL, we eliminate the reliance on interpreters, and ensure the highest standards of support. We look forward to amplifying the voices of the Deaf Community and meeting their individual needs with empathy.”

Sarah Wren, Chief Executive, Health & Independent Living Support (HILS) “We are delighted to continue our long-standing partnership with POhWER to provide advocacy services on behalf of older Hertfordshire residents. Our brilliant specialist advocates help older people with making the right decisions about their care and getting their voice heard.”.

Leslie Billy, CEO, Viewpoint: “We are thrilled and delighted that our partner organization POhWER has successfully launched the new Herts wide Advocacy service. As an organisation, Viewpoint is excited to collaborate with POhWER in delivering an innovative, person-centred, recovery-oriented advocacy service. Together, we look forward to making a positive impact and supporting individuals in the community with the utmost dedication and care.”

Some people may need to be referred for advocacy by health and social staff and some advocacy services are open for people to refer themselves. 

More information about the service, including how to access support, can be found on the Hertfordshire page of our website.