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  1. About us
  2. Who we are

Who we are

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

POhWER was set up in 1996 by service users who, tired of others making assumptions about their capabilities and views, wanted equal access to information and a voice of their own.


Our independence:

We are an independent organisation, separate from the government, local councils, the NHS and other organisations that provide health and social care. Although some of these organisations pay us to provide advocacy this will never stop us from challenging them or representing the wishes and needs of the people we work with.

Our Advocates are trained so they can describe how they are independent from other service providers. They speak up for, and stand alongside individuals or groups, and are not influenced by the views of others. We always put the wishes and needs of the people we work with first.

We make sure that all of our contracts and service level agreements protect our independence and do not result in a conflict of interest.

We have suitable policies and processes in place that support us to challenge decisions made on behalf of our beneficiaries by practitioners working in health and social services. Our Code of Practice provides a framework for good practice for delivering independent advocacy.

Our independence from statutory services is important because we uphold and promote people’s rights. Everyone has basic rights and freedoms, including the right to live with dignity. These human rights are protected by laws and we respect, defend and pursue these rights, making sure people’s voices and opinions are meaningfully heard by statutory services, and that these services also deliver human rights-based approaches and practices.


Our values:

Our values are our core principles, the qualities and beliefs that drive all of our work. These have evolved over the years and can now be restated to ensure we put people at the heart of everything we do:-

POhWER's People Values: Professional,Empowering, Open,free and fair, Positive difference, Local, Engaging

Published: 14th March, 2014

Updated: 20th February, 2023

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Latest

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    Strategy 2020-2025: The changes we want to see and how POhWER helps to realise them

    Our strategy describes where we are heading to and how we will achieve our aims and objectives.

  • Meet the team

    Meet the team

    Explore the profiles of POhWER's Senior Management Team, our Trustees, our Vice Presidents and our Patrons

  • Reports and accounts

    Reports and accounts

    POhWER's annual report includes a review of our work and its impact, a report from our Board of Trustees and financial statements

  • Working in partnership

    Working in partnership

    POhWER’s partnerships with local organisations, commissioners and professionals help us provide the best possible support to our service users

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  • NHS Complaints Advocacy

    NHS Complaints Advocacy

    NHS Complaints Advocacy supports people who are thinking about making a complaint about treatment funded by the NHS

  • Make a referral

    Make a referral

    You can make a referral to POhWER services by completing one of the forms on this page or by calling 0300 456 2370

  • Independent Mental Health Advocacy (IMHA)

    Independent Mental Health Advocacy (IMHA)

    Independent Mental Health Advocacy supports people to understand and exercise their rights under the Mental Health Act

  • Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy (IMCA)

    Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy (IMCA)

    Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy supports people who are not able to make certain decisions about their lives for themselves

  • London

    We provide services across London, helping people to get their voices heard. Here you can find our more about the services we provide.

  • Central and East of England

    POhWER provides services across five local authority areas in Central and East of England, helping people to get their voices heard.

  • Community Advocacy

    Community Advocacy

    Community Advocacy is for people who need support to deal with an issue they are facing and want help to speak up for themselves or be listened to.

  • Feedback

    Feedback

    Tell us what you think about our services. POhWER takes feedback seriously and we use it as part of our commitment to continually improving our services.

  • Care Act Advocacy

    Care Act Advocacy

    Care Act advocates support people who need support to be involved in decisions their local council is making about their care and support

  • Southern England

    POhWER provides services across four local authority areas in Southern England, helping people to get their voices heard

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Copyright © 2016 | POhWER is a registered charity in England & Wales (1061543), Scotland (SC048858).
Registered company limited by guarantee, England & Wales (03323040).
Registered office: Suite 4, Middlesex House, Meadway Corporate Centre, Stevenage, England, SG1 2EF

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