Advocacy Consortium UK

Working together improving independent advocacy services for all.

What We Do

ACUK has a small project budget used to commission projects likely to be of national interest and concern. Projects are identified by members at our quarterly national meetings, and once operational are overseen by a small advisory group made up of interested members.

We aim to publish reports on all commissioned projects on our web site and make these freely available to all those interested in continuing to develop the evidence base for independent advocacy across all client groups.

Investigating the Advocacy Experience of Service Users

ACUK members are keen to engage with and explore service user views of independent advocacy services they use. Our experience indicates a lack of research in this area for particular groups or people. We wished to explore this further and proactively seek the views of underrepresented groups.

Stage One

This project has two stages. Stage One is about providing ACUK with detailed information on current research into different service users experience with independent advocacy.

Stage one objectives:

  1. To establish via a desktop literature review all current available research on all types of service users engagement with and experience of advocacy.
  2. To identify and synthesise the evidence on the advocacy service user experience.
  3. To identify as far as possible the potential costs and benefits of advocacy service user engagement.
  4. To highlight any gaps in the evidence base and identify any steps that could be taken to address these.
Stage Two

Stage two is about identifying and piloting a service user engagement model to establish service users expectations of advocacy and the way in which this should be delivered. This should explore the identification of service user outcomes and the advocacy means by which these are achieved.

Stage two objectives:

  1. To formulate a methodology for engagement with service users.
  2. To gain input from a people who may want to access advocacy services from a range of client groups through interviews, events, questionnaires or other clearly identified means.
  3. To identify the core expectations that service users have about the quality, accessibility and availability of advocacy.
  4. To collate a report which may be used to inform advocacy providers and commissioners about service user perspectives on advocacy.

Previous Projects

Investigation into the feasibility and desirability of developing a National Strategic Framework for Advocacy
  • In 2007 Ivan Lewis, then Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department of Health with responsibility for social care, suggested that the idea of a strategic framework for advocacy be explored.
  • Funding was secured by ACUK to undertake further investigation by conducting a survey of advocacy schemes and holding two focus groups meetings to explore the desirability and feasibility of a National Strategic Framework for Advocacy.
  • There was a good response from advocacy schemes which covered all regions in England and reflected the coverage of advocacy schemes across the regions.
  • Well over half (69.9%) of all advocacy schemes surveyed were generally in favour of developing a National Strategic Framework for Advocacy.