Parental Advocacy
Section 1.5 of the Department of Health’s Good Practice Guidance on Working with Parents with a Learning Disability states that independent advocacy should always be provided to parents with learning disabilities when their children are subject to child protection and/ or care proceedings and that it should be offered from an early stage.
The Purpose of Parents Advocacy is to assist parents, who have a significant difficulty being involved in the process to fully engage in assessments and to understand the complex statutory processes within Children’s Social Care, Where there is no one appropriate or available to facilitate and represent their views. The provision aims to build the individuals confidence and self-esteem.
Go to Professional Referral Page to download a referral form. *We may be commissioned for this work in other areas, please contact us.
Eligibility
In Stoke-on-Trent Asist is providing advocacy for parents:
The person requiring support is a parent of a child/ children that are open to Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s Children’s Social Care; and
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The person has a diagnosed Learning Disability, which leads to them having substantial difficulty in one or more of the following areas:
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Understanding relevant information
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Using or weighing up information
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Retaining information
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Communicating their views, wishes and feelings; and
There is no one appropriate or available to facilitate the person’s active involvement in the process.
Referrals into the Parents Advocacy service will only be accepted upon receipt of detailed referral information that outlines any risks that need to be considered.
Referrals will only be accepted from the following Stoke-on-Trent City Council Children’s Social Care staff unless authorised by the Lead Commissioner:
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Principal Managers
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Practice Managers
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Social Workers
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Assistant Social Workers
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Conference and Review Managers
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Independent Reviewing Officers
