Advocacy service

The advocacy service was initially developed and piloted in 2003 using the Protocol on Advice and Advocacy for Parents in Child Protection Cases (developed by the University of Cambridge with funding from the Department of Health) as a model.  We continue to base our service on this Protocol. We subsequently secured funding from the Big Lottery, City Parochial and the Diana Memorial Fund to develop the family advocacy service from July 2006 - June 2009.  Using highly qualified lawyers, social workers or advocates with comparable experience, our pioneering professional family advocacy service involves:

• Representing 60 parents a year from four London local authorities from the stage when child protection inquiries are initiated to the first review. The service was targeted at families who find it difficult to engage with statutory services, including those who have previously had children removed from their care and are mistrustful of statutory intervention; asylum seeking families; and young care leavers
• Drawing up agreements with the four participating London local authorities and securing a financial contribution from the authorities to the project.
• Working with local voluntary sector agencies so that families can access complementary support and longer-term assistance.
• Supporting parents/carers who contacted our national advice service by pursuing their case through phone calls or writing to the local authority (‘indirect advocacy) or by drafting a letter enabling the caller to set out their needs and the legal arguments necessary to pursue their case (‘self-advocacy).
• Devising national family advocacy standards with other stakeholders and providing specialist training to advocates from other voluntary organisations across the country (such as mental health adult support workers) to enable them to have a more detailed understanding of child welfare law and child protection procedures. Service users and key stakeholders were involved in the drawing up of these documents. To read the newly developed 'Code of conduct for professional advocates' click here, and 'Professional Advocacy services, principles and standards', click here.

The project culminated in a national advocacy conference on June 10th 2009 entitled, 'Professional Family Advocacy and Safeguarding Children'. Mr Justice Munby was keynote speaker - to read Mr Justice Munby's speech please click here.

The impact of professional family advocacy

To read the independent evaluation by Professor Brid Featherstone (University of Bradford) of FRG's 2006-2009 professional family advocacy service click here. For a summary of the report click here.

FRG's direct professional family advocacy service from 1st July 2009

The London Boroughs of Barnet, Enfield, Tower Hamlets and the City of Westminster part fund our current advocacy project through service level agreements. We can provide a professional advocate to support an agreed number of families living in these Boroughs, whose children are subject to child protection enquiries, who meet the following criteria: 

• Young parents (i.e. under 25), including care leavers.
• Parents who are seeking asylum, have been refused asylum or have been granted refugee status.
• Parents who have had children removed previously, where a decision has not been made to date to instigate Care Proceedings.
• Parents with a Learning Disability or Mental Health problem.
• Parents with drug/alcohol dependency problems.
• Parents where there is domestic abuse. 

In order to avoid any conflict of interests, Family Rights Group will not represent a family member if another family member is already a client of the Advocacy team in connection with the same problem/issue. 

When we provide a face to face advocate in these circumstances, the advocate will work with a parent or parents from the point that child protection enquiries begin, until the end of the first review conference. We are also piloting advocacy work on a small number of cases in each Borough where the child has been subject to a child protection plan for over twelve moths and non engagement with the Local Authority is a matter of concern. In these cases we will provide an advocate from just after the third review conference until just after the fourth review conference. 

Contact us:

- If you are a social worker in Barnet, Enfield, Tower Hamlets or Westminster and you wish to make a referral for an advocate to attend a child protection conference with a parent, please refer to your Referral Protocol.

- If you are a parents in the four boroughs or another professionals working with a family who want advocacy, please contact the Advice service by phone,email or letter.  The Advice line is staffed by advisers and advocates.  It is a free phone number, 0808 801 0366.  Lines are open from 10am - 3.30pm Monday-Friday. 

Training

We also offer three one day training courses for advocates and those working in the voluntary sector:

• An Introduction to Child Care Law and Practice for Voluntary Sector Workers and Advocates (basic level)
• Parental Advocacy in the Child Protection Process (intermediate level)
•  Advanced Child Care Law and Practice – working with families in the context of the Public Law Outline (advanced level)  

Advocacy network

At present, we are seeking funding to develop a national advocacy network of voluntary organisations which are providing advocacy to parents involved with child protection services. We envisage twice yearly meetings, and electronic discussion forums. It is hoped that the Network will be partially funded and that individuals or organisations who join the Network will contribute by paying an annual subscription If you would like to express an interest in joining the Advocacy Network or would like more information, please contact sandra@frg.org.uk.