Viewpoints

Ceartas allows us as social workers to focus on the needs of the person. It encourages that way of thinking as sometimes other things get in the way. It’s a big thing moving someone into care, I take it really seriously, I know what it means for people and part of taking it seriously means bringing in advocacy.


About Us

This is when a group of people who are all facing a common problem who get together to support each other, it is sometimes called collective advocacy. The individual members of the group may support each other over specific issues however Ceartas has been approached on a number of occasions to facilitate groupwork and advocate on behalf of the group.

Some of the benefits of group/collective advocacy are:

  • An issue may arise that is to do with the planning of services and their impact on a group of people. The collective voice can be stronger than that of the individual. Groups are difficult to ignore.
  • Raising a difficult issue can be an isolating experience for someone. The group experience can reduce isolation and provide support.

Examples of Ceartas work in this area are:

  • Advocating  for residents of a local care home who together were unhappy at the policy in regard to obtaining wheelchairs
  • Advocating  for a group of mental health service users who wanted assistance to challenge together the introduction of a revised charging policy in East Dunbartonshire

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