Advocacy Service
ÁR NGLÓR: THE COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCACY SERVICE (our voice)
Shine operates a community advocacy service for people with self experience of mental health issues and their families.
Do you know your rights and entitlements?
Do you need support to access them?
What is Advocacy?
Advocacy is a means of empowering people by supporting them to assert their views and claim their entitlements and where necessary representing and negotiating on their behalf.
Advocacy can often be undertaken by people themselves, by their friends and relatives, or by persons who have had similar experiences (trained peer advocates).
A professional advocacy service such as Ár nglór provides a trained person who, on the basis of an understanding of your needs and wishes, will provide information and support to make a decision or claim an entitlement.
What can an Advocacy service do for you?
The service can provide you with individual information and support on your rights and entitlements on the following:
* Social Welfare,
* Supplementary Welfare,
* Disability Allowance,
* Housing,
* Education and employment,
* Complaints procedure,
* Consumer rights,
* Travel and immigration,
* Negotiation with family members,
* Negotiation and liaison with community mental health care professionals with your permission and under your direction,
* Any other relevant issues related to improving and enhancing your well-being in your community.
What can an Advocate do for you?
Ár nglór Advocates will assist you to identify specific issues you need to resolve and the desired outcome you wish to achieve.
Ár nglór Advocates will support you to self-advocate by providing you with the knowledge and skills needed to represent yourself.
Ár nglór Advocates will assist you to write letters, complete forms and arrange meetings. The Advocate will accompany you to meetings if requested and appropriate.
The Advocate will act only on your direct instructions.
Complaints policy
If you have any concerns or complaints about the Advocate supporting you, then please contact:
Kahlil Thompson-Coyle,
38 Blessington Street,
Dublin 7
T: 01-8601620 F: 01-8601602
Why have an Advocacy Service?
People who experience mental distress and their relatives/carers are frequently disadvantaged and excluded from a whole range of rights, entitlements and activities.
An Advocate can be a powerful resource in challenging a specific injustice or clarifying and negotiating an improvement in circumstances.
An Advocate can provide practical support as well as the confidence to self- advocate.
An Advocate can help to find a way through complex community services and can stand up for people when they are discriminated against.
Ár nglór is:
* Empowering,
* Independent,
* Accountable,
* Confidential,
* Accessible,
* Respectful,
* Professional,
* Free,
* Independent,
For further information, or to speak with a Community Mental Health Advocate, please contact us at:
DUBLIN
John McCrudden,
38 Blessington Street, Dublin 7
T: 01 8601620 F: 01 8601602
CORK
Aislinn Finn,
32 South Terrace, Cork
T: 021 4808189 F: 021 4808125
GALWAY
Andrea Farrell,
Unit, 6, Town Park Centre,
Tuam Road, Galway
T: 091 761746 F: 091 767389
KILKENNY
Miriam Gray,
The Good Shepherd Centre,
Church Lane, Kilkenny
T: 056 7703652 F: 056 7703627