Advocacy policy

Advocacy is the act of helping a person get what they need. There may be times when you will need the help of an advocate.

We will always help you to get an advocate if you need one.

In this document you will learn about:

An advocate is a person who can help you stand up for your rights.

Advocates will work with you to find out what you need and what you want.

An advocate must be a person that you know and trust.

There are many different people that can be an advocate.

A family member can be your advocate.

A person from an outside advocacy group can be your advocate.

A person from a legal organisation (like a lawyer) can be your advocate.

Advocates will always make sure that you are safe and have what you need.

Advocates can help you advocate for yourself.

Advocates can help you find out what you need.

Advocates can say something for you.

Advocates can help you write and sign papers.

Advocates can help you report incidents and make complaints.

There are some things that advocates cannot do.

An advocate cannot help you with your health treatments.

An advocate cannot act as a go-between when resolving problems.

An advocate cannot make decisions for a different person (if they are not their advocate).

We have let our workers know when an advocate might be needed.

You have the right to choose your own advocate. We will help you with this.

We will help you if you want to:

We will work with your chosen advocate.

We will help you to find and contact your chosen advocate.

You can ask one of our workers about where you can find an advocate.

You can use Google and the Disability Advocacy Finder tool to look for advocates near you.

You can also contact the department that is in charge of advocacy in your state.

A full list of services in each state can be found on the NDIS website.