Advocacy outcomes : professional advocacy in the lives of disabled people : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Social Work at Massey University

Abstract

After working alongside disabled individuals in a casework capacity as a full time, paid advocacy worker for some time, I became increasingly interested in the evaluation of the outcomes of advocacy. This interest began with my own practice and developed into an analysis of the usefulness of advocacy as a professional tool in bringing about change in individuals' lives. Specifically I was interested in the analyses of the people who have had the experience of being advocated for. Subsequently, this project enabled me to explore the relevant literature regarding advocacy and to engage with individuals who access or have accessed advocacy services in order to identify these outcomes. This thesis predominantly documents the investigation of the outcomes and the process of professional advocacy practice as experienced, understood and interpreted from the point of view of three disabled people who have accessed advocacy within the London Borough of Southwark in the United Kingdom. The research provided the opportunity to firstly determine whether professional advocacy supported individuals to represent their needs clearly so that they gained access to appropriate services. Secondly, it examined whether any outcomes were a direct response to the advocacy interaction or were they attributed to various other factors such as social, economic and political change in the context in question. The former is evident and accordingly the key findings of the research have highlighted that professional advocacy practice can support individuals to represent their needs clearly and accurately and ensure that they gain access to appropriate services. Professional advocacy is particularly effective in the areas of community care and housing. Moreover, the research has identified the process of advocacy as empowering if transference of skills occurs between professional advocate and individual thus challenging the current culture of learnt and maintained dependence. Through this, professional advocacy can contribute to and support self-advocacy of disabled people and the essential continued promotion of the Social Model of disability within our communities.