Session 20 The Voice of the service user SECTION 6: 1 Working Together to Meet Needs
Listening to the voice of the service user • Adults have a right to have their views taken into account • Service users with SLD/ PMLD can express themselves and have opinions if carers support them • They need to learn about choices and making decisions in as many aspects of their lives as possible. SECTION 6: 2 Working Together to Meet Needs
Helping Adults to ‘speak’ • See What I Mean (published by BILD) • Talking Mats (published by Stirling University) SECTION 6: 3 Working Together to Meet Needs
Helping adults to ‘speak’ (cont) • Listening to Children (published by Call Centre) has principles that are also very relevant for adults SECTION 6: 4 Working Together to Meet Needs
Learning to ‘speak’ Involves: • having pre-intentional signals e.g. pleasure, distress, interpreted by carers • intentionally indicating preferences/ choices • recognising familiar objects/ pictures • collecting together favoured objects / pictures to guide activities • putting pictures of favoured activities next to a smiley face (Talking Mats) • choosing activities from the list • taking photographs/ movies of favourite things and places • drawing cartoon/ stick pictures • telling personal stories SECTION 6: 5 Working Together to Meet Needs
Advocacy • Advocacy is highlighted by Valuing People as an essential element of supporting people with learning disabilities. SECTION 6: 6 Working Together to Meet Needs
Citizen Advocacy • A citizen advocate is an ordinary person who commits to a long term and 1:1 relationship in order to speak up for and represent an advocacy partner’ interests. • An advocacy partner is someone at risk of having choices, wishes and decisions not heeded unless they are supported to make those wishes known. BILD factsheet SECTION 6: 7 Working Together to Meet Needs
Basic principles An advocate is: • unpaid • independent of services • loyal to their advocacy partner • committed to trust and confidentiality • someone who supports choices but does not make them SECTION 6: 8 Working Together to Meet Needs
Citizen Advocate attributes Citizen advocates need • A sense of fair play • Commitment to partnership SECTION 6: 9 Working Together to Meet Needs
More attributes • Empathy • Patience • Excellent communication skills • Confidence to stand up for their partner • Resilience • Determination SECTION 6: 10 10 Working Together to Meet Needs
Links • What sort of links does your service have with advocacy? • Are you are aware of the full range of services they offer? SECTION 6: 11 11 Working Together to Meet Needs
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