Advocacy

1787 Words4 Pages

This essay will first attempt to define the concept of advocacy and how this may empower service users. It will then move on to explore the historical context of advocacy and how it has influenced current mental health service provision. To understand the concept of advocacy in more depth, this essay will attempt to dissect its different models. The essay will also emphasise the importance of independent advocacy and its effectiveness on service-user provision. Finally it will reflect on practical implications of the mental health policies as they affect the experiences one of a marginalised and vulnerable user groups, black service-users.
Service user empowerment has recently been at the heart of the UK government’s vision for Health and Social Care, thus shying away from the traditionally paternalistic model in mental health care provision. Leadbetter (2002, p.201) highlighted the complexity in defining the concepts of advocacy and empowerment by stating that ‘empowerment and advocacy are both concerned with a shift of power or emphasis towards meeting the needs and rights of people who otherwise would be marginalised or oppressed. Beyond this generalisation, the concepts of empowerment and advocacy are not simple and as such are almost impossible to define’. Where the term ‘empowerment’ is used, it often covers a whole range of activities from consulting with service users to involvement in service planning. Using the term ‘service user’ was however perceived to stigmatise and label individuals, thus eradicating the notion of empowerment (Rai-Aitkins, Jama and Wright 2002). Due to the complexity in defining the concept of advocacy, this essay will however be best served by Dunning’s understanding of what advocacy entails. Dunn...

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...ives, in case of their mental health deteriorates (Thomas and Bracken 1999). However another school of thought suggests that self-advocacy is markedly limited due to the power imbalance between service-user and professionals (Harrison and David 2009). The principle of beneficence may encourage paternalism as the professional may be acting in what they deem to be in the best interest of the service-user (Thomas and Bracken 1999). Thus potentially making an assumption that the service-user is incapable of making their own decisions. It has been identified that professionals tend to take a paternalistic approach in psychiatry which can overpower the views and needs of a service user who may be self advocating (Thomas and Bracken 1999). It is therefore due to these reasons that an independent advocate may best serve the needs of a mental health service-user.

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