The Old Bank
Swinburne Street
Gateshead NE8 1AX
Registered charity 1024918
Patron: Denise Robertson
Tel: 0191 478 6472
Fax: 0191 477 8559
Email: mail@aigst.com
Advocacy in Gateshead and South Tyneside
works for adults with learning disabilities
It
has been doing this for 14 years in Gateshead and over 3 years in South Tyneside
Advocacy is about helping people with learning
disabilities to speak up for themselves and live full lives the same
as everyone else.
Advocates can help and support you do this until you can do it on
your own.
Advocacy is about
Making choices
Speaking up
Advocacy is about helping people with a learning disability
to get their voices and opinions heard
What we think
People know how they want to live their life
People should be listened to
People should not be bullied or scared to speak up
People should get support to speak up
People with learning disabilities should support each
other
Advocates will help you make choices
Advocates will be there just for you
Advocates can help explain things to you
What
services do we offer?
Case / Crisis Advocacy
Having someone to listen to you
Talking with you about what you want
Helping you get what you want
Speaking for you at meetings
Citizen Advocacy
Being in a friendship
Seeing each other regularly
Going places together
Having someone to speak up for you
Involvement Support
Working together with staff and managers
Finding out what you think about services
you use
Training staff in working with people
with learning disabilities
Self Advocacy
Being a member of a group
Being aware of your rights
Speaking up for yourself
Assist people with learning disabilities
to obtain full rights and privileges as citizens
Enable and encourage people with learning disabilities
to support each other in obtaining rights and privileges as citizens
We aim to do this by
Providing help and support to people with learning
disabilities on a one-to-one basis
Promoting to society, the abilities and potential
of people with learning disabilities
Developing best practice in service provision
through user consultation, feedback, monitoring and evaluation
Over half of our
Board of Trustees is composed of people with learning disabilities.
This active involvement of people with learning disabilities on
our management team ensures that we can remain clearly focused on
our aims and objectives and in our responsiveness to people who
use our service.
All the workers at Advocacy
have to work to a set of rules to make sure:
We do not break the law
We stay independent from your services and family
You can complain if you are not happy with us
People know how we work
