North Ayrshire Advocacy Service - AIMS
What is AIMS Advocacy?
We are a voluntary organisation, who assist people to speak up for what they think is important in their lives.
We are given funds from a variety of sources to carry out our work, including North Ayrshire Council and NHS Ayrshire and Arran, but we work independently of them.
First and foremost are the people we advocate for. As team of workers and volunteers, we bring advocates together with people who need them.
If you are already acting as an advocate for someone else we can provide extra support for you.
What is Advocacy?
Advocacy helps you to put your views over to other people. The person who helps you is called your advocate.
Advocates are ordinary people who live in the same community as you do. They are there to help you - not anyone else.
Who can have an Advocate?
At the time of writing we are funded to provide advocacy for people from North Ayrshire aged over 16 years who experience mental health problems, learning difficulties or personality disorders or who live in North Ayrshire.
What will an Advocate do?
They will:
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find out what you think
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help you find information
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support you in putting your views over to other people
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go along to meetings with you
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stand up for you when you need them to
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tell you the truth
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help you fill in forms
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write and read letters for you
What an Advocate will not do:
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talk about you without you knowing
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tell you what to do
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do everything for you
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make promises they won't keep
Who chooses your Advocate?
We have a number of volunteers who are trained to be advocates.
If you need an advocate for a long time you will be involved in choosing who they are.
In an emergency it will be the advocate who is available who will help you.
Your advocate will be your partner. It's important that you get on well.
Your advocate will do things with you, not for you.
How to contact us...
Our office is open from 10am - 2pm Monday to Friday, although we can make arrangements to meet with you outside these times where necessary.
An answering machine is always available to take messages and we respond to these as soon as we can.