What does a Children’s and Young Person’s advocate do?

5th April 2023 / Posted by Family Welfare

Children and young people are the future. That’s why they form a very important audience for Family Welfare support and representation. 

Our children and young person’s advocacy service supports young people across the Wigan borough who are in care or about to leave care. A CYP advocate’s primary role is to ensure young people’s voices are heard and their views represented in decisions being made about their future.

A Children and Young Person’s (CYP) advocate is independent and meetings with them are completely confidential.

A CYP advocate has four main areas of responsibility:

• Listen

To listen and fully understand the views of young people and children who are going through tough times in life. Anything you say to an advocate is confidential. The only time they might share information about you would be to ask for help if they are concerned for your safety or wellbeing.    

• Represent

To speak for and share the views of the child or young person they are representing. An advocate will attend meetings to represent your views and ask questions on your behalf, e.g. at school, with social workers or legal representatives.

• Explain

To share what happened at meetings they have attended and explain the reasons why decisions have been made in a way a child or young person can understand. This might include explaining your legal rights and helping you understand the content of official letters or documents and what they mean to you. 

• Support 

To support the child or young person to make informed decisions and take action on matters affecting their life. This might include helping you prepare for important meetings, fill in forms, or make a complaint. Although, your advocate will try and help you resolve any issues you’re unhappy about before they get to this stage. 

How can I get a young person’s advocate to represent me?

Family Welfare’s advocacy team are always on your side and prepared to speak up for you. We believe every child and young person should understand their rights and be involved in decisions about where they live and who cares for them.  

If you’re a young person in social care or about to leave care and you feel your voice is not being heard, you can self refer to our CYP advocacy service. You must be aged between 4 and 17 and living in Wigan local authority care. For those who have left care you must be aged between 18 and 25. You can find further details on CYP eligibility here. 

You choose your preferred time and location to meet, whether that’s at school, video call, at our office or wherever you feel most comfortable. For more information about children’s advocacy, call us on 01942 867888 or email admin@familywelfare.co.uk