Our Community Advocacy Project supports clients with severe and enduring mental health problems, usually referred by Community Mental Health Teams.

Although clients who are referred to this service usually have a Care Plan in place, referrals are also accepted from individuals, Crisis Resolution & Home Treatment Teams, Fernleigh Respite/Crisis Centre, Wirral Assertive Outreach Term, staff from the Job Centre and Housing Associations – in fact referrals are usually accepted from anyone.

The project aims to help clients with a range of issues including debt, housing and welfare benefits. To assist the Advocate, we use the services of volunteers, many of whom have used, or are present users of mental health services. These volunteers receive quality training, and many move on to paid employment.

Clients can be supported when they attend appointments (such as going to see their GP to help them put their views across) or Care Planning Meetings, when the clients might feel intimidated by professionals, or the number of people at the meeting.  We can accompany clients when they see a member of their Care Team, if they are dissatisfied with any aspect of their care or treatment.

We deal with complaints and can act on behalf of clients at each stage of a complaints procedure.  We attend planning meetings, where current and future mental health services are being discussed, monitored and planned.  We talk to service users on a daily basis and try to feed their views to the decision makers.

We chair and facilitate the successful Wirral Mental Health Forum.  Meetings take place monthly, and any aspect of mental health services in Wirral can be discussed.  Meetings are open to service users, carers and professionals, and anyone with an interest in mental health services.  The aim of the Forum is to inform, educate and gain the views of all the stakeholders in mental health services.

As part of their training, Student Social Workers have placements with us for either 40 or 80 days.  They take on the role of Advocates, which gives the students the opportunity to understand more about mental health services, and the perspective of people using these services.

For more information about our Community Advocacy Project, please contact:

Tony Lawrence (Senior Advocate) on 0151 650 1530 or

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