Joe's Story: Advocacy in Kent

12th January 2012

Categories: Advocacy,

Joe first came to VoiceAbility because he was having trouble understanding his tenancy agreement. His advocate explained its contents and helped him to understand what it meant. The advocate made sure that Joe was happy with the contract and that he knew what his rights were and what the landlord expected of him in return.

When Joe had a Best Interest meeting to attend, he continued to work with his advocate to make sure that his views and opinions were listened to in the meeting and that the professionals wrote down any worries or concerns that Joe had about his case. Joe felt that he needed more support and he worked with his advocate to help demonstrate that he needed to be reassessed. Working with the Advocate helped Joe to navigate the process and ensure that a reassessment of his needs was made.

Joe often felt that he was not a priority in decisions about his life, particularly when professionals tried to speak to him without making an appointment or giving him time to prepare. Working with VoiceAbility helped Joe to demonstrate why he felt it was so important that professionals made proper appointments with him before making decisions about his life. Contacting Joe and making an appointment to discuss the issues made Joe feel that he was central to decisions made about him. He felt more confident and more valued as a result of the advocacy he received and the changes he was able to make in his life.