All Age Advocacy Services

Advocacy services provide the support which enables an individual, usually a vulnerable person, to understand and communicate their choice or express their views on issues and participate in making decisions which affect them. Under the Children Act 1989, Care Act 2014 and National Health Service Act 2006, Milton Keynes has a statutory duty to ensure that some form of independently led support is available for cohorts of children, young people and Care experienced young people aged 18-25 years old. The Provider will be required to work jointly with Milton Keynes City Council in the delivery of the support provided to eligible service users across Milton Keynes. This will include ensuring that the support is accessible and meets the young person's needs. Milton Keynes’ aim is for all children and young people to have access to appropriate support and representation to ensure their rights are protected and their wishes and feelings are listened to and taken into account. To support this aim, Milton Keynes has a requirement for the provision of independent advocacy services for children and young people. Services are expected to be delivered in line with the National Standards for The Provision of Children’s Advocacy and will include: • Independent Visiting Service for children and young people in care • Independent Social Care Advocacy for children and young people who make a complaint /are intending to make a representation or complaint about a service• Independent Return Home Conversations following missing episode(s) for children and young people in care • Child Protection Advocacy Service The overarching service objectives of this service are: • For the Local Authority to meet their statutory obligations in relation to advocacy, independent visiting, and independent return from home conversations. • For suitable support to be provided within appropriate statutory timescales to ensure the child’s voice, their welfare, safety, wishes, and feelings are represented • Ensure that the rights of children and young people are effectively communicated • Advocacy services contribute effectively to high quality care planning and support for children and young people who are eligible for an advocacy service • IV services enable children and young people to feel supported and reduce risk of isolation • Ensure that all children and young people who go missing are offered a return home conversation and that return conversations are completed in accordance with local protocols and statutory guidance • Return conversation services contribute to reduction in missing episodes and to strategic planning around missing children • Empower children and young people to identify coping strategies to keep them safe in all circumstances. The overarching objectives for children and young people are: • To guarantee that children are first, and their voice is at the centre of all key decisions in their lives, prioritising their best interests while focusing on their individual needs, rights and potential, and ensuring all work is trauma informed in line with the Child first approach. To empower them to understand their rights, statutory processes and when/how they can challenge decisions made about their lives • Improved social skills - i.e. building and sustaining relationships, positive self-identity, and esteem • Improved communication skills and effective relationships with trusted adults • To ensure that children are safeguarded and have independent avenues to be able to express worries, concerns, and challenges.

The Adults Advocacy Service will deliver statutory advocacy services, ensuring that the right support is provided at the right time, in the right place, to each individual using the full range of advocacy provision. The Council has a statutory duty under the Care Act 2014 to ensure that some form of independently led support is available for adults. Advocacy Services include: • Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy Service including Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (IMCA & IMCA DoLS)• Relevant Person's Paid Representative Service (RPPR)• Rule 1.2 (Court of Protection DoLS)• Independent Mental Health Advocacy Service (IMHA) – within hospital, secure hospital and community if under a Community Treatment Order (CTO)• NHS Independent Complaints Advocacy Service• Independent Care Act Advocacy Service (ICAA)The Provider will deliver specialist IMCA and IMCA DoLS, Relevant Person’s Paid Representative (RPPR) and Rule 1.2 services to those eligible under the Mental Health Act 2005 (lndependent Mental Capacity Advocates) (General) Regulations 2006, the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (Independent Mental Capacity Advocates) (Expansion of Role) Regulations 2006: and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. The Mental Capacity Act 2005 makes it a legal requirement for people who lack mental capacity for certain decisions to have access to an independent advocate when there are no known relatives, or close friends appropriate to consult on their behalf. IMCA/IMCA DoLS services in Milton Keynes form an integral part of overall services provided to those who lack capacity and who are without an appropriate relative or friend to consult with.The Provider is required to deliver the following: • A fully accessible range of adult advocacy services that deliver consistent high-quality advocacy support to individuals no matter what type of advocacy they are being referred for. • Support that increases independence or recovery and promotes choice and control.• A service that reflects the principles, expert practice and quality standards as recommended by the Advocacy Charter and Code of Practice. Code-of-Practice-1.pdf (qualityadvocacy.org.uk) • A service that is physically accessible to all users, and where possible with an accessible office base. • A service that is flexibly delivered to ensure accessibility, which may include advocates visiting people in their home, if they are unable to access the service at an office. • A service that is delivered locally to where people reside as far as possible. • Evidence based outcomes which demonstrate the positive impact of the advocacy service received by the individual. • Co-productive approaches and engagement activities to include the involvement of staff, carers, and individuals in the delivery of outcomes and service design. • Appropriate tools that capture outcomes for individuals and their progress. This may mean more than one tool to cover different needs of the people accessing the adult advocacy services. • The Provider will be expected to report the number of referrals and issues based advocacy referrals have been received on a quarterly basis in arrears. • The Provider will be expected to report the number of referrals and issues received that have been carried over to the next quarter, on a quarterly basis in arrears • The Provider will be expected to report the number of referrals and issues based advocacy referrals declined, on a quarterly basis in arrears and the reason why the referral was declined. • The Provider will also be expected to report the number of referrals and issues, received within each advocacy field on a quarterly basis, in arrears.