Independent casework advocacy
An Independent Casework Advocate is someone who is employed by Advocacy Matters (Wales). They work alongside adults with learning disabilities, to help and support people to make their own decisions.
Advocates work with people until a problem is sorted out.
Advocates don’t work for social services, health services or any other support services. They are here to help you.
All information is kept private.
An Independent Advocate can:
 Help you to say what you want | Help you find information |
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Help you understand your rights |
| Speak up for what you want | |
If you want an advocate for yourself or someone you know, contact us or download the referral form here.
Derek's Story (why advocacy makes a difference)
My name is Derek James. I first found out about Advocacy Matters (Wales) from my social worker in November 2005 when I moved back to Cardiff from Tamworth in Staffordshire a little while after my father passed away. I moved back because I felt I was being treated very unfairly by my uncle up in Tamworth. My uncle was trustee for me but didn’t like me spending any of the money in the trust. My dad’s will said that I could use the money for my care and well being but that whatever was left after me would go to my uncle and his family anyway.
When I got back to Cardiff I was lucky enough to have the help of my auntie Sue and an old friend of mine Paul who is her nephew and I have been living with my friend, not far from my auntie who helps me a lot as well since I came back to Cardiff.
What my advocate, Huw, has helped me to do is to have my trust transferred to another organisation down here (the Friendly Trust) away from my uncle and his family so that I can use it like I was meant to use it to help me to buy a house where I can live my life without worrying.
I am very grateful to Huw and Advocacy Matters (Wales) that they have been able to help me to speak, to write letters, get my debts and benefits sorted and support which we think, with the help of my social worker, we can also get.
Advocacy Matters (Wales) has helped me enormously to deal with difficult situations in my life in the last 2 years I just couldn’t manage on my own. Now I can see everything in my life improving because of everyone who has helped me here but especially because I have had an advocate to help me deal with everyone and everything I have needed to deal with. Things are now almost all sorted out and I should be moving into my own place quite soon where I can relax and enjoy my life with all the support I need. That would have been very difficult, maybe some things would have been impossible, if I hadn’t had an advocate to help me.
I wanted to write this story and have written it with the help of my advocate to try and show how much advocacy is needed for people who cannot deal with so many things that other people can deal with. This is my way of saying ‘thank you’ and hoping that Advocacy Matters (Wales) stay around for a very long time to come so that lots of other people can use their help, which they are happy to give. They know how to do a lot of things that lots of people don’t really know how to go about doing.
Huw has told me that when our work is finished he will have to leave to work with someone else who needs help. I’ll miss him but I know I’ll get invites to the summer bbq and Christmas disco as well as the AGM and I have been to all of these in the last couple of years, so we’ll keep in touch that way. I know if I have problems in the future I only have to ring Advocacy Matters (Wales) and they will get me an advocate to help me as soon as they can.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, YOU ARE ALL GREAT!
Derek James
