Care Act advocates can support:
Adults who need care and support
Carers
Children who are moving to adult care services
If the council is making decisions about your care and support they must consider whether you would have ‘substantial difficulty’ being involved. Substantial difficulty would be if you have problems with one or more of these:
Understanding information about the decisions
Remembering information
Using the information to be involved in the decisions
Being able to tell people your views, wishes and feeling
The council then needs to consider whether you have an ‘appropriate individual’ to support you. This is someone who the council agree will be available and able to support you. It can be someone in your family or a friend but won’t be someone you don’t want to support you. It can’t be someone who is paid to look after you.
If the council decide that you would have substantial difficulty being involved and do not have an appropriate individual to support you, then you have the right to a Care Act advocate.
