Experiences and Perceptions of Independent Advocacy under the Care Act 2014: An Explorative Study

This project will explore experiences and perceptions of independent advocacy delivered under the CA 2014 in England, from the perspective of individuals belonging to four participant groups: service users, advocates, carers and social workers. The principal research questions that will be addressed are:
- How effective is Care Act advocacy?
- What challenges and obstacles exist to effective advocacy?
- What is the identity of Care Act advocates as an occupational group?
- How does Care Act advocacy relate to advocacy more broadly, including other types of statutory advocacy such as the role of Independent Mental Capacity Advocate?
The project would make a contribution to knowledge as there have been no previously published, substantial research studies relating to the practice of Care Act advocacy. The CA 2014
significantly increased advocacy's role within the processes of adult social care, introducing a duty on local authorities to provide independent advocates for individuals who would otherwise have 'significant difficulty' in being fully involved in these processes, provided there is not an appropriate individual who could provide this assistance informally (CA, 2014: 67(4&5). The CA 2014 also introduced the right of carers to access their own independent advocacy, in certain circumstances (Department of Health & Social Care, 2018). The project will include consideration of carers' advocacy.
There exists a significant body of scholarship concerning social care advocacy, which the project can draw upon. This includes studies from outside England (e.g. Whelan, 2016; Sherwood-Johnson, 2016). Advocacy exists in a variety of forms: common to these is the process of an individual or group speaking on their own or another's behalf, in order to promote positive change for the individual or group being advocated for, to ensure their interests are represented, and to maximise their level of involvement in making decisions that affect them (Newbigging et al., 2017, p.8; Dixon et al., 2018, p.4). Yet the multi-faceted nature of advocacy means that the concept is often contested (Brandon and Brandon, 2001). Whereas Wilks (2012) contends that advocacy is an integral part of the social work role, studies of local advocacy services by Forbat and Atkinson (2005) and Hardwick (2014) identify important differences and sources of tension between advocacy and statutory social work.