Darlington Association on Disability

There is a wide range of advocacy support available for people who live in Darlington. The advocacy services that DAD provide in Darlington are described below, including guidance on them and their referral processes.

DAD is happy to informally discuss with referrers what the most appropriate type of advocacy may be. Please call 01325 360524 and ask for the Advocacy team, or email advocacy@darlingtondisability.org.

 

General guidance:

Please email or post your referral forms. We will acknowledge receipt of the referral within 2 working days. If you have not received acknowledgement in this time, please contact us.

It is essential that we are aware of any potential risks posed to advocates whilst undertaking their role.

We allocate referrals as soon as possible, aiming that all people referred for an advocate will have contact with their advocate within 10 working days. Where there is an urgent need for an advocate, for example: urgent safeguarding referrals, we aim to respond as quickly as possible.

When there is a particularly high demand for advocacy, referrals will be allocated based on the date we receive the referral, unless there is an urgent need.

The advocate will always contact the referrer to introduce themselves.

We ask professionals to take into account sufficient time for an advocate to be allocated, for the advocate to get to know the person, and for the advocate and person to plan the advocacy journey.

Please note that when sending referral forms to us, it is the sender who is responsible as the data controller. It is the sender’s responsibility to ensure that the referral form is sent via an appropriate and secure method. If needed, the document should have a password.

Please send completed referral forms to:

Darlington Association on Disability Advocacy Service, 1P Enterprise House, South Entrance, Valley Street North, Darlington, DL1 1GY

Or email: advocacy@darlingtondisability.org.

 

Specialist Mental Health Advocacy:

This service is available for people with an identified mental health need who are a resident of Darlington, and who are registered with a Darlington GP.

An advocate can support people through the process of getting the right support and treatment. As part of this service, we run a drop-in service for informal inpatients of West Park Hospital to ensure that they have access to advocacy during their stay.

Please note: if a person is detained under the Mental Health Act or is subject to a Community Treatment Order of Guardianship, please refer for an IMHA.

Individuals can make self-referrals by calling Advocacy at DAD on 01325 360524 or by emailing advocacy@darlingtondisability.org.

Professionals should request a referral form by calling 01325 360524 or by emailing advocacy@darlingtondisability.org.

This service is funded by the Darlington and Tees Valley Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).

 

Support for victims of crime who have mental health needs:

This service can support victims of crime who have an identified mental health need. It can support the person to understand information, consider their options, and express their views through the criminal justice system. It can also support victims to access support to help cope with and recover from the impacts of the crime.

Individuals can make self-referrals by calling Advocacy at DAD on 01325 360524 or by emailing advocacy@darlingtondisability.org.

Professionals should request a referral form by calling 01325 360524 or by emailing advocacy@darlingtondisability.org.

This service is funded by the Darlington and Tees Valley Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).

 

Hate Crime Advocacy Service:

In partnership with Show Racism the Red Card, DAD can support victims of all types of Hate Crime. For more information, please see Hate Crime Advocacy Service.

Individuals can make self-referrals by calling Advocacy at DAD on 01325 360524 or by emailing advocacy@darlingtondisability.org.

Professionals should request a referral form by calling 01325 360524 or by emailing advocacy@darlingtondisability.org.

 

Statutory and  General Advocacy:

DAD is commissioned by Darlington Borough Council to provide the following types of advocacy:

• Independent Mental Health Advocacy (IMHA)
• Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy (IMCA)
• Care Act Advocacy
• General and Non-Statutory Advocacy
• Deprivation of Liberty

Information on the referral process for each of these can be found below.

 

Independent Mental Health Advocacy  (IMHA):

Please refer to the IMHA page for further information including eligibility.

Individuals can make self-referrals by calling Advocacy at DAD on 01325 360524 or by emailing advocacy@darlingtondisability.org.

Professionals should request a referral form by calling 01325 360524 or by emailing advocacy@darlingtondisability.org. Please be advised that it is important that we are made aware of the type and starting date of any section the person is detained under.

We urge hospital to make referrals as early as possible, particularly for people who are detained under Section 2 of the Mental Health Act to ensure that the person is supported to understand their right to appeal.

 

Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy (IMCA):

Please refer to the IMCA page for further information including eligibility.

Referrals must be made by the appropriate decision maker. Referral forms can be requested from, and must be completed and returned to: advocacy@darlingtondisability.org.

A referral can be accepted via telephone, however, due to the legal nature of advocacy, this can only be done in exceptional circumstances.

We urge referrals to be made as early as possible to allow enough time for an advocate to be allocated and the work involved to be undertaken to a high standard. We request that, where an advocate is required to attend a meeting, that a date is set in consultation with the advocate, allowing enough time for the advocate to meet the person and gather their views. An IMCA will always submit a report, however, a verbal report may be given where timescales are tight. Please ensure that a capacity assessment has been undertaken for the decision prior to making the referral. Please ensure that the information regarding the specific decision is as clear as possible.

 

Care Act Advocacy:

Please refer to the Care Act Advocacy page for further information including eligibility.

The referral must be made by the social worker undertaking the assessment, planning, or review. Referral forms can be requested from, and must be completed and returned to: advocacy@darlingtondisability.org.

A referral can be accepted via telephone, however, due to the legal nature of advocacy, this can only be done in exceptional circumstances.

We urge referrals to be made as early as possible to allow enough time for an advocate to be allocated and the work involved to be undertaken to a high standard. We request that, where an advocate is required to attend a meeting, that a date is set in consultation with the advocate, allowing enough time for the advocate to meet the person and gather their views. Where this is not possible, it may not be appropriate for the advocate to attend the meeting.

 

General / Non statutory  Advocacy

Referrals can be made by social workers employed by Darlington Borough Council.  We urge referrals to be made as early as possible to allow enough time for an advocate to be allocated and the work involved to be undertaken to a high standard. We request that, where an advocate is required to attend a meeting, that a date is set in consultation with the advocate, allowing enough time for the advocate to meet the person and gather their views.

 

Deprivation of Liberty:

DAD provides advocacy for people who have been deprived of their liberty under the Mental Capacity Act or via the Court of Protection.

For people living in a care home or staying in hospital, a Relevant Person’s Representative is appointed. Referrals for this can only be made by the council’s supervisory body.

For people living in the community, DAD can provide a 1.2 representative as part of the Court of Protection Authorisation Process. This entails an advocate getting to know the person’s views about their care and support. The 1.2 representative, or advocate, is also required to scrutinise the care and support plan to ensure that it is in the person’s best interests and is as least restrictive as possible. The advocate is required to write a report for the Court of Protection. Once the Court has authorised the deprivation, the advocate is then ordered by the Court to maintain contact with the person and check the implementation of the care and support plan.

For a 1.2 representative, the referral must come for the social worker. Referral forms can be requested from and must be completed and returned to: advocacy@darlingtondisability.org.

Please note: whenever a new authorisation is needed by the Court, i.e. when it is reviewed, a new referral for a 1.2 representative is also needed.

It is important that the person has an up-to-date care and support plan for this process and for the advocate to undertake their role. If this needs reviewing, a Care Act referral will also be needed (see above), unless the person has an appropriate person to support them through the process. This person cannot be someone who is paid to provide care and support for the person.

DAD can also act as a litigation friend as part of the Court of Protection process, however this needs approving with the council’s supervisory body and commissioner, and requires a separate referral. For more information on this, please call 01325 360524.