HOW TO GET IN TOUCH
The Mental Health Advocacy Worker is available at Moorside on Monday and Thursday mornings for people who are in-patients. You can meet with us by ringing 969 8686 or ask someone to do it for you.
If you are not in hospital Trafford Mental Health Advocacy Service can be contacted by telephone to arrange to meet with you, this could be at Broome House or another of the local drop-ins or resource centres.
Whenever possible the advocacy worker will see people in a place which is convenient for them.
The service is free and available to anyone who lives in Trafford who believes they have a mental health problem.
Can you help?
Trafford Mental Health AdvocacyServicehas a group which guides the development of the service, it is called Trafford Advocacy Advisory Group(TAAG), and it is made up of people who use the service or have done in the past.
The group is involved in monitoring the service and advising how the service should develop in the future.
If you would like to join, Phone us on 0161 969 8686 to find out more and how you can get involved.
Complaining about us
We would welcome you to raise any complaints or concerns you may have about our service either directly to your advocacy worker or to the Office Manager:
Rose Thompson
Park House
VCAT
73 Northenden Road
Sale
M33 2DG
0161 905 2414
Another advocacy worker may be able to help you with this if you wish.
A copy of the complaints procedure is available on request.
TRAFFORD MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCACY SERVICE
0161 969 8686
INDEPENDENT ADVOCACY
ADVOCATES CAN HELP YOU GET YOUR VOICE HEARD AND FIND OUT ABOUT YOUR RIGHTS.
- Do you need someone to help you put your point across in meetings or appointments?
- Do you want support to make phone calls, write letters or ask questions?
- Do you feel you need some help getting your point across?
- Do you feel you need help to make complaints, or ask for reviews?
- Do you want help to find out about your rights, get information or advice?
TRAFFORD MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCACY SERVICE IS FREE, IMPARTIAL AND CONFIDENTIAL.
Who can use
the service?
This service can help people who use mental health services in Trafford to GET THEIR VOICES HEARD!! It helps people exercise and defend their rights and enable them to get their point of view across. Advocacy is about having your voice heard.
Trafford Mental Health Advocacy Service can help you if you feel your mental health problem stops you making your voice heard.
We cannot act as an advice service but if you need advice for example, with welfare rights, then we will support you in getting the help you need.
What can I expect?
All enquiries are treated in the strictest confidence. If you contact us an advocate will contact you within 10working days, if you are in hospital an advocate will contact you within 3working days and arrange to meet to discuss your advocacy needs.
There is an answer phone service available 24 hours a day and you can leave messages for us. We will return calls as soon as possible.
Your advocate can only advocate on your behalf as you direct us, we do not advocate for relatives, carers or staff.
We will advocate for you in your best interests as you see them and will not make any decisions on your behalf.
The service is not time limited when you are in hospital, but we can only offer 3-6 months advocacy for people in the community and can help you with specific issues.
To ensure everyone can get equal access to the service we can only offer advocacy to 40 community clients at a time and we cannot keep waiting lists. We can offer information on self-advocacy, direct you to other services who may be able to help, or let you know when you can re-contact us.
Who is it run by?
The funding for our service is from Trafford Social Services but our service is independent, free and impartial.
The service is run by Mental Health Advocacy Workers who will try to offer a prompt response to enquiries and an individual advocacy service.
Produced by Trafford Mental Health Advocacy Service June 2005.