Advocacy Support Cymru (ASC) provides independent confidential advocacy in South Wales.
Everyone has the right to be heard. Advocacy enables people to communicate their needs and wishes to others who have influence or power over their lives. Advocacy Support Cymru advocates for clients in parts of South Wales in secondary and community mental health settings by, for example, explaining legal rights, offering information to understand choices available or speaking on behalf of them if requested. For those clients who do not have the capacity to do so, we advocate on their behalf.
Why the community needs usThrough professional independent advocacy, we support and give a voice to clients in mental health care settings. At such points in life, people are vulnerable. We do not judge the wishes of the people we support or seek to persuade a client into a particular course of action. Wherever possible, we listen to the wishes of the individual and take the course of action that is requested of us. Advocates will provide information but do not decide or advise which route to take.
Our impact on the communitySince 2012, through our IMHA service alone, ASC has delivered high quality independent mental health advocacy to over 5300 clients. It's estimated that, on average, each person has a direct sphere of influence of 5-6 family and/or friends around them so to have provided advocacy support at such a crucial mental health point will in many cases have had a wider impact than to solely the benefit of the supported clients. Nobody chooses to suffer poor mental health - we do what we can to help.
