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Understanding advocacy – for 11-18 year olds

Information for young people on what advocacy means, how advocates can help us and how we can advocate for ourselves.

Read this page in Welsh (Cymraeg)

What is advocacy for mental health?

We might not always feel like professionals listen to our thoughts and opinions, especially when getting treatment and support for our mental health.

Sometimes we need to talk to lots of professionals, like doctors, social workers and therapists. This can feel overwhelming and upsetting. Especially if they don't always ask what we think or involve us in decisions – this is where advocacy can help.

Advocacy means getting support from someone to help us express our views and stand up for our rights.

I don't think a lot of young people know about advocacy and it's important to be informed about it.

What is an advocate?

Professional advocates help us speak up about things that are important to us. Different types of advocates can help us in different ways.

They are independent, which means they don't work for the NHS, local councils or social services.

Young people we spoke to described an advocate as someone who:

Can speak up for you and voice your point of view when you feel like you can't do it yourself.

Can represent you and make sure your views are understood.

Can guide you through a situation by helping you to decide what to do.

Knows the system better than you and knows what's going on. They're up on medical language and know how to explain in a way that you can understand.

Supports you in situations and can speak on your behalf if you want that. It could be emotional support so they can help you articulate how you're feeling.

We asked advocates to explain how they might help young people:

We can help you make informed decisions and work through all the options, but the decision is up to you.

We will genuinely be there 100% for the person. To give them that voice, to stand up for their rights and to move forward in the way they want.

I see my role as ensuring people's rights. Not only helping them understand their rights, but also how to exercise them. I echo or strengthen their voice and raise issues with or on behalf of them. While also building confidence and strategies that they can then use to self-advocate in the future.

How can an advocate help me?

Advocates can provide different types of support depending on your situation and what you need help with.

In situations that involve your mental health treatment and support, advocates can:

  • Listen to you. For example, they can talk to you in private about how you're feeling and what's going on for you. Or if you don't feel like talking, you could write them a letter.
  • Help you get information to learn about and exercise your rights. For example, they can help you understand your rights if you're sectioned or an informal patient in hospital.
  • Talk you through options so you feel able to make your own decisions. For example, if you're in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), an advocate can explain what might happen next and how to say what you want from your treatment and support.
  • Support you to express your views. For example, they could help you write emails or letters, go to meetings with you or explain your views to other people. They might also be able to help in less direct ways, like helping you set up a youth voice group with other young people.
  • Make sure that people hear your questions and give you answers. For example, if you have an issue or problem, they can follow up on it to get you a response or get someone to help with your problem.

Advocates won't:

  • Make decisions for you
  • Judge you for what you think or how you feel

You might find that different advocates can support you for different problems.

Or if your situation changes, you might get help from a different type of advocate. For example, if you go into hospital as an informal patient at first, then you're sectioned.

They won't put any pressure on you to make decisions you're uncomfortable with or make decisions quicker than you're comfortable with.

Questions to ask an advocate

To help you through whatever situation you're facing, you could ask them questions like:

  • What can you do to help me?
  • Are there any things you can't help me with?
  • Are you able to help me with…?
  • How often can I see you?
  • How will I contact you?
  • How long will you be able to help me for?
  • Will everything I say to you be kept confidential?
  • Are there other advocates I can get help from?

My advocate helped me through the first stages of getting treatment for my mental illness from CAMHS... She also helped me share my views with my family and make plans so that I could better support myself.

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Your advocate will keep what you tell them confidential.

They'll only share what you tell them in certain situations. For example, if you ask them to tell, or if they're worried that you or someone else could be in danger.

For more information, see our page on confidentiality.

What types of advocacy are there?

There are different types of advocacy services and ways to advocate. The type will depend on your situation and what sort of help you need.

In mental healthcare and social care settings, the type of advocacy will be different if you:

Types of advocacy for mental health

The diagram below explains the main types of advocacy for mental health:

Mind map showing the different options young people have for advocacy. Including when they have a legal right to advocacy and when they don't.

Figuring out what the advocate can do, and how they work, will help you decide whether you want their help. Advocates wouldn't be in that line of work if they didn't want to advocate for people.

When do I have a legal right to advocacy?

In situations where you have a legal right to an advocate, you might hear this called statutory advocacy.

Even if you do have a right to a statutory advocate, it's your choice whether you want their support. If you decide not to use this right at first, you can ask for their support later on.

Here are some examples of when you have a legal right to an advocate:

Most advocates in psychiatric hospitals are called Independent Mental Health Advocates (IMHAs). They're not part of the ward staff.

In Wales, you have a right to an IMHA if you are:

In England, you have a right to an IMHA if you are:

In England, some hospitals might have advocates for informal patients, although it's not a legal right. But there are other ways to get professional support. Find out more in our section on advocacy without a legal right.

How can an IMHA help me?

In any of these situations, an IMHA can help you understand:

They can also help with practical things like:

  • Representing you in meetings and ward rounds
  • Helping you share your views with ward staff
  • Helping you access your medical notes and records
  • Making a complaint about your treatment or support
  • Making an application to the Mental Health Tribunal

How can I find an IMHA?

If you're in hospital, IMHAs should visit your ward regularly. You can also ask a member of the ward staff to put you in touch with them. Remember that informal patients in England do not have a legal right to an IMHA.

If you're on a CTO, you can ask your care co-ordinator to put you in touch with an IMHA.

The advocate would have a debrief with staff on the ward to talk about things we've raised and what we wanted to happen. I think the ward staff really respected our opinions that we gave to the advocate.

If you want to make a complaint about your NHS treatment and support, you have a legal right to an advocate.

How can an advocate help me?

A statutory advocate can help you complain about the people providing your mental healthcare, like doctors, psychiatrists or therapists. In this situation, you might also hear them called an ‘NHS complaints advocate’.

They can help you:

  • Decide if making a complaint is the right thing for you
  • Work out what you want to achieve from your complaint
  • Write the complaint and send it to the right people
  • Understand the response and explain your next steps or options

How can I find an advocate?

In England, contact your local Patient Advice and Liaison Services (PALS).

In Wales, contact your local branch of Llais.

For more information on this topic, see our page on understanding complaints.

I spoke to the advocate regularly and we discussed problems I had with staff and whether to make a formal complaint. We ended up doing that informally.

My care-coordinator was the person who advocated for me the most. She was very good at helping me to advocate for myself as well, because at the time I was very shy and avoided talking to anyone there – Kora, 18 

What if I don't have a legal right to advocacy?

If you don't have a legal right to an advocate, you can still get support to make sure your voice is heard. The type of support will depend on your situation and what sort of help you want.

Here are some examples of advocacy support if you don't have a legal right. You won't have to pay for any of these services:

Some services, charities and organisations provide ‘community advocacy’ or ‘general advocacy’. Community or general advocates are professional advocates who support people without a legal right to advocacy.

For example, if you're an informal patient in England and need help sharing your views or problems on the ward. Or if you're experiencing problems with your care at CAMHS.

How can they help?

Community or general advocates can:

  • Help you to access mental health services
  • Help you find out about different medication or treatment options
  • Support you to express your views about your medication or treatment
  • Help you write letters or emails to other professionals
  • Go with you to meetings and help you prepare for them
  • Help you with self-advocacy

Where can I find more information?

Different types of community or general advocacy might be available depending on where you live.

In England, you could contact VoiceAbility, POhWER or Barnardo's. These organisations offer free, professional advocacy services.

In Wales, you could get advocacy support from the National Youth Advocacy Service (NYAS). But another professional, like a social worker, would need to make a referral for you. You could also ask your doctor about local advocacy services.

Peer advocates are people who might:

  • Have been through something similar to you in the past
  • Have a similar mental health problem as you

How can they help?

Peer advocates can use their knowledge and experience to support you with any problems you're going through. For example, if they've experienced a similar problem to you, they can talk you through how they handled it.

It can feel comforting to speak to people who understand you. You might find it helps to share your experiences with them, too.

Where can I find more information?

You can find about peer advocates for young people on the POhWER website or by contacting your local Mind.

It's good to have someone who has been through the same things as you.

Some charities supporting specific groups also offer advocacy services or legal support. Their support might not always directly relate to mental health.

In England:

  • Young people who are experiencing homelessness can get legal advice by contacting Centrepoint
  • Young people in care and care leavers can get advocacy from Coram Voice

In Wales:

  • Young people who are in care or who have left care can get advocacy from NYAS Cymru
  • Young people with additional learning needs can get advocacy from SNAP Cymru

Just because you don't have a legal right to something, that doesn't mean that your needs aren't as great or your experience isn't as bad.

What can I expect from these services?

Depending on where you live, certain types of advocacy services, the way they work and the help they can offer might be different.

When using services that you don't have a legal right to, you might find that some of them:

  • Have specific rules about who they can help. If you're unsure, it's worth reaching out to see if they can help you. If they can't, they might be able to tell you who can.
  • Need an adult to help with your referral. For example, they might need an adult to fill out or sign a form. This could be someone like a parent, carer, guardian or doctor.
  • Have long waiting times for support. While you're waiting, you could get help from family, friends or partners. You could also try advocating for yourself.

I can't find a community, peer or charity advocate

If you're finding it difficult to get support from a professional advocate, there are other ways to get help.

Getting help from other people
Advocating for yourself

How can I find an advocate?

Advocates usually work for a local or national ‘advocacy agency’. Whether you have a legal right to their support or not, you can find advocates in your area by:

Depending on your situation, you could also ask for help more directly:

  • Your school or college might be able to give you information or refer you to an advocate. Speak to your pastoral care team or student wellbeing services for more advice.
  • Your doctor might have information on local advocacy services for mental health.
  • Your care team should be able to help if you're in hospital for your mental health or getting treatment and support through CAMHS.

My advice for other young people working with an advocate would be to really embrace any activities or tasks that your advocate brings you to do. Even if these activities seem like they won't help.

What if I'm not happy with my advocate?

Whether you have a legal right to their support or not, you might:

  • Not feel happy with your advocate
  • Feel that you aren't getting the support you need from them

You could first try speaking to them and letting them know how you feel. If that doesn't work, you could:

  • Make a complaint to the advocacy service. You can ask the service how to do this. They might ask you to write a letter or email, or to fill in a form. For more information, see our pages on understanding complaints and making complaints.
  • Ask the service if you could see a different advocate. They might not be able to find you a new advocate – it depends on how busy they are or how many people work there. But they should listen to how you feel and try to work with you to fix the problem.

Can family, friends or partners advocate for me?

Family members, carers, guardians, friends or partners can help to get your voice heard in some situations. But it's important to remember they aren't the same as professional advocates.

It might help to think about the differences between the support that professional advocates can offer, compared to the people close to you.

With people close to you, you might find that it's easier to:

  • Speak to someone you know or who already understands what you're going through.
  • Arrange to get support right away from a family member or carer, rather than a professional advocate. For example, if you don't have a legal right to an advocate or can't find support from other types of advocates.

If you'd like someone you know to help you get your voice heard, talk to them first about what this means for you.

Try to explain the type of support you'd like and how they can help you do this. They might need some time to think about whether they can help you in the way you've asked.

Before asking them to advocate for you

Some things might seem easier with a family member, carer, guardian, friend or partner as your advocate. But other things might feel more difficult.

Before deciding to ask them, try to remember that they:

  • Are not independent, unlike professional advocates. They might have their own views about what's best for you – these views might be different to yours.
  • Don't need to keep what you tell them confidential, unlike professional advocates. You can still ask them to keep it private, but they don't have to agree to this.
  • Might not have experience or feel confident about dealing with the situations or decisions you're facing. Professional advocates will have experience of supporting young people in similar situations. And if they don't have the information you need, they should know how to get it.
  • Would need you to share everything about your mental health problem and treatment, which you might not feel comfortable with.
  • Might not be able to offer the support you need, or you might not want them to support you in this way.
  • Might not feel like they understand enough to help with your situation, even if they have been through something similar.

If you'd like their support as an advocate, ask them how they feel about it. Try to respect whatever answer they give you.

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Remember: family members, carers, guardians, friends and partners can still be involved and help you in other ways.

Whatever you choose, you deserve to have someone stand up for you.

Getting support from another person can be really beneficial, even if it's not a professional advocate.

How can I advocate for myself?

Advocating for yourself means speaking up about the things that are important to you. You might also hear this called ‘self-advocacy’.

Being able to speak up for yourself is really important. But it's not always easy. For example:

  • You might feel like you don't know enough about your mental health problem, your rights and how to advocate for yourself.
  • You might not feel comfortable or well enough to voice your opinions and ask questions on your own. Especially to professionals like therapists or social workers.

We spoke to young people about what self-advocacy means to them:

It's being able to speak up for yourself rather than relying on others – having the confidence to say when you don't think something is right.

It's about voicing your opinions rather than sitting back and letting professionals make the decisions for you.

It's about being able to explain what you're feeling and what you're thinking yourself. And being able to work through what you're thinking and feeling about certain decisions.

If you want to advocate for yourself, you can still get support from a professional advocate. They can answer any questions you have around self-advocacy and help you with situations you find difficult.

You can also get support from family, friends or partners. Remember: you're not alone.

Now I feel like I can be an advocate for myself as I feel much more confident and independent. However, when you're feeling more vulnerable, it can be difficult to do this.

Finding information

The information you need will depend on your situation and what's going on for you.

You can look for information yourself by:

It's about not being afraid to tell whoever I'm talking to that ‘I've read about this and I know what I'm talking about’. It's having confidence in your knowledge.

Preparing for appointments and meetings

It can be easy to forget things we want to say in appointments with healthcare professionals or social workers.

First, try writing a list of the people you need to talk to about what's going on for you.

If you're not sure who they are, you could ask:

To feel more prepared for an appointment or meeting, you could:

  • Write down what you want to say in advance
  • Practise what you might say in your head, or with a trusted adult or friend
  • Bring any information that explains what you want to say
  • Write a list of questions to take with you
  • Write down how it went and how you felt afterwards

Building up confidence

Advocating for yourself can feel challenging, especially when speaking to professionals who might not agree with you. But building your confidence and self-esteem can help.

If you feel well enough, you can try:

For more information, go to our page on confidence and self-esteem.

Here are some self-advocacy tips from young people we spoke to:

Have faith in yourself. You know your mind and body best.

Be persistent and follow up to make sure that progress is being made.

Being interested in my care, I like to get as much information as I can.

Journal or write to keep your thoughts organised.

Stay strong and keep fighting! You may get knocked down along the way, but don't forget what you are fighting for.

Published: June 2025
Next review planned: June 2028

We spoke to young people who agreed to give quotes for this page. Their experiences are not related to the people shown in the photos.

References are available on request. If you want to reproduce this content, see our permissions and licensing page.

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