South Tyneside Learning Disability Independent Case Advocacy Service
An advocacy service open to adults who have learning disabilities and live in South Tyneside.
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Contents
Overview
This advocacy service is open to adults who have learning disabilities and live in South Tyneside.
They will try to help people with any issue.
The service may also be able to work with people who have learning disabilities living elsewhere in the region, as long as South Tyneside provide their social care support.
This service is provided by Your Voice Counts.
Support available
The Case Advocates help people with learning disabilities to understand their rights and support them to speak up about what they want.
The advocates may also speak on the person's behalf, if necessary.
They support people to understand their options and to consider the consequences of their choices.
Advocates will make reasonable adjustments to the way they work, to meet the needs of the individuals.
This may include:
- producing information in a different format
- accessing easy read materials
- arranging to see someone in an accessible venue at a mutually convenient time
- getting help from specialists such as a speech and language team
The services are free to eligible people.
Who can access the service
The service doesn't require a formal diagnosis of learning disability to accept a referral.
Where no formal diagnosis exists, or where there is doubt about the person's learning disability, Your Voice Counts (YVC) will look for other evidence.
For example:
- does the person have, or have they ever had, a learning disability social worker
- have they been open to the community learning disability team (health)
- did they have a statement of educational need or an Education and Health Care plan while at school
YVC has the right to use their own judgement when deciding to pick up referrals where it isn't clear if the person is learning disabled.
How to access the service
Professionals can make referrals using an easy read referral form.
The service's admin team can also help with referrals if needed.
People can make their own referrals or ask family / friends to make a referral for them.
You can find referrals forms on their website.