HARG Statement of Independence

The need for advocacy arises when an individual lacks or loses the ability to speak up for themselves and are therefore likely to lack choice and control over decisions being made about them.  Furthermore, they are then at risk of being misrepresented, unjustly treated, socially excluded or abused.  Certain groups of people are often at risk from the service systems designed to support them.  Service providers believe that they are acting in the individuals’ best interest; however, this is often without the involvement or consent of the individual who may hold a different view.  These groups include older people, children and young people with special needs, people with mental health or learning or physical disabilities and people with drug and alcohol problems.  HARG believes that in order for the advocacy scheme to represent effectively the views of the individual, it is essential that the advocate and the advocacy scheme has no affiliation to or connection with the services with which the individual has an issue, in order to avoid or limit potential conflicts of interest.

In order to protect the independence vital to an effective advocacy scheme, HARG believes that funding for individual schemes should ideally come from a variety of sources unconnected with the services people receive.  In this way, potential conflicts of interest are reduced as advocacy schemes remain structurally independent from other organisations.

HARG will encourage and support advocacy schemes which are:

• constitutionally and psychologically independent of external influences including those of statutory agencies, other service providers (and carers) 
• not managed by an organisation that directly provides or purchases community care services
• acting independently of commissioners and providers of services to vulnerable people
• governed by an independent management committee made up of no more than 20% of its members who are employed as service commissioners or providers
• not restricted by the financial support of any external agency
• free from influence from any external agency with regard to the development of advocacy policies and procedures
• aiming to ensure that the management committee reflects the community in which they work in Hampshire and includes input from users of the advocacy scheme
• aiming in the long term to maximise their independence by reducing conflicts of interest