Advocacy

Extended Families seeks to ensure that the rights and interests of people with a disability are respected and realised and to this end supports and promotes the rights of all service users to enlist the support of an advocate in any of their dealings with the organisation. Extended Families recognises the important role that advocacy can play in obtaining a fair outcome or entitlement and will provide information regarding the right to advocacy. We support participants and families to access advocates to support them making a complaint or disputing a decision made by the organisation or in relation to issues with other organisations.

Advocacy in the disability field aims to ensure that:

· The rights of people with a disability, as members of the community, are upheld.

· The human and legal rights of people with disabilities are promoted and protected.

· People with a disability make their own decisions, particularly those where the outcomes of decisions affect their lives.

Here are some links to Advocacy resources and organisations or lists of organisations that may be able to provide advocacy.

Department of Health and Human Services (Vic)

VALID (Victorian Advocacy League for Individuals with Disability)

ADEC - Action on Disability within Ethnic Communities

YDAS - Youth DisabilityAdvocacy Service

Disability Advocacy Victoria