1 Maria Walls, National Manager Realising Equality through Active Participation

I was asked to speak about... 2 Where did the Impetus to establish the National Advocacy Service come from? What is the role of the NAS today? What is the importance of training for Leaders and families? How can the NAS come together with organisations like ÁT, people with disabilities and wider society to promote solidarity for the Independent Living movement and bring about inclusion and equality?- Network!

National Advocacy Service In 2004 the Citizens Information Board engaged with the community and voluntary sector in order to develop advocacy provision. In 2005 and 2006 expressions of interest sought to set up pilot projects - 46 diverse projects 3

Evaluation Report in June 2010 recommended setting up the National Advocacy Service to create a coherent national service. National Advocacy Service for People with Disabilities was established by the Citizens Information Board and launched by Minister Joan Burton TD on March 31 st National Advocacy Service was managed from 2011 to June 2014 by five Citizens Information Services in Dublin (Clondalkin), Westmeath, Offaly, Waterford and Leitrim. 4 National Advocacy Service stage 2

5 Transfer of undertakings took place on 1st June 2014 – ONE new organisation There are currently the following FTE posts employed by the Service: 1 National Manager 4 Regional Managers 5 Administrators 7 Senior Advocates 28 Advocates NEW National Advocacy Service Regions 2014

6 Southern Region Carlow Cork Kerry Kilkenny Tipperary Waterford Wexford Greater Dublin Region DUBLIN FINGAL WICKLOW North East & Midlands Region Cavan Laois Longford Louth Kildare Meath Monaghan Offaly Westmeath Western Region Clare Donegal Galway Leitrim Limerick Mayo Roscommon Sligo NEW National Advocacy Service Regions 2014

Disability Population by Region 7

Congregated Settings 8

Current Levels of Activity 9 Open cases Nov 10 th 2014:not including initial enquiries Greater Dublin 186 North East and Midlands 92 Western Region Cases103 Southern Region 144 Total 525

Advocacy 10

New Developments Getting to One Service & Values Event for all NAS staff and Board 4 th & 5 th November 2014 The implication of what model of disability we operate in has an impact on what advocacy issues we identify, how we might work and what we might write in how we represent people, what meetings we attend. 11

Medical Social Rights Needs Barriers - discrimination Rights -- ordinary life I choose where I live …… Approach – Equality

Where do Decisions about people’s lives get made? 13 Networks

14 National Advocacy Service for People with Disabilities National Phone Line: Ordinary Life Services understand that people need to move out of “Servcieland” for people to have a life… Resources are predominantly tied up in old style services Assessment of need and resource allocation was due last year – imminent? New challenge for National Advocacy Service around and supporting people in the process of individualised budgets and accessing brokerage models to have an ordinary life Actions at individual, systemic and strategic levels

SUPPORTING DECISION MAKING 15 Endorsing and skilling up on supporting will and preference Supporting legal capacity Advocacy – Least restrictive alternative Challenges to Capacity assessments -

UPDATES ON SERVICE People always communicate Power of labels Enough is enough – “healing integrity gaps” General desire to support freedom to live an ordinary life Seeing and believing in people's capacity Mindfulness and design thinking -r e disconnect Risk trying to design it different People, staff, culture Duty of Care and Autonomy Dignity of risk – not abandoned to risk 16

Getting to One Service & Values Event Actions identified include at different levels: Individual, Systemic and Strategic levels – NAG and RAG, National structure to gather reoccurring issues, Feeding into social policy. 17

Allies and Networks Allies and NETWORKS One VOICE ONE position externally Individually Locally Nationally 18

Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities Liberty Protective rights Equality Personal autonomy rights Participation rights Basic social rights.

CRPD Protection of all rights not just the right to protection Networks

National Advocacy Service for People with Disabilities National Enquiry Line: