The development worker will aim to match people with common interests and who will feel comfortable with each other. Any problems can be discussed with your development worker – they are always there to support you.

There may be some cost, such as travelling, or if you and your partner decide to do anything that costs money. We encourage partnerships to share expenses equally.

No expenses are given to any advocates. Our aim is that the Advocate and Partner will become friends first and foremost, so that Advocacy is not another paid service for the partner. It is not about doing things that cost money with your partner, but  about getting to know them and being a support for them. We encourage partnerships to […]

We hope that each partnership will last as long as possible. We have some partnerships which have been matched for over 10 years. However we know that life can change for people and often unexpectedly and therefore may have to end their partnership.

There are no set hours that you have to spend with your partner. This is about fitting it into both the advocate’s and partner’s lifestyle. Some partnerships see each other once a week, some see each other once a month. It is about what the two people involved want out of the advocacy partnership.

Citizen Advocates don’t need any formal training or qualifications. We provide a Preparation Course, which is partly one-to-one with a development worker and also two group sessions usually held on two weekday evenings, one week apart. Long-Term Citizen Advocates are also provided with information and training on specific issues or areas if they are relevant to the person they are […]

Citizen Advocates don’t need any specific qualifications or experience, you just need to be caring, compassionate and keen to spend your time helping others. Qualities that most of our Advocates have are: a commitment to equality for people in vulnerable situations. a commitment to involve their partner on an equal basis. a willingness to get involved in a number of […]