Embedded Files
Our action research project Parents Together has highlighted the many different ways in which advocates can work to support families headed by a parent or parents with learning difficulties. At one time or another, often simultaneously, the following roles came to the fore.
A witness
A witness
Simply 'being there' is sometimes enough.
'Being there' is not about acting for parents, but about lending them authority.
A buffer
A buffer
Helping to absorb some of the pressures on the family.
A voice
A voice
Making sure the parents' side of the story is represented and their views are heard.
A go-between
A go-between
Helping to facilitate and improve liaison between the family, practitioners and the services.
An interpreter
An interpreter
Translating 'officialese' into language the parents can understand, explaining procedures and otherwise making information accessible to them.
A listener
A listener
Reducing parents' feelings of isolation by enabling them to share their worries, air their grievances or just talk things over.
A scribe
A scribe
Writing letters and helping with form-filling.
A problem-solver
A problem-solver
Helping parents to identify the choices they face in dealing with their problems, supporting them in their decisions, and ensuring that practitioners are alerted to options for helping the families they may have missed.
A fixer
A fixer
Sorting out problems of service delivery caused by poor coordination, errors, oversights or bureaucratic inertia.
A conduit
A conduit
Channelling the lessons learned in supporting one family for the benefit of another.
A sounding-board
A sounding-board
Encouraging families to have confidence in their own ability to cope by helping them to work things out for themselves.
A confidante
A confidante
Someone with whom private and confidential information can be safely shared sure in the knowledge it will not be passed on or used against the family.
An ally
An ally
Someone who is unambiguously on the family's side, prepared to stand by them, and whose actions are always consistent with this stance.
A sleuth
A sleuth
Tracking down and searching out information that will help parents achieve positive objectives.
A mentor
A mentor
Sharing knowledge and experience of life in the capacity of a supportive equal rather than an expert.
An observer
An observer
Keeping a look-out for the early signs of stress or changes in personal circumstances that might impact on the parents' capacity to cope.
A mover and shaker
A mover and shaker
Making things happen.
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