Advocacy

Advocacy – supporting people to state their claim

Advocacy is about supporting people to be heard and to have access to what they believe they are entitled to.

Frequently we find that people are brushed off or ignored by agencies that are there to help them.  This can be due to issues of; prejudice, language barriers, bureaucratic overload ... or simply a grumpy staff member.

In these situations Wesley Community Action works with the person to help them clarify what has happened and what action they can take to address the situation.

This can include:

• helping a family to get their full WINZ entitlements;
• helping an older person with a dispute regarding the cost of getting some home maintenance work done;
• supporting a young person as they challenge a decision made by Child Youth and Family, and;
• Equally advocating can include raising wider matters with government agencies or politicians directly if we believe that wider action is necessary to achieve an outcome that is just and fair.

Needing Help?

For help with personal advocacy – please contact the service most closely aligned to your needs.  If you have concerns about a policy or law please contact  Wesley Community Action’s central office.