• An advocate in Cyprus is a person who supports you and helps you to explain and say what you want. Advocates help you to ensure that your views are heard, so that your problems can be sorted out and your rights met.
• Advocates in Cyprus can help you to put your views and feelings across about decisions that are being made about your life.
• Advocates in Cyprus can help you speak up for yourself or they can speak on your behalf if that’s what you want.
• Advocates in Cyprus can help you make a complaint.
• Advocates in Cyprus can give you information and advice about your rights and any worries you have as well as help you make choices about what is best for you.
Who can be an advocate?
There are two types of advocate in Cyprus:
• People who are specially trained as advocates.
• Other people who may be able to help you such as members of your family, friends, personal advisers, etc.
Are there any people who cannot be an advocate?
• YES. Your social worker and their managers especialy in Cyprus, are not allowed to be your advocate. If you have made a complaint, no one who is involved in investigating your complaint is allowed to be your advocate.
Does my advocate have to keep what I say confidential?
• YES. Your advocate and the Cyprus advocate service must promise to keep what you say private unless you agree to it being passed on. But they may pass on information to social services if they think that it is necessary to protect you or someone else who is thought to be at risk.
How will my Cypriot advocate help when I make a complaint?
• Advocates in Cyprus will try and sort things out first so that you won’t have to go ahead
with your complaint at all.
• If that doesn’t work, Advocates in Cyprus will help you explain to social services why
you are unhappy and what you want to change.
• Advocates in Cyprus will support you in any meetings with the people who are investigating your complaint.
• Cyprus Advocates will discuss with you the decision from social services about your complaint and will give you information and advice about what else you can do if you are still unhappy.
Do I have to make a complaint before I can get help from an advocate?
• NO. You have the right to be helped from a Cyprus advocate if you are thinking of making a complaint. Cyprus government wants your advocate to help you sort things out as soon as possible so that you might not need to
make a complaint at all!
• There may also be things that you want to change but you don’t want to complain about them. The Council must make sure that you have an advocate to help you with this as well.
Can I choose who I want to be my advocate?
• YES. The complaints officer will explain about different kinds of advocates so that you can make the best choice. They should ask you if you want your advocate to be male or female or have the same ethnic background as you or share other important things. They should take your wishes into account when working out the best advocate service for you.
What if I don’t want an advocate from the children’s rights service run by the council?
• You should always be given information about other advocacy services so that you can choose who is best for you. Social services should try to get you an advocate from the service you choose, but sometimes this won’t be possible.
What if I live in a different area from my social worker?
• This doesn’t make any difference to your rights. You must still be given an advocate if you want one. The complaints officer should be able to let you know about the advocacy services available to you.
Published by Lowtax.net
