A new, representative membership body for advocacy providers

Your feedback and participation will shape the development of a representative membership body for advocacy providers. NDTi will work with the project steering group, which is made up of members of the Leaders in Advocacy Network, to review the survey responses and focus group conversations to make decisions about what the membership needs to offer and whether this is feasible.

The Leaders in Advocacy Network was formed in 2020 to foster collaboration, information-sharing, and influence policy, responding to the rapid changes and challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic. The network has continued to meet and has gradually grown over time. NDTi has been supporting the network to continue to meet over the last year. Since February 2024, we have been supporting its facilitation and administration. It now has over 120 members representing nearly 70 varied advocacy organisations across England and Wales. There are providers of all shapes and sizes in the network!

How can I join the Leaders in Advocacy Network?

While a new membership body is being developed, the current Leaders in Advocacy Network is being facilitated by NDTi, and new members from advocacy providers are welcome. If you would like to find out more information and/or join, please express an interest here.

The National Network for Adult’s Advocacy in Wales promotes and supports a quality advocacy service for people in Wales. The network meets virtually at present. If you are a provider of advocacy services and would like more information about becoming a member or about any of the regional advocacy networks contact advocacy@agecymru.org.uk.

There is no intention to intrude upon or undermine the outstanding National and Regional networks built in Wales, with the valued support of Age Cymru and others.

Neither do we want to leave you out of the conversation. We genuinely want to hear your thoughts about how and if we can offer further support to you all as advocacy providers in Wales.

The current network’s sustainability is at risk without further resources to support it. So, the network expressed a desire to develop a representative membership body that provides a forum for sharing good practice, influencing policy, offers a high-profile identity and is a cohesive voice for the sector. It is hoped that the membership body can act as a key consultation point for external agencies in matters relating to independent advocacy provision. With the network’s support, NDTi successfully applied for funding from the Henry Smith Foundation to:

• Support the ongoing facilitation and development of the Leaders in Advocacy Network
• Work alongside network members to develop a sustainable membership body that meets the operational and strategic needs of providers of advocacy across England and Wales.

The network felt the membership body would benefit from being hosted by NDTi as we are not a direct provider of advocacy services. However, we are an ally in advocacy and believe that people should have access to high-quality independent advocacy. Our advocacy programme supports the commissioning and delivery of independent advocacy in a number of ways, including research and evaluation, facilitating the annual Advocacy Awareness Week and through delivery of the Advocacy Quality Performance Mark (QPM).