Advocacy is not a dirty word. Advocacy is not dangerous or subversive. Advocacy is an honorable and essential part of community life, especially in a democracy. It is the job of advocates to keep us on our toes and to hold our feet to the fire. Human service systems and providers should never get so complacent - no matter how effective we are - that we do not welcome advice or criticism or we cease to strive to do better and reach new goals.

Dictionaries define advocacy as pleading for, supporting, or recommending; active espousal for a cause. Advocates truly are an independent voice. They are uncompromising in the quest for equity and justice and keep watch to insure that the system of care fulfills its obligations to children and families.

Advocacy is not always pretty or comfortable. Sometimes a wheel has to be squeaky in order to get the grease it needs to run smoothly. Advocacy can require speaking for causes that may not be popular. Advocacy requires taking action to get the system to respond appropriately to a child and family. Advocacy tells you what you need to hear, not necessarily what you want to hear.

The goals of advocacy for overall system change are different from those for individual child advocacy.

For individual children the goals and expectations are that all families will effectively speak for their children and work in partnership with providers to achieve desired outcomes. Child and family advocates usually are family members trained to assist other family members to find their own voice, to speak effectively for themselves and their children, and to learn how to partner with providers in making decisions. This is usually accomplished through education and training, reviewing the benefits and risks of various options, peer to peer mentoring, and individual and peer group support.

For systems the goals and expectations are that family representatives will promote policies, practices, services, and supports that benefit all or most of the families in the community and specifically the children and families who are the focus of the grant program. Family representatives (like the second and third string of a basketball team), therefore, must be present in sufficient numbers to have a powerful voice, to represent the diversity of families in the community, and to be present at all the different decision making tables without burning people out. The job of family representatives is to hold the system of care accountable for compliance and established policy and achieving better outcomes. Family representatives accomplish this by tracking and evaluating the performance of programs, agencies, and systems by educating the public about the mental health needs of children and families, by identifying what needs to be improved, by publicizing the accomplishments of good practice, and by specifying what should be done to sustain effective programs and services.

There are tensions inherent in advocacy work. Family advocates must not be constrained by the limitations of any of the existing providers and agencies in the system. Family advocates have experienced retaliation from criticized entities or individuals. Sometimes advocates have to be slightly irritating to achieve their goals - like the grain of sand that gets the oyster to produce a pearl. Mindful of their responsibility, effective advocates arm themselves with accurate information and conduct themselves with dignity and with respect, both for their allies and their opponents.

Done Reading? Read Part II of Families Matter! on Infrastructure for Family Involvment>>>