09 - 2025-12-10 IJB - IJB Report Advocacy Plan Dec 25
North Lanarkshire Council · 10 December 2025
Back to Health and Social Care Integration Joint Board — 10 December 2025 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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1 REPORT Item No: 9 SUBJECT: Lanarkshire Advocacy Plan TO: IJB Lead Officer for Report: Morag Dendy – Chief Officer, Performance, Planning & Quality Assurance Maria Barry – Senior Manager, Quality Assurance Author(s) of Report Patricia Kearns – Senior Officer, Quality Assurance DATE: 10 December 2025 1. PURPOSE OF REPORT This paper is coming to the IJB for: For approval ☒ For endorsement ☐ To note ☐ 2. ROUTE TO THE BOARD This paper has been: Prepared By: ☒ Reviewed By: ☒ Endorsed By: ☐ Patrica Kearns Maria Barry Morag Dendy & Claire Rae Senior Officer Senior Manager Head of Service/ Chief Officer
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2 3. RECOMMENDATIONS The Integrated Joint Board are asked to approve the publication and launch of the 2025-2030 Lanarkshire Advocacy Plan. 4. VARIATIONS TO DIRECTIONS? Adult Care and Social Work Committee South Lanarkshire Integrated Joint Board South Lanarkshire Social Work Resources Committee 5. BACKGROUND/SUMMARY OF KEY ISSUES The Lanarkshire Advocacy Plan 2025-2030 is a collaborative partnership between North and South Lanarkshire Council, North and South University Health and Social Care Partnership, NHS Lanarkshire, and local advocacy organisations. As host for mental health, learning disability and prisoner healthcare services, University Health & Social Care North Lanarkshire take the lead on producing a joint Advocacy Plan. The Scottish Government’s expectation, as set out in “Independent Advocacy: Guide for Commissioners”, published in December 2013, is that local strategic advocacy plans should be developed on a five yearly cycle. The Plan ensures that advocacy is focused, strategic and adaptive whilst ensuing resources are used effectively. Several pieces of legislation mention or confer the right to independent advocacy. The Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003, the primary legislation, imposed a duty on local authorities and health boards to collaborate to ensure the availability of independent advocacy services in their area. The Act gave everyone with mental illness, learning disability, dementia and related conditions the right to access independent advocacy support. The Mental Health (Scotland) Act 2015 builds on the right in the 2003 Act to independent advocacy support, by requiring health boards and local authorities to tell the Mental Welfare Commission how they have ensured access to services up to now, and how they plan to do so in the future Independent advocacy is the practice of providing support and representation to citizens who may need assistance to ensure that their voices are heard, and their rights upheld without any conflict of interest. Advocates act solely in the interest of the Yes ☒ No ☐ N/A ☐
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3 person that they are supporting, helping them to make informed decisions, express their wishes, and navigate complex systems that are often inherent within large organisations such as health and social care. Following approval of the plan, the intention is to host a formal launch date on 3rd February 2026. Letter re Mental Health Related Advocacy Provision in Scotland In late September 2025, IJB Chief Officers received a letter from Stephen Gallagher, Director of Mental Health, Health & Social Care Directorates expressing concerns regarding the potential reduction of independent advocacy provision across Scotland. The letter stated section 259 of the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 (“the 2003 Act”) provides individuals with a mental illness, learning disability, dementia and related conditions a legal right of access to independent advocacy. Through the principles outlined in our Engagement and Participation Strategy, we adopt a proactive approach to ensure people have their voices heard and can actively participate in decisions about their care and support. We recognise the right of access to independent advocacy is an essential component of person-centred and rights- based care and we have commissioned advocacy support arrangements in place. Investment in Advocacy Support across North Lanarkshire has increased over the period. In 2025 investment was £968,694 per annum, an increase from £737,131 in 2020. A breakdown of the allocation is noted in the table below: 6. CONCLUSIONS The publication of the Lanarkshire Advocacy Plan strengthens: Clarity of Purpose Co-ordination and Alignment Collaboration and Partnerships Accountability and Transparency Resource Planning The Plan ensures that all stakeholders are working towards the same agreed objectives. Furthermore, it demonstrates that advocacy provision is strategic, evidence-based, result-orientated and has impact. Local advocacy services are commissioned, managed and administered by North Lanarkshire Council. 7. IMPLICATIONS The Advocacy Breakdown for North Lanarkshire is as follows: Project Service North Lanarkshire Who Cares Scotland C&F £241,000.00 Equal Say Adults [Adults, Carers, Addictions, Older Adults] £701,481.00 Shelter Adults [and families if required] £25,000 Advocacy Network £1,213.00 Total North Lanarkshire Wide Investment £968,694.00
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4 7.1 NATIONAL OUTCOMES Link(s) to National Health and Wellbeing Outcomes People are able to look after and improve their own health and wellbeing and live in good health for longer ☐ People, including those with disabilities or long-term conditions, or who are frail, are able to live, as far as reasonable practicable, independently and at home or in a homely setting in their community ☒ People who use Health and Social Care Services have positive experiences of those services, and have dignity respected ☒ Health and Social Care Services are centred on helping to maintain or improve the quality of life of people who use those services ☒ Health and Social Care Services contribute to reducing health inequalities ☒ People who use Health and Social Care Services are safe from harm ☒ People who work in Health and Social Care Services feel engaged with the work they do and are supported to continuously improve the information, support, care and treatment they provide ☐ Resources are used effectively and efficiently in the provision of Health and Social Care Services ☒ 7.2 ASSOCIATED MEASURE(S) 7.3 FINANCIAL This paper has been reviewed by Finance: There is no budget implications related to this paper. All currently commissioned advocacy provision has already been approved by finance. Investment in Advocacy Support in 2025 is £968,694 per annum, an increase from £737,131 in 2020. 7.4 RISK ASSESSMENT/RISK MANAGEMENT Relevant Risk Register Details Current Risk Level Risk Owner n/a 7.5 ENGAGEMENT & PARTICPATION Please tick the engagement and participation objectives that link(s) with this piece of work and provide further details regarding the engagement and participation that was undertaken. Objectives Further Details Yes ☐ No ☐ N/A ☒
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5 ☒ Involve stakeholders in the development work aimed at achieving the national outcomes Early drafts of the Lanarkshire Advocacy Plan 2025-2030 were shared with a range of stakeholders for comment, amendment and to identify gaps within the plan. ☐ Provide stakeholders with information on how to get involved ☐ Ensure a diverse range of engagement and participation and opportunities are in place to suit different needs ☐ Measure how well we involve community stakeholders in the planning, design and delivery of our services ☐ Provide regular feedback on how stakeholder engagement and participation is shaping and influencing service development and delivery ☐ Provide support to enable stakeholder representatives to participate meaningfully and confidently at meetings ☐ Develop participation guidelines to ensure a common understanding and set of expectations for both stakeholders and partnership staff ☐ Support engagement planning and participation in localities, taking account of other engagement activity and local plans across the Community Planning Partnership 7.6 INEQUALITIES & FAIRER SCOTLAND DUTY EQIA Completed & Fairer Scotland Impact Assessment Form Completed and attached to report: EQIA added to website: EQIA in place for North Lanarkshire Council. Review underway re whether this needs to incorporate NHSL and SLC, or each organisation has their own. Once clarified, appropriate version will be published. Yes ☐ No ☒ N/A ☐ Yes / Date added ☐ No ☐ N/A ☐
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6 8. BACKGROUND PAPERS none 9. APPENDICES Please include a glossary of terms if not already included. Lanarkshire Advocacy Plan 2025-2030 CHIEF ACCOUNTABLE OFFICER (or Depute) Morag Dendy, Chief Officer (Performance, Planning & Quality Assurance) Members seeking further information about any aspect of this report, please contact the following; Maria Barry, Senior Manager (Quality Assurance) barrym@northlan.gov.uk Direction from North Lanarkshire Integration Joint Board (IJB) 1 Reference Number 2 Report Title 3 Date direction issued by IJB 4 Date from which direction takes effect 5 Direction to:
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7 6 Does this direction supersede, revise or revoke a previous direction – if yes, include reference number(s) 7 Functions covered by direction 8 Full text of direction 9 Budget allocated by Integration Joint Board to carry out direction 10 Performance Management / Governance arrangements 11 Date direction will be reviewed