Camden and Islington advocacy service provides comprehensive advocacy support to people facing challenges, discrimination, or complex decisions about the care they receive.

Everyone deserves to have their rights acknowledged, respected, and protected. Our compassionate and dedicated team works tirelessly to promote equality and fairness within the Camden and Islington community for people who are receiving mental health treatment, or are detained under the Mental Health Act.

We specialise in both statutory and non-statutory advocacy, ensuring people are heard, understood, and empowered within the health & social care system.

Our advocacy services include, but are not limited to:

Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy
When someone is deemed to lack the mental capacity to make certain decisions according to the Mental Capacity Act 2005, we can support them to understand their situation and make choices about the next steps.

Paid Relevant Person's Representation
If a person is subject to a Deprivation of Liberty Safeguarding authorisation in a hospital or care home, it means decisions are made about their care without their consent. If they have no appropriate family or friend willing to act as their formal representative, our advocacy team step in as a Paid Relevant Person’s Representative.

Independent Care Act Advocacy
The Care Act 2014 places a duty on local authorities to ensure someone is at the centre of decision making around their care and support needs. Where the person has no one to support them in these processes, a care act advocate will promote a person’s wellbeing and independence. They will be able to assist with:

• A needs assessment
• A carer’s assessment
• The preparation of a care and support or support plan
• A review of a care and support or support plan
• A safeguarding adult enquiry
• A safeguarding adult review

Independent Mental Health Advocacy
If someone is detained under the Mental Health Act in the Borough of Camden, or subject to a community treatment order or guardianship order, an advocate can explain their rights. If someone is accessing mental health services but are not on a section of the mental health act, they may still qualify for one of our other advocacy services.

Community Advocacy
The role of non-statutory advocates providing community advocacy is to support residents, particularly those from excluded and/or marginalised communities who face barriers to services.

As with some statutory advocacy services, these interventions should be provided when a resident has a substantial difficulty in self-advocating, and does not have another appropriate person to act as an advocate. Non-statutory advocacy service should support residents to participate and engage with services in the public, private and voluntary sector in situations not covered by specific legislation but where there is a need for an advocate.

The Rethink Mental Illness Camden and Islington advocacy service supports people living with a mental health problem and their families and carers to make informed choices about the support, care and treatment they receive.

Living with a mental illness can be a difficult enough. No one deserves to feel alone in a complex mental health system.

Our team of expert and compassionate advocates work with individuals, alongside their families and carers, to let them be as involved as possible in making decisions that affect them.

We help people take control of their own lives, or act on their behalf to represent their views and wishes, and can help people understand their rights and access the services they need.