I AM Interagency Advocacy Network

Staff and Students from the Discipline of Occupational Therapy in partnership with the I AM Interagency Advocacy Network are offering a course Advocacy Champion Training (ACT) for facilitators and service uses from Walkinstown Association and Cheeverstown House (services for people with intellectual disabilities). The course focuses on developing group work and problem solving skills so that service users can help others speak out for themselves to solve day to day advocacy issues. About 16 service users, 6 service staff and 3 JS Occupational Therapy students are involved in the project. A Peer Education process is used. The course is run with different agencies every year during the Michalmas term. Dr. Siobhan Mac Cobb and Ms. Carolyn Lanigan O’Keeffe are overseeing the course. Initially it is being held in the Trinity Centre for Health Sciences, St. James’s Hospital and then it will be hosted and managed by the service users themselves in their service settings.

Posted 14 November 2009