ADVOCACY - THE LAW ALLOWS FOR IT

Survivors want your help. They need your advocacy.

It is part of your job, as an advocate, to lend a voice for respect, dignity, understanding and helpful problem solving for battered women.

You, as a victim advocate, have a unique role; different from that of the case manager, the social worker, the mental health counselor, the drug and alcohol professional - different from anyone else who may have been called in to assist.

You are not there to be an impartial or neutral observer. You are there to stick up for your client. You are there to understand what she wants, to understand what is possible within the rules and laws of the welfare system, and to shamelessly promote resolution that supports, to the absolute fullest potential, your client's safety and an unencumbered journey to economic self-sufficiency. The law allows for it. Your client needs and deserves it.

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AN ADVOCATE IS DIFFERENT THAN A FRIEND

Lots of people need a friend when they are hurting, and friends can assist in a person’s journey towards recovery. However, an advocate is different than a friend in many ways. Sometimes people turn to a friend for advice, but an advocate will never tell a victim what to do. Instead, the advocate will help them to understand the choices that they have, and what the consequences of those choices may be. Some friendships last a lifetime, but an advocate’s job is time-limited. It is the advocate’s role to support them through their immediate crisis and to make sure that they’re connected with the resources they need. The advocate’s knowledge of resources will help them to make the best choice for themselves.

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