Advocacy is a means of supporting and helping people to speak up or act for themselves
Advocates do not decide what is "right" for a person, but will help people make their own informed decisions
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Balance Whanganui empowers people by helping them understand their rights
- Advocacy is integrated into our peer support services
- We assist people to take a stand through principled negotiation, but do not avoid challenging the mental health system directly if required
- At a person's request we can attend interviews and appointments to speak on their behalf or to simply offer our presence as support
Systemic Advocacy
Balance Whanganui also represents a mental health service user viewpoint at local, regional and national forums.