Disabled Parents Network’s Family Advocacy Service

DPN’s advocacy service supports disabled parents to access the services they are entitled to around a wide range of parenting issues. The Advocacy service builds upon the excellent work already provided by the support service, but is able to offer more in depth support in those cases where it is required or requested.

The aim of the advocacy service is to ‘reduce the isolation and improve opportunity for involvement in the community for disabled parent families, through the provision of information, assistance and support so that they can self advocate with social, health and education services for improved access to support in their parenting role’.

The advocacy service is to be offered to all disabled parents using the following definitions;

‘disabled person’ to be any person with actual or perceived physical, sensory, emotional, learning impairment, long term illness, HIV, drug or alcohol dependence, or a person with a mental health issue. These impairments may be obvious, hidden, long term or short term may be congenital or acquired before or after the birth of a child.

‘Parents’ to mean ‘prospective parents, grandparents and same sex couples, those who raise, adopt or foster children, stepparents as well as biological parents.

Our advocacy service is offered to all disabled parents throughout England. Its completely confidential and is free to all users.

It is expected that a lot of our referrals will come via the Support Service - however word of mouth will help to make this service really successful, please feel free to spread the word!