Unlike a broker, an advocate concentrates primarily on the needs of the individual. In practice, many advocacy services and roles DO lead to the advocate have views on how services actually operate, and how they should change, and will be listened to; so the distinction may not be clear-cut..
Keyword Groups: Skills & Roles
peer mentor
Mentoring is a more specific and mutually agreed support relationship than befriending, which is more informal.
expert by experience
Expertise gained from lived experience is one of the most valuable qualifications you can have.
street outreach
The term ‘street’ here is not to be defined too narrowly. People may sleep in parks, fields, on buses and under bridges.
supporter
A supporter of any service or approach will be someone with no other more formal role.
service broker
A service broker is someone who does more than advocate or case manage for an individual; a broker has an agreed role and mandate within a network of organisations – usually at local level – to alert services to any changes they may need to make, in order for these services be better able to accommodate […]
service user
Most people don’t much like the term ‘service user’; we know some really dislike it. But it IS the most generalisable term we can find.
trainer
Anyone who provides specific training modules for staff or others, either as part of their role within one organisation, or as an offer to other organisations.