Where QueerCare can’t provide care, we help people access other services.
Our trained and experienced advocates provide support around all aspects of navigating the healthcare system.
We are not Independent Mental Health Advocates (IMHAs) or Independent Mental Capacity Advocates (IMCAs), because such a role implies a control over people we are not willing to be complicit in. We stand for the wishes of those we are supporting regardless of what the medical system has determined their capacity to be.
QueerCare advocates have training and experience beyond the standards expected of IMHAs and IMCAs. There is continuing support and opportunities for advocates to increase skills and knowledge beyond initial training.
Our advocates generally resist all kinds of nonconsensual incarceration, whether in the form of traditional imprisonment or the use of the Mental Health/Capacity Acts, and we provide care and advocacy support for those who have been incarcerated, including those detained under the Mental Health Act. Our advocates will, however, also provide advocacy for people who wish to be detained under the Mental Health Act to access inpatient care.
Some of our advocates are also able to provide advocacy support around navigating other systems, such as education (eg. accessing disability services in schools, colleges and universities), criminal ‘justice’ (eg. supporting people meeting with a probation officer, supporting people with Youth Offending Team appointments), the state ‘welfare’ system (eg. accessing Universal Credit and other benefits), youth and social services, housing, etc. QueerCare advocates have a variety of training and experience which allows us to support people holistically. We recognise that people’s experiences and needs around healthcare are almost always interlinked with their experiences and needs around other services and systems.
Page Last Updated: 2020/09/07