Struggling to be heard?
Do you feel frustrated or let down by services?
Do you find it hard to voice your problems and get your needs met?
SWAN’s free Self-Advocacy Course can help give you the skills and confidence to speak up for yourself.
How is the training planned?
Each session will provide confidence building activities, and tool kits to help you self-advocate in different situations in your life.
What issues will the training help you with?
• Housing
• Employment
• Benefits
• Raising complaints
• Health & Social Care Meetings
SWAN’s Be Heard training is aimed at providing support and resources to people, providing them with the confidence and skills to self-advocate. Our training is co-designed and delivered with Peer Advocacy Coaches who are Experts by Experience. This ensures that our training is helpful for all and covers issues relevant to them.
Self-Advocacy is being able to speak up for yourself and tell people what you want and need. People who can self-advocate can make their own complaints and be part of decision making.
SWAN believes that with the right tools and resources anyone can learn to be their own advocate.
SWAN’s Be Heard training aims to increase a person’s confidence and ability to speak up by providing them with this training and additional resources.
For more information and upcoming events:
Be Heard in Somerset
FREE Self-Advocacy Training
Whilst we do provide regular training and workshop sessions across the year, we can provide training and workshops when requested. Please feel free to get in contact with us if you wish to discuss the options available to you.
Call us: 03333 447928
Email us: beheard@swanadvocacy.org.uk
Be Heard on the Isle of Wight
Self-Advocacy Training Sessions
Following the success of previous training sessions, SWAN are now providing free self-advocacy training sessions.
The Be Heard programme is designed to help people stand up for their rights and resolve issues that they are facing by teaching them how to advocate for themselves.
Self-advocacy means standing up for your own rights and ensuring that your voice is heard. Many people find this difficult especially when dealing with various professionals, such as NHS or council workers. We want to ensure that more people feel confident when explaining their needs.
SWAN provides Be Heard sessions each month, except August & December. The next in-person session will be held on Thursday 27 March 2025 from 1pm to 4pm at The Riverside Centre, The Quay, Newport, Isle of Wight, PO30 2QR. There is free parking available at the centre.
If you are interested in attending a Be Heard session, please contact SWAN to book your space on 03333 447928 or at IoW@swanadvocacy.org.uk. Spaces are limited so please book early to avoid disappointment.
The training session will include:
• Self-Advocacy Toolkits
• Group self-advocacy training with your peers – an interactive course
• One-to-one self-advocacy training and coaching
Advocates will also be present to discuss how to approach any issues attendees are facing and to support them when advocating by themselves.
The sessions and resources provided are completely free of charge. The sessions are fully accessible.
If you are unable to make this date but would still like to attend the training, please let us know and we can book you on a later date.
SWAN is commissioned by the Isle of Wight Council to provide several independent services on the Isle of Wight including Health Complaints Advocacy, Care Act Advocacy, Mental Health Advocacy and Mental Capacity Advocacy. If you would like to know more about the service the Isle of Wight team provide, please visit: https://swanadvocacy.org.uk/iow/
FREE Self-Advocacy Training
Whilst we do provide regular training and workshop sessions across the year, we can provide training and workshops when requested. Please feel free to get in contact with us if you wish to discuss the options available to you.
Call us: 03333 447928
Email us: iow@swanadvocacy.org.uk