If you want to qualify as an advocate then the nationally recognised benchmark qualification for independent advocates is the Level 4 in Independent Advocacy Practice. This version of the qualification launched in 2021 and replaced the previous Level 3 version.

You must be working in an independent advocacy role (paid or voluntary) to satisfy the practice assessment requirements of the level 4 qualification. Many advocacy services will employ unqualified advocates who they believe have relevant skills, knowledge, and attributes. They will then enrol their advocate on the level 4 course with a training provider (such as Handa) who is running the City & Guilds accredited course. 

The learner will then work their way through the training course online and complete the various exercises and tasks to qualify as an advocate. Some of these will test practice skills and others understanding of principles and legislation. Your assessor will support you with these via email, telephone or Teams calls.

In addition, your assessment process will involve your assessor reviewing your work products such as case notes and reports. These will cover a lot of the qualification content and show your practice with clients.

A mandatory part of the qualification is the observation of real work activities by your assessor. This can be done by your assessor visiting you at your place of work and observing your normal practice by shadowing you in client meetings or may be done remotely by observing you via Teams.

Handa Training will always ensure the highest standards of confidentiality and will have agreements in place with your employer/service and follow our own policies and procedures. We will never record anything about your clients in our assessments that could directly or indirectly identify them or hold any data about them. Equally we will ensure that all learners understand that their portfolios do not include anything which could breach confidentiality.

To complete the Level 4 qualification and qualify as an advocate, a learner must complete 3 mandatory units and 1 optional unit. Where possible we will claim the certificates for each unit as and when they are completed.

If you are not yet working as an advocate, then the Foundation in Independent Advocacy course is an excellent starting point to understand what independent advocacy is and what the role entails. It is also a great way to increase your employability for future paid independent advocacy roles.

For further details of the Level 4 qualification, see here