Individual Advocacy: Ensuring People Receive Benefits and Services

The goal of client or individual advocacy is to ensure that people receive the services and benefits for which they are eligible. It sounds simple. But what does it mean? How does it happen? Join accreditation reviewer Faed Hendry to discuss answers to these questions and more. Find out how advocacy can be done in your center, what advocacy procedures look like across the industry, and how to document advocacy. Additionally, Faed provides guidance on advocacy documentation that accreditation reviewers typically see to help with your upcoming accreditation submission.

Objectives:

• Define client or individual advocacy

• Discuss how advocacy is performed in Information and Referral Programs

• Learn how to document advocacy efforts

• Review the Inform USA Standards about client advocacy and how to align your agency’s advocacy efforts with the Standards.

Faed Hendry Bio:

Faed is a Certified Community Resource Specialist who was the former Manager of Training and Outreach with Findhelp Information Services and the 211 service in Toronto. He has worked in various capacities at Findhelp since 1989. Faed has served as the President of the Alliance of Information and Referral Systems and has
worked with the AIRS Standards Committee to develop Professional Standards and Quality Indicators for field of Information & Referral. Faed also conducts regular accreditation site visits to Community Information Centres and 211 agencies throughout North America. In his spare time, Faed enjoys coaching little league soccer, playing tennis and travelling.

**This course will provide 1 hr of Inform USA Professional Development Credit