Careers: Children's advocate

What does a children's advocate do?

A children's advocate aims to empower a child or young person to make their views and wishes known. By law, local authorities must provide advocates for looked-after children who wish to make a complaint against the authority. But some councils extend this duty to all children receiving social care services. Increasingly, advocates are becoming involved in family group conferences, where the child and family take the lead in making a plan that will safeguard the child's welfare.

The role can vary from council to council. Some advocates will include children's rights work, checking that policy and decisions comply with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Some will also do participation work, ensuring children's voices are heard in policy decisions. Advocacy can also become muddled with the role of independent visitors, volunteers who support and give advice to looked-after young people. But the Children's Rights Officers & Advocates (Croa) organisation says the crucial thing about advocates is that they work directly with the young person and are there to do what the young person wants.