Mr. Paddy Connolly:

In response to Deputies Ó Caoláin and Kelleher, in a lot of cases conflict arises because of poor communication and a reluctance to give information. In advocacy, before we get to that point, there is a need for conflict resolution and mediation processes. This is something at which the HSE and services are really poor. It is often a piece of information that is just not being given. Families get suspicious because they are not getting the information and are waiting weeks. It builds up and up and the conflict becomes entrenched. As the Ombudsman has stated, years down the road the complaint is still running and people have forgotten what it was actually about. The conflict has become the energy in the room. This whole area of conflict mediation and dispute resolution processes could be developed.

In response to Senator van Turnhout, this is where Inclusion Ireland is talking about a broad spectrum of advocacy. An advocate's role is often to build the capacity of a person to understand his or her choices and help him or her take control. It is not just about representing somebody or resolving a conflict. It is also about supporting people who may have been institutionalised or dependent on services for a long time, or whose families may be very articulate and dominant, and helping them to understand that they have some choices and control. Broad-spectrum advocacy addresses that issue. Sometimes the advocate's role is to build a person's capacity. It is a patient and slow job, but that is where different types of advocacy come into play.

The role of advocacy is one of a number of requirements in the context of intellectual disability in largely residential settings.

It is one of a series of checks and balances. We have HIQA inspections, but HIQA does not guarantee a good quality of life. That is where advocacy rows in. We have complaints procedures. There should be a series of checks and balances that will reduce the likelihood of abuse. Advocacy is one of a number of checks and balances, but it is not going to work alone.

Reference was made to HIQA and advocacy. A number of HIQA reports have referred to a poster on the wall advertising advocacy. That is wholly inadequate in terms of accessibility or as a way for people to understand the process. Some of these people have been dependent on institutions for a long time. That idea does not represent access to an advocate. Moreover, HIQA does not look into a broad spectrum of advocacy. When we refer to a broad spectrum of advocacy, we are talking about representative advocacy and representing a person's interests as well as self-advocacy, whereby we support persons with a disability in expressing their will and preference. That is a capacity-building role. We are also talking about citizen advocacy and the type of work that Sage does. When we talk about the need for a national advocacy strategy, we are referring to a broad spectrum of advocacy.