What we do Individual Advocacy

Anyone involved in a young person’s life may request an advocate. Calls from young people are prioritized. When someone else makes the initial call, we also talk with the young person directly before assigning an advocate, when possible.

• Meet with young people privately, in spaces where the young person is comfortable.
• Determine if the young person’s concerns relate to their rights, interests, and viewpoints and their involvement with the child intervention or youth justice system.
• Determine strategies to address these concerns, including phone calls, meetings, and emails, involving the young person whenever possible.
• Elevate concerns, when needed to higher levels of decision-making.

• Investigate allegations of abuse or neglect of young people.
• Assist parents or others with complaints about the child intervention or youth justice system.
• Advocate outside of the child intervention and youth justice system, for example, advocates do not work in the area of family law.

Advocates work directly and in partnership with young people, whenever possible. Young people identify the issues they want help with and the advocate determines if the issues are within scope. If they are, the advocate helps the young person address these issues.

When a young person is unable to express a viewpoint and share their interests, an advocate will act on the young person’s behalf, guided by the young person’s particular rights and interests, to identify and address concerns.

Private communications between a young person and an advocate are privileged and cannot be shared with any other person without the consent of the young person.

Our office can share the following unless there is a reason not to:

• Whether or not an advocate has been assigned to a young person, and
• Whether advocacy has been concluded.

For more details about our Individual Advocacy program, you can review our policy manual here.