Advocacy

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Advocacy is the act of arguing on behalf of a particular issue, idea or person^[1]^[2].

An advocate is a person who does this ^[2].

Specialist terms

Both the terms 'advocate' and 'advocacy' are taken to have specialist meanings in certain contexts, and among some groups. For instance:

In a legal/law context: An 'advocate' is the title of a specific person who is authorised/appointed (in some way) to speak on behalf of a person in a legal process. See advocate.

In a political context: An 'advocacy group' is an organized collection of people who seek to influence political decisions and policy, without seeking election to public office. See Interest group

In a social care context

Both terms (and more specific ones such as 'Independent Advocacy') are used in the UK in the context of a network of interconnected organisations and projects which seek to benefit people who are in difficulty (primarily in the context of disability and mental health)^[3]. There are a number of documents in circulation defining or guiding this activity ^[4].

In the context of 'inclusion': 'Citizen Advocacy organisations' (citizen advocacy programs/programmes) seek to cause benefit by reconnecting people who have become isolated. Their practice was defined in two key documents: CAPE, and Learning From Citizen Advocacy Programs. See Citizen Advocacy organisations.

In marketing: In marketing the word 'advocate' is used to describe a loyal client that recommends a product or service to their peers^{[citation needed]}.

References

^ ^a ^b AskOxford.com (Oxford dictionaries) www.askoxford.com
^ There are several networking bodies in the UK which bring together such organisations - for instance the 'UK Advocacy Network (UKAN), Action for Advocacy, the 'Older People's Advocacy Alliance', and the 'Advocacy Resource Exchange' (ARX).
^ Principles and Standards in Independent Advocacy organisations and groups, Advocacy 2000 project, Edinburgh Scotland, 2002 (available online)