Advocacy is about supporting a person and their family to express their needs and wants regarding different situations, and to be aware of their options and entitlements, in order to make informed decisions on matters that affect their lives. With regards to neurodivergent children, advocacy may be sought in order to ensure your child’s support needs are understood and met both at home or at school. For adults, advocates might help with understanding formal documents, can assist with identifying benefits, policy or laws that might be helpful to neurodivergent people and their families, and can listen to your views and wishes and then articulate them to people in meetings where you find it hard to speak up for yourself. Advocacy in Fife is a great easy-read booklet that helps detail exactly what advocacy is and how it can be utilised to assist and also details services within Fife itself.
It can be difficult to know where to go and who to get in contact with to provide the right type of advocacy for you as a family. The Fife Advocacy Forum is a great source of signposting to various advocacy organisations and can help guide you to the one that is right for your needs.
Other Suggested Services:
Circles Network Fife delivers a free, independent service by providing information and advocacy via telephone, email, online, or face to face at their offices in Kirkcaldy, home visits, or in suitable community and public spaces. They can provide assistance with work capability assessments, meeting solicitors, GPs and other professionals, ESA & PIP assessments and more. The service is available to anyone over 16 years, who live in Fife and have one of a range of different conditions, such as mental health struggles, Autism, Intellectual Disability, brain injury, or long-term illness.
Dunfermline Advocacy provides support for Citizens Advocacy Partnerships across West Fife. They match local volunteers with vulnerable adults in the community to provide support and friendship.
Enquire is the Scottish advice service for additional support for learning. They provide easy to understand advice and information about additional support for learning legislation and guidance for families and professionals. They also have an advice line for parents that is designed to help them identify local advocacy services
Kindred Fife are a small team who provide support to families of children with complex needs, including support with applications for grants for specialist equipment, applying for benefits, advocacy, and parents support groups.
Suggested Services:
Getting It Right For Every Child (GIRFEC) is the framework which all public sector bodies use when supporting children and young people. It sets out the principles and values of how we work, how we consider child wellbeing, and how organisations like health and education work together. You can read more about how this is used in Fife here.
Autism Toolbox is a free online resource developed to support the inclusion of autistic learners in Scottish Early Learning and Childcare settings, Primary and Secondary schools. There is information to help understanding of autism, support for learners and their families, social & emotional wellbeing, and transitions. Information is relevant to young people, parents and carers of children with autism, and professionals.
Fife College Inclusion Team provide support for students to make college accessible and inclusive. Student advisors can help identify strategies and support to assist learning and development. There are Learning Centres at each campus where students can drop-in for advice, study skills and attend regular 1:1 or shared support.
Fife Council Educational Psychology Service is part of Fife council Education and Children’s Services Directorate. Every school in Fife has a link Educational Psychologist, who can provide support to children, parents and schools where there are concerns about a child’s learning development, or behaviour.
Fife Council Supported Employment Service (SES) can help people with a disability or health condition who are interested in finding a job. They provide a mix of support to help identify your work goals and the type of work you’d like, develop your employability skills, and get the help and support you need to succeed in the job. They also offer employers support such as disability awareness training, and information on current diversity and equality legislation.
Fife Employment Access Trust directly support people with mental health problems to find and sustain work. The run a range of courses and services aimed at helping people get the confidence and experience to find the right employment, and with the right support.
Fair Start Scotland recognise that everyone's life is different and that people with autism face different challenges that might mean they are further away from the job market than others. Fair Start tailor their approach so that the service provided is designed for the individual needs of each person
Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (AGCAS) have produced a guide to reasonable adjustments for neurodivergent employees.
The Scottish Transitions Forum have produced framework to inform, structure and encourage the continual improvement of support for young people with additional needs making the transition to adult life.
The Scottish ADHD Coalition have produced an employer’s guide to ADHD.
The Image Project have produced evidence-based resources for autistic employees, as well as employers. These were co-created with autistic people, and adopt a strengths-based approach.
Autism & Uni has number of free guides for managers, lecturers, and support staff on how to support autistic university students, and make teaching more accessible.
The National Autistic Society have produced a webpage with advice for college and university staff on supporting autistic learners transitioning to college or university.
Autism in Fife provide a range of social activities for autistic people.
Autism Rocks provide peer support and information through their Facebook page, and via weekly family days at their drop-in centre in Buckhaven, called Kaleidoscope.
Hyperclub in Fife offers Services to adults, children, and families with ADHD, physical and learning disabilities. These include a sensory room, karaoke disco, and children's groups.
The Yard Fife branch run adventure play services for disabled children, young people, and their families. You can attend a free taster session before deciding whether to become a member. You can also see a virtual tour of their premises at the link above.
Fife Young Carers supports children and young people up to 25 years old who has been affected by looking after a family member with a range of conditions and needs, including neurodevelopmental difficulties. They offer individual support, groups, day trips, information, befriending and advocacy for young carers in Fife.
Fife Carers Centre support adult carers with information, and practical help in order to protect their physical, mental, emotional and financial health whilst maintaining their caring role.
Link Living: are a trauma informed health and well being charity that work with people age 14+ to overcome the negative impacts of trauma, mental health, inequality and isolation. They support both the individual and carers and can offer assistance and guidance around employability, homelessness and community involvement among others.
Penumbra are a national mental health charity. In Fife the Penumbra Self-Harm Service provides practical and emotional support for 18 and over who are experiencing self-harm. The service provides a non-judgemental space where clients can explore self-harming behaviours, and work staff to manage and identify healthy coping strategies. Penumbra volunteers have lived experience of recovery in mental health and bring insight to support you on your journey. The service also delivers training and awareness raising sessions on self-harm to professionals across the Fife area.
Scottish Autism provide or support a range of social groups and projects. You can enquire with them directly here to see what is running. The Scottish Autism One Stop Shop also run a peer support group run for and by autistic adults.
Cruse provide free support for people experiencing grief and bereavement
Fife Council Housing Website has lots of information, including advice on applying for a house and what to do once you’re on the list, council tax, housing benefit, and homelessness. We recommend looking at their pages for advice on housing in the first instance.
Fife Council Benefits and Money Advice Website has lots of information, including foodbanks and community cafes, advice on managing your benefits, crisis and community care grants, and advice on heating and rising costs. We recommend looking at their pages for advice on benefits and money in the first instance.
Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice and Rights Fife (CARF) have lots of independent information and advice on benefits, employment, money, and housing.
Mental Health & Money Advice provides online advice and support for people experiencing issues with mental health and money. For anyone struggling with money and who has mental health issues there is a useful ‘How can we help?’ tool to guide people to useful supports and information
Penumbra are a national mental health charity. In Fife Penumbra offer a Short-Term Housing Support Service for 16 and over. Support is offered within the home of the client and around their local community. Penumbra support individuals to become empowered to make informed choices about daily living through promoting wellbeing and recovery. The support is designed to help individuals gain the skills needed to manage and sustain a tenancy and to live independently and meaningfully within their local community. Penumbra work together with the client to discover their strengths and identify and achieve goals one step at a time. The duration of Short-Term Housing Support to an individual is up to 1 year.
Scottish Autism provide supported living services across Scotland. This includes adult supported living, outreach services, and day and vocational services.
Relationship Scotland are a network that provide relationship counselling, family mediation, child contact centres and other family support services across Scotland.