Family Advocates within the System of Care
Within the Erie County system of care, the advocates role is to represent the best interest of the families they work with. They work with families to provide education, counselor and support to help families make important decisions about what is right for their children and teenagers.
They work with families who have children and youth involved in more than one system.
- Department of Mental Health
- Department of Social Services
- Juvenile Justice
- Court System
- Schools
An advocate help the family to:
- understand what there rights are
- what they can do to make good decisions about the care of their families.
When families lack the skills to be able to do that, the family advocate should have the communication and organization skills to assist the family through:
- helping the parents writing letters or correspondence,
- helping the parents understand the different system processes,
- just by sitting down answering questions for family or
- just serve as a support person for the family.
This is the starting process for the family. The advocate provides information, guidance and support to help families become empowered to help their families.