Family members and others make contact with us to strategise and receive information around matters relating to the interests of the person with disability on a confidential basis. This has been a useful way for people who have attended our events or workshops to talk through information received on the day of the workshop or event and to receive additional information.

Recognising that telephone charges can create a financial barrier for people living outside of the Sydney metropolitan area, there is a free call 1800 620 588 number to call and discuss issues. People can call or email as often as they need to, and this varies according to the nature and the level of complexity of the issue or issues.

Why We Do What We Do

Family Advocacy supports families to advocate with and on behalf of a family member with disability. We recognise that families striving for a socially valued life for their family member does and will create a richer society whereby people with disability are seen as valuable societal contributors. The need for advocacy by families often springs from a vision of what the family want to eventuate for their child’s future and barriers that exist that may inhibit this vision.

We believe that families are most likely to take up the role of advocacy for their family member with disability over the long term and act in the person’s best interests.

We consider that families hold a natural authority in the lives of their family member with disability, while also acknowledging that this may not be the case for all families as a conflict of interest can occur between what is best for the family versus what is best for the person with disability.

How We Do What We Do

Family Advocacy recognises that to strengthen the opportunity for more people with disability to lead valued lives requires a multi-layered approach to strengthening the knowledge and support that families may need to support their family member in achieving a life of rich and authentic participation.

Family Advocacy offers a range of support to families of people with developmental disability, empowering them to advocate for their family member’s right to a good, ordinary life. Our advocacy is grounded in Social Role Valorisation (SRV), a framework that helps families promote social inclusion and valued roles for people with disability. We provide families with resources, workshops, and events that build their capacity to champion the rights of their family member, while also engaging with governments to influence policies that foster inclusive communities. Through our advocacy, we aim to ensure that people with disability can access the same opportunities and environments enjoyed by most Australians.

Advice and discussions with families covers a wide variety of life experiences including: preparing a vision for the future, planning for starting school, working effectively with schools, considering leisure pursuits, transitioning from primary to high school, thinking about life after school, preparing to start work or interacting with employers, supporting a family member to develop relationships, planning the move from the family home, setting up a network of support and making long term plans around the person with disability.

Response to enquiries made by families has varied depending on the circumstances but has included: 

•       working with the caller to formulate a course of action
•       sending resources such as articles or brochures to supplement knowledge 
•       providing contact details for other organisations where the information required is outside the areas of expertise of Family Advocacy such as legal matters 
•       completing research around an issue to ensure that the caller has the most up to date information 
•       making contact with a senior decision maker where an issue is of systemic significance

This contact also helps to inform Family Advocacy’s planning around the workshops and the resources that are likely to be most useful for families. It also helps the organisation to be aware of issues that may be of systemic significance – within a region or across the State.