Thesis
Speaking as others : a qualification in practice : introducing accredited training to an independent advocacy organisation in Scotland
- Creator
- Rights statement
- Awarding institution
- University of Strathclyde
- Date of award
- 2024
- Thesis identifier
- T17110
- Person Identifier (Local)
- 201270697
- Qualification Level
- Qualification Name
- Department, School or Faculty
- Abstract
- This study takes an ethnographic approach to examine what happened when an independent advocacy organisation in Scotland introduced an accredited training programme for the first time. Accessing accredited training is unusual for such organisations in Scotland, as there is no nationally agreed framework for training of advocacy workers nor regulation of their practice. Available literature shows a range of models of practice across Scotland, and a lack of agreement on the best way to prepare advocates for their role. A short summary of how independent advocacy has developed in Scotland is given to suggest how this situation may have arisen. How the Scottish situation differs from that in the other parts of the UK is explored, where advocates can access National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ) approved by City and Guilds, a national accreditation and examination body for vocational qualifications. It is these NVQ qualifications that have been accessed by the organisation that is the focus of this study, hereafter referred to as ‘the Organisation’. Alternative approaches by other Scottish advocacy organisations and from outside the UK are considered. Data was collected from pre-existing documentation from within the Organisation, from semi-structured interviews with individual advocacy workers and from the transcript of a conversation held during a staff meeting. My own role as an insider researcher and line manager for the staff is considered, along with how I mitigated any potential influence this may have had on participants. The findings indicate that the NVQ qualifications can be accessed by advocacy workers in Scotland without contradicting the principles and standards of the Scottish Independent Advocacy Alliance and were considered by the people interviewed to have enhanced their practice. These findings are compared with the arguments for and against accredited training found in the literature. In conclusion, the study highlights the paucity of existing research into independent advocacy in Scotland and its theoretical underpinnings and makes suggestions as to directions such research could take.
- Advisor / supervisor
- Cassidy, Claire
- Adams, Paul
- Resource Type
- DOI
Relations
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PDF of thesis T17110 | 2024-12-17 | Public | Download |