Norfolk Advocacy Partnership case studies

Case study 1

90-year-old Elsie was cold called by an energy provider representative who knocked at her door in the early evening. He was very persuasive and without realising what she was doing, she signed up to switch over suppliers. The energy provider also asked if he could use her telephone. She lives in sheltered accommodation but doesn't get to speak to the warden very regularly. When she contacted Age UK Norwich, she was very worried about her bills and wanted to return to her original supplier. She felt very upset by the experience.   

Our advocate explained Elsie's options to her. It was agreed that they would contact the two energy companies on Elsie's behalf. They were arranged for her account to be transferred back to the original company, with no penalty costs charged. They also talked about the possibility of helping Elsie to make a complaint regarding the switching procedures, however Elsie didn't want to pursue this as she was just pleased that the issue had been resolved.  

Our advocate discussed safety techniques with Elsie, making sure that she remembered not to open her door at night if she wasn't expecting a visitor and to be careful with any telephone calls. They also suggested that the next time she saw the warden she should explain what had happened. Our advocate gave her some 'no cold calling' stickers for her door and gave her the Age UK Information Guide, 'Avoiding Scams' so that she had something she could refer back to.

Case study 2

Chloe has a learning disability and was referred to Equal Lives by her children's social worker because her children were on a child protection plan. The process was really difficult for Chloe to understand - long written reports and long meetings were difficult for her to follow, and she found that calls from professionals made her anxiety worse. An Equal Lives advocate was able to support Chloe at meetings and give her space before and afterwards to prepare and debrief. The advocate went through documents with Chloe to make sure she understood Children's Services' concerns and advocated for Chloe's own needs. For example, she helped her to get a social care assessment. With the advocate's support, Chloe was able to make the changes Children's Services wanted to see and the case was closed to them completely. Chloe is a brilliant mum and now lives a settled life with her daughters.

Contact Your Norfolk Advice Network or Norfolk Advocacy Partnership