Advocacy Standards & QoL

Advocacy Standards

Our core duties are to advocate and provide consent for what is important to and important for our clients.
We make decisions based on what the person would decide if they had the capacity to make the decision, including their unique background, culture, faith, and interests.
We advocate for each individual's human, civil, and legal rights and full participation as a citizen.
We recognize that our decisions cannot—and should not—eliminate all possible risks. We believe that our clients should have the opportunity to experience reasonable risks.

We consent to all services, supports, and opportunities that are important to and important for our clients, including:
- Assessments by qualified professionals that address each individual’s needs and circumstances, such as communication, technology, risk, and medical needs.
- Living situations and other service environments in which the person feels safe, their needs can be met, while considering the person’s preferences about location, housing type, and housemates.
- Employment, education, and/or day program services according to the person’s preferences and needs.
- Transportation services that support the individual’s needs and wants.
- Timely preventative, chronic, and acute healthcare.
- Dietary guidelines and recommendations that are healthy, safe, and appropriately implemented.
- End-of-life decisions that respect the person’s preferences, quality of life, and dignity.
Our clients’ needs and preferences change over time, so we consent to services and supports that change with them.

We advocate for what is important to and important for our clients, including:
- Opportunities to develop and use self-advocacy skills, such as participation in groups that address issues important to the individual.
- Restoration to competency when guardianship is no longer necessary.
- Access to alternatives to guardianship and opportunities to develop independence and decision-making skills.
- Support to exercise their right to vote and access information about voting, candidates, and issues.
- Interaction with family, friends, and community members, and opportunities to develop new relationships.
- Opportunities to develop new skills and explore new activities.
As guardian of the person only, we do not make decisions about finances, but we advocate for our clients’ funds to be spent on their needs and wants to the greatest extent possible.

In person visits allow us to:
- Build relationships with them so we can better understand what is important to and important for them.
- Observe their quality of life and opportunities for further advocacy.
- Monitor the quality and adequacy of their services and environments.
To achieve these objectives, our visit frequency, length, and locations vary based on the individuals’ needs and preferences.
We supplement periodic in-person visits with other contacts (such as phone calls, virtual visits, and emails) with our clients, their family members, service providers, and other team members as appropriate to stay informed of important changes and to advocate for their quality of life.

We meet with our client and their team for the purpose of:
- Reviewing with the entire team what is important to and important for our client.
- Setting a direction for future services and advocacy.
- Celebrating achievements and encouraging further independence.
To achieve these objectives we:
- Encourage and facilitate our clients’ active participation in their team meetings. We want each person to be physically present and engaged in the conversation, but we respect their right to choose not to participate.
- Prepare our clients in advance of their team meetings to identify issues that are important to and important for their team discussion.
- Support the self-advocacy efforts of our clients during team meetings and while engaged in other day to day activities
- Advocate for meetings to be scheduled based on the person’s needs and preferences—including date and time, frequency, duration, location, and topics discussed.
- Promote collaboration, creative thinking, and positive support rather than finding fault and remaining focused only on failed efforts.