National Advocacy Service Report 2021
This report gives an overview of the EPIC National Advocacy Service in 2021
EPIC’s National Advocacy Service works to empower children in care and young people with care experience to have a say and be heard on issues that affect their lives. This report gives an overview of this Service in 2021 and presents a snapshot of the children and young people who used the Service, and the issues addressed.
During 2021, a team of nine EPIC Advocates, supported by two Advocacy Managers, worked across Ireland supporting 491 children and young people on a total of 777 advocacy cases.
The data presented in this, and previous Advocacy Reports, is critical in informing the development of EPIC’s services and policy. It enables the organisation to recognise and track ongoing and emerging trends, as well as the day-to-day issues experienced by the community of children and young people who seek and receive support from the EPIC National Advocacy Service.
The efficacy of our Advocacy Service is dependent on collaboration with a wide variety of individuals, organisations, and services in both the statutory and voluntary sectors. We acknowledge the many professionals with whom we work that are dedicated to meeting the needs of care-experienced children and young people. We especially wish to acknowledge the children and young people who came through our Advocacy Service in 2021, whose experiences and challenges are documented throughout this report.
