Our services
Appropriate Adult
An Appropriate Adult is someone who supports a vulnerable detainee when they are being interviewed by the police. The role is set out in the Police and Criminal Evidence Act. KAG provides an Appropriate Adult service for vulnerable adults at Kingston Police Custody Suite with a rota of trained volunteers under the supervision of a KAG co-coordinator.
Trained volunteers are made available through KAG to any adult arrested by the police and taken to Kingston custody who are deemed vulnerable and do not have the support of an appropriate family member, social worker or friend.
Advocacy
KAG provides advocacy for vulnerable people especially those with a learning disability or mental health problem.
An advocate is there to support and represent a person`s views and wishes. For example, this could be helping with housing or debts as well as obtaining services that the person requires.
KAG provides this service in the borough of Kingston and surrounding areas.
IMCA and DoLS
This service is to provide additional safeguards for people who lack the capacity to make certain important decisions at the time a decision needs to be made, and who have no appropriate family or friends to consult. We have the specially qualified staff to provide an IMCA service, including under Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS).
KAG offers the IMCA and Paid Relevant Persons Representative Service in the surrounding areas.
Advocacy in Private Hospitals
KAG provides the inpatient advocacy service to private hospitals including Horton Rehabilitation Service, to support its patients.
The service offered is general inpatient advocacy and IMHA service to all the patients of the hospital, to ensure that patients have an independent voice.
If you wish KAG to provide an Advocacy Service at your private hospital, please contact KAG.
Spot Purchase Contracts
KAG provides spot purchase advocacy to Housing Associations, Local Authorities etc. We are directly commissioned or our services are purchased by the housing association or local authority for a particular piece of work.
Examples of the work that we have undertaken
• Researching alternative options as to whether a home needed to close down.
• Support during closure of homes.
• Supporting the changes from a residential care home to supported living.
• Survey of residents about their needs and wishes from a service provider.
• Individual advocacy for people involved in court cases.
For more information and a quotation please contact us
Specialist Advocacy
KAG has experience over the last 30 years of providing advocacy using different methods and in various venues.
As a result, we have built up a skills base to provide specialist advocacy. This includes non-instructed advocacy, advocacy for people from ethnic minorities, refugees, group work and self–advocacy projects.
If you wish to establish a specialist advocacy service or group please contact us
Mentoring
We provide a project to support people back into employment and education.
The project consists of four workshops and the opportunity to obtain an NVQ from the Prince's Trust.
For more information and to apply for the workshops please contact us.
Connecting Communities
KAG has a new service offering support and friendship to older people in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames and the London Borough of Richmond
Would you like someone to talk to?
.Do you feel lonely or isolated from others?
A volunteer from Connecting Communities can help by visiting you
They will meet you, listen to you, and help you feel part of the community again.
This service is completely free.
Community Connectors
We provide a free service to anyone who lives in the Kingston area who needs help with the following
Benefits
Debt
Housing
Accessing support services
Independent Visitors
KAG provides a visiting service to care homes in the Elmbridge area to meet and talk with residents. The project aims to reduce social isolation and loneliness within the care home setting by supporting clients with a befriending service.
Care Act 2014 Advocacy
The Care Act 2014 brings 60 years worth of health and social care legislation under one umbrella.
The Care Act 2014 has the wellbeing of the person at the centre of any assessment, care planning, care reviews, and safeguarding.
Alongside these new statutory principles, the act has also created a new statutory right to advocacy. Advocacy under the Care Act is for people who have substantial difficulty in being able to take part in or understanding the assessment process.