The Nature of Advocacy

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The interventions reviewed in Chapter 4 have in common the provision of direct clinical services aimed at enhancing a child’s development. Furthermore, most of these interventions involve an attempt to meet this broad goal through direct alteration of the child’s ecology, the fit between the child and his or her environment. That is, key adults in the environment are given skills in relating to the child on a supportive basis or, more commonly, attempts are made to increase the child’s own adaptive skills. Advocacy, as conceptualized here, differs from these programs by the lack of emphasis on provision of direct services. Rather, advocacy involves active attempts to make institutions affecting children responsive to their needs. The primary function is one of enabling children to make use of societal resources. For example, public schools often systematically have excluded children from their services because of handicap or language barrier. One model advocacy program, the Massachusetts Advocacy Center, grew from an effort to make the schools responsive to and inclusive of all children regardless of handicap or primary language (Task Force on Children Out of School, 1970). Thus, the emphasis was not on provision of direct educational services to children but rather on advocacy on behalf of excluded children for changes in the policies and practices of those charged with providing services.