title: Peer advocacy in a personalized landscape: The role of peer support in a context of individualized support and austerity.
abstract: Whilst personalization offers the promise of more choice and control and wider participation in the community, the reality in the United Kingdom has been hampered by local council cuts and a decline in formal services. This has left many people with intellectual disabilities feeling dislocated from collective forms of support (Needham, 2015). What fills this gap and does peer advocacy have a role to play? Drawing on a co-researched study undertaken with and by persons with intellectual disabilities, we examined what role peer advocacy can play in a context of reduced day services, austerity and individualized support. The findings reveal that peer advocacy can help people reconnect in the face of declining services, problem-solve issues and informally learn knowledge and skills needed to participate in the community. We argue that peer advocacy thus offers a vital role in enabling people to take up many of the opportunities afforded by personalization.
authors.affiliation: University of Southampton, UK a.power@soton.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3887-1050
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Power
authors.affiliation: University of Southampton, UK.
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bartlett
authors.affiliation: University of Dundee, UK.
authors.forename: Edward
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hall
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003631:Day Care, Medical / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D057187:Independent Living / Q000592:standards*; D010344:Patient Advocacy / Q000592:standards*; D018802:Patient-Centered Care / Q000592:standards*; D010379:Peer Group; D012944:Social Support; D012946:Social Welfare; D006113:United Kingdom
keywords: day services; personalization; self-advocacy; social care; welfare