Section 182 - Provision of advocacy services: restrictions
455.Section 182 places restrictions on the purposes for which regulations under section 181 may require advocacy services to be provided. These restrictions prevent regulations under section 181 from imposing a duty on local authorities to provide advocacy services where there is already a requirement to provide advocacy services for that purpose, whether under this Act or in current legislation. The aim is to avoid multiple advocates being assigned to an individual for the same purpose, and to avoid duplication in the provision of advocacy services. Subsection (2) provides that where advocacy services are being provided under sections 15, 17, 35, 36, 37 or 38 of this Act any obligation imposed by regulations under section 181 to provide advocacy services in respect of the same matters will not apply. Where advocacy services are to be provided under more than one provision of the Act it will usually be best practice for these services to be provided by a single advocate. This approach will also be less burdensome on local authorities.
