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BJSW Advance Access originally published online on November 22, 2005
British Journal of Social Work 2006 36(7):1209-1225; doi:10.1093/bjsw/bch383
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© The Author 2005. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The British Association of Social Workers. All rights reserved.

Advocacy for Black and Minority Ethnic Communities: Understandings and Expectations

Alison Bowes and Duncan Sim

Alison Bowes is Professor of Sociology and Duncan Sim is Senior Lecturer in Housing Studies in the Department of Applied Social Science, University of Stirling. They have published widely on various aspects of research with minority ethnic groups, and have special interests in housing, community care and positive action measures.

Correspondence to Professor Alison Bowes, Department of Applied Social Science, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA. E-mail: a.m.bowes{at}stir.ac.uk

Recent policy has promoted ‘advocacy’ as a means of promoting social justice for many disadvantaged groups. Yet ‘advocacy’ is a contested concept, and the understandings that members of disadvantaged groups themselves have of advocacy have rarely been explored. Previous research indicates that understandings may vary considerably. Using empirical evidence from research conducted in Glasgow, Scotland, this paper examines the understandings and expectations of ‘advocacy’ held by black and minority ethnic (BME) service providers and potential service users. The BME service providers believed that they were offering advocacy, and did so in the context of a marginalized position for their services. The BME community members supported the development of advocacy services, but their own marginalization was in many ways reinforced by services they were already using. They had clear ideas about appropriate advocacy services for their situation. These ideas were grounded in their current situation, and did not necessarily conform to dominant ideas about advocacy. In conclusion, the prospects for successful advocacy are assessed.

Keywords: advocacy, black and minority ethnic groups, refugees and asylum seekers


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