Search

Chapter 4 of the book "Advocacy for Mental Health" is presented. It presents examples of good advocacy practices in different countries. It discusses how Brazil's Advocacy Office for Rights, Mental Health and Citizenship protects consumer rights and provides housing for people with serious mental disabilities. It evaluates the National Mental Health Strategy of Australia and describes the role of the Andalusian Federation of Family Associations in Spain in mental health advocacy.

The book examines actions that may be taken to redress wrongs illegally perpetrated against people with intellectual disabilities in New South Wales, Australia. Ten topic areas are addressed (sample subtopics in parentheses): protecting rights (complaints to government departments, use of the ombudsman); discrimination (legal aid); personal relationships (marriage, having children, adoption); sheltered workshops (legislation, work contracts, discrimination and harassment); housing (controls over residential facilities); guardianship and money management for adults (informal and formal money management); wills (trustees, income tax, wills for intellectually disabled people); crime and the intellectually disabled (defenses, police, confessions); consumer protection (unfair contracts, legal effect of incapacity); and care givers (physical interference, negligence). (CL)