Speaking Up
Founded in 1996, Speaking Up provides one-to-one advocacy for people living with physical disabilities, learning difficulties and mental health issues and is one of the largest providers of advocacy in the UK.
Speaking Up enables people who experience learning difficulties, mental health issues or other disabilities to find their voice and shape their own lives by create positive choices for disabled people, by helping organisations to understand their needs and representing their views or supporting them to speak up for themselves.
They lead society towards recognizing disabled people as equal and valued citizens with the same choices and opportunities as everyone else.
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Why selected for Breakthrough:
Speaking Up have a proven business model and have shown considerable growth over the last few years. In 2006/7 Speaking Up reached almost 1,900 people through its advocacy services. Twenty per cent of Speaking Up staff are disabled or former users of its mental health services.
Key Challenges:
As the organisation scales the organisational structure and communications become critical. Further challenges include the expansion of established regional operations, replication of services in new areas and building social impact measurement capabilities.
Outcomes:
Since July 2008 Breakthrough has assisted with the recruitment of Speaking Up's new Business Development Director and the development of a consistent quarterly communication tool. Breakthrough has also provided the Chief Executive with strategic support.
| "The investment will be used to build core capacity to support services expansion to the East Midlands, Yorkshire and Humberside and Eastern regions." Craig Dearden-Philips, Chief Executive and Founder of Speaking Up |
For more information on Speaking Up visit www.speakingup.org
Press Coverage on Speaking UP
6th June 2007 - The Guardian: From user-friendly to user-controlled
The Social Investment Team |
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Richard Kennedy, Social Investment Manager |