Advocacy in Personal Injury Cases, a decade later: Shaping the Future of Referral Tools

On 6 November, we invited our friends and colleagues from the personal Injury Case Management sector to join us at One Strawberry Lane in Newcastle to explore how we could create a new Advocacy Referral Screening Tool designed to transform how we triage and refer cases. 

We all agreed that advocacy plays a crucial role in ensuring that individuals navigating personal injury cases have their voices heard and rights protected. Yet, in many cases, advocates are introduced late in the process—often when challenges have already escalated. 

We talked openly about why this might be. One thing we realised is that we don’t shout enough about how Connected Voice Advocates are trained and experienced in brain injury cases. We have a decade of experience of neurological expertise, a legacy of materials created with the northern Neurological Alliance.  This began for us in 2015 when we secured funding from the National Lottery Fund to develop expertise in advocating for people with neurological conditions. This ended in 2018, leaving a legacy of expert advocates and a training course to skill people working with neurological conditions.  Due to our specialist skills, we secured contracts for people with acquired brain injury after accident. This work has grown, and we are now the go-to advocacy service that Personal Injury Case Managers and Solicitors come to for case support. 

We advocate for people with personal injury claims, ensuring their rights are upheld in litigation. We sit on the multi-discipline teams so that the person’s views are known in long term care planning. It's a bit like a Relevant Person’s Representative role where we check in regularly to ensure the person is taken care of within the law and its frameworks. It's a bit like an IMCA where we will help with decision-making processes. And it's a bit like community advocacy because we get involved with all aspects of the person’s life, from ensuring they have choice around buying curtains to safeguarding and everything in-between. 

We find that Case Managers are either fantastic allies and really see the benefits to having an advocate around, or they don't yet see the value of them or have had previous poor experiences of short-term advocacy. We all agreed we have the same goal to ensure quality of life after accident.  

If advocates were involved from the start, helping to build trust, clarify needs, and prevent unnecessary complications, the outcomes for the person would greatly be improved. That’s the aim behind the new referral tool: a simple, practical flowchart that helps case managers identify when advocacy could make a difference.  

The networking event brought together case managers and advocates to share ideas and experiences. Over lunch, discussions included: 

• Current gaps in the referral process 
• Opportunities for early intervention 
• Practical features the tool should include 

Everyone agreed that a streamlined triage process could not only improve outcomes for the person but also reduce stress for professionals managing complex cases. 

Key Takeaways 

• Early involvement matters: Advocacy isn’t just for crisis situations—it can prevent them. 
• Collaboration is essential: The best tools are shaped by those who use them and by working together complications can be resolved quicker. 
• Specialist skills is key: The Team around the person is most effective when they understand the challenges faced with brain injury, communication and legal systems.   

We are now pulling together the ideas from the day to create an Advocacy Referral Screening Tool, with a pilot version expected in the coming months. 

Thank you to those who came to the event or have been our cheerleaders over the last 10 years! 

You might want to hear from one of our advocates on this film or read more case studies on our website: Spot Contract Advocacy | Connected Voice 

If you missed the event but want to stay involved, keep an eye on updates from Connected Voice Advocacy via our website and social media. 

📧 Email: advocacy@connectedvoie.org.uk 
📞 Phone: 01912357013 
🌐 Visit: Connected Voice Advocacy | Connected Voice