plaint was received. They were advised that an advocate would contact them to offer support if they wished. This removed the onus from young people to make the initial contact and then it was the young person’s decision whether to take up the support on offer. The initial contact with the advocacy service would not be made if the child or young person objected to this action, thus the young person was still in control. The pilot has resulted in a higher take up rate of advocacy and has been incorporated into the service level agreement. THE ROLE OF THE ADVOCATE IN THE COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE 3.10 Regulation 6 amends the Representations Procedure (Children) Regulations 1991 by including references to any advocate appointed under the arrangements for provision of advocacy services by a local authority. So, for example, if there is such an advocate involved then a local authority must send him or her notice of the proposed result of their consideration of the representations. At a meeting of the panel appointed for the consideration of the representations the complainant may be accompanied by his advocate and the advocate may speak on his behalf. The advocate’s role is to help the child at the earliest possible stage. Successful early involvement could prevent young people having to use a complaints procedure at all. The advocate’s role in the complaints procedures is: ● to empower children or young people by enabling them to express their views, wishes or feelings, or by speaking on their behalf; ● to seek the resolution of any problems or concerns identified by the child by working in partnership with children and only with their agreement; ● to support children and young people pursuing a complaint through every stage of the complaints procedure and to provide them with in