Advocacy for Families

Advocacy is a central task of nursing and many health professions. Advocacy is an action that fosters change. Conceptually, advocacy is an action related to the need for change. Figure 1 illustrates a model of the advocacy process. The first step of the advocacy process is a needs assessment to identify a family's capacity for managing the problem. At this point, families may demonstrate competence sufficient for managing a problem. If support is needed, the assessment includes environmental factors that may contribute to the problem as well as the family's capacity for change. Once the assessment is completed, the plan is developed with families, spelling out actions for the advocate and family. The advocacy action takes many forms that are based on the needs. Finally, ...