Sage Advocacy says staffing needs to increase from 45 to 100
Sage Advocacy has forecast a more than doubling of demand for its services over the coming three years – and asked for the new Government to support the necessary expansion of its work.
Launching The Next Stage, its Statement of Strategy 2025-2027, today, Sage Advocacy said it is expecting a year on year growth of up 40% in demand.
To resource this Sage said that its 2024 funding of €3.4m would need to increase to €8.9m by 2027, with staffing rising very significantly from 45 to 100.
Sage is the National Advocacy Service for Older People and CEO Bibiana Savin said: “These additional funding levels are required over 2025-2027 to allow the organisation to continue to meet the projected demands.
“These projections are based on consistent increases in recent years. We forecast that information and support calls will continue to rise by 40% a year and that independent advocacy cases will rise by 30% each year.”
Sage also supports vulnerable adults and healthcare patients in certain situations where no other service is available. It responds according to a person’s needs with information and support and assists people with navigating services and upholding entitlements and rights.
It also extended its service to survivors of institutional abuse in late 2023 to ensure that survivors benefit from supports whether public, private or voluntary, which relate to their welfare. The service is free of charge and confidential, and will act on the person’s behalf, independent of family members, service providers and systems interests; whether church, State, or corporate.
The service supported 7,903 people in 2023 and approximately 11,000 in 2024. There has been a surge in its waiting list increasing from 54 people in Q2 of 2022 to 534 in Q3 of 2024. Calls to its information and support service increased by 90% comparing Q1 in 2023 and Q3 in 2024.
Sage Advocacy Chair Vice-Admiral Mark Mellett said the service’s aim over the coming three years is: “To significantly develop its capabilities in providing support and advocacy for older people, vulnerable adults and healthcare patients in increasingly complex situations.
“Also, to promote awareness and understanding of the role of independent advocacy and contribute to an integrated health and social care system promoting greater collaboration across the voluntary, community and statutory sectors.
“In any study of social return on investment, we are confident that we will be seen as providing not just ‘value for money’, but as urgently requiring further investment to avoid the far greater costs involved in formal legal and overly bureaucratic approaches.
“Without full funding, advocates find themselves squeezed into a box that ill-fits their instinct for person-led, empowering, forensic and persistent advocacy. They are left without space to build trust with the person and to form the fullest picture of their wishes, values and motivations.
“To progress further Sage also needs to retain its operational independence and be funded from a single government Department or Agency rather than multiple sources. Such a move will assist in bringing coherence to State efforts to respond to the current and future needs of vulnerable groups of people and challenge the siloed thinking and uncoordinated responses which can blight the lives of citizens.”
Bibiana Savin concluded by saying: “Progressive legislation such as the Assisted Decision-making Act is half completed if the demands it creates on services are not addressed with necessary resources. Sage has stretched itself to the limit to ensure the people can benefit from this new legislation. This cannot be stretched any further.”
Sage Advocacy can be contacted at 01 536 7330, or email info@sageadvocacy.ie. The motto of Sage Advocacy is ‘Nothing about you / without you’.
Further information
Ronan Cavanagh, Cavanagh Communications: 086 317 9731 ronan@cavanaghcommunications.ie
Sage Advocacy is the National Advocacy Service for Older People. It works to ensure that people have easy access to information, support, independent advocacy and safeguarding services in all settings: homes, day centres, respite facilities, congregated care settings / nursing homes, hospitals, hostels, hospices and in the process of transition between them.
It also provides supports to vulnerable adults and healthcare patients in situations where no other service is available to them. Since late 2023 it has expanded its services with the support of the Dept of Education to meet the support and advocacy needs of survivors of institutional abuse.
The organisation’s Mission Statement is: To promote, protect and safeguard the rights and dignity of older people, vulnerable adults, and healthcare patients through individual and systemic advocacy.
Mark Mellett is Chair of the Board of Sage Advocacy.Vice Admiral Mellett was Ireland’s highest ranking military officer, Government’s principal military adviser and member of the National Security Committee and the EU Military Committee.
