National Advocacy Service Ireland

09/10/2026

📢 NAS is recruiting!! Fantastic opportunity to join us in our Western Region as a full-time, permanent Advocate. Deadline 20th October. Click the link to read more: https://advocacy.ie/career/advocate-western-region-permanent-full-time/

07/10/2026

📣 NAS is today launching our new booklet on the role of the NAS Advocate in Assisted Decision-Making (ADM)-related advocacy work! The booklet entitled, 'Information about the work of the NAS Advocate and the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act', aims to deliver useful clarity for professionals working on ADM-related cases about the unique role an independent Advocate can play in supporting their work. It provides explanations and definitions on Independent Advocacy, details on the role of the NAS Advocate in relation to court applications, and how to work collaboratively with legal, health and social care professionals.

Read more here:

NAS is today launching an essential booklet setting out the vital role of the Independent Advocate in Assisted Decision-Making (ADM)-related advocacy work. The booklet entitled, ‘Information about the work of the NAS Advocate and the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act’, aims to deliver usef...

06/10/2026

Our Midlands and Northeast Regional Manager Emma Keane Featherstone and Senior Advocate Elaine McLaren attended the Social Care Ireland - Professional Representative Body Disability Special Interest Group Annual Conference in TUS Thurles last Monday 28th September.

The conference theme this year was on advancing Trauma- informed practice in disability: voice, safety and empowerment. Adam Harris founder and CEO of Asiam.ie delivered the keynote address, & Dr Karen Treisman MBE Clinical Psychologist spoke on her pioneering work in the area of trauma informed care.

05/10/2026

As part of celebrating and remembering Mark, Louise, and Evan last week our staff took part in an 'odd sock dash'. We shared stories, memories and some laughter, and had the opportunity to remember Mark together with his family.

02/10/2026

On Wednesday the Southern and Greater Dublin region had a Joint Personal Development Day in the Midlands Park Hotel. We had a guest speaker Lisa Marie O'Reilly from Mental Health Reform who joined us remotely to give us a very engaging overview of the new Mental Health Act and its relevance to advocacy. We discussed a complex mental health case study and in the afternoon we had more indepth exploration of the area of Will and Preference and the area of Rights. Thanks to everyone involved!

29/09/2026

Today marks one year since we lost our colleague and friend, Mark O'Connor, alongside his wife Louise and their son Evan. The past year has brought many difficult days, but has also given us opportunities to remember Mark, to share stories and memories and to reflect on the immense contribution he made to NAS and to the lives of the people he advocated for. As an organisation, we want to continue to celebrate Mark’s life, his commitment to advocacy and the values he embodied, while also recognising his lasting legacy within NAS. We have put together a number of initiatives and opportunities for our staff to remember and celebrate Mark over the coming weeks.

While we remain deeply sad at the loss of our treasured colleague, we remember that Mark cared deeply about people, about their rights and about making sure that others had a voice. Those values remain at the heart of the work we do every single day in NAS.

Our thoughts remain particularly with Mark and Louise’s family and friends this week. We will continue to remember Mark with great affection and respect, and we will carry his memory with us in our work and as colleagues into the far future. 💕

28/09/2026

Last week NAS staff attended an inhouse webinar provided by Enable Ireland on Introduction to Assistive Technology (AT), Accessibility and Smart Home Solutions.

Many thanks to Juliann Bergin and Mary Relihan for presenting and demonstrating developments and information available in assistive technology particularly identifying key accessibility features built into mainstream devices such as smartphones, tablets, and computers and exploring the potential of smart home technologies to enhance independence, safety, and quality of life for people with disabilities.

We also discussed the use of assistive technology in advocacy strategies to support decision making and assisting people to access funding and support in order to be supported by technology. NAS will continue to explore this area for training and development both in terms of devloping advocacy practice and supporting the rights of Disabled People to access AT services and supports.

28/09/2026

It was Irish sign language awareness week last week. RTÉ News put on special programmes across RTÉ television, radio and online, plus special initiatives, which you can watch back on the RTÉ player!

RTÉ celebrates Irish Sign Language Awareness Week 2026 Special programmes across RTÉ television, radio and online, plus special initiatives Miriam O’Callaghan | Today show | Arena | RTÉ news2day | & more RTÉ is proud to once again to support Irish Sign Language Awareness Wee...

25/09/2026

Happy Friday! Let's round up the week with more of the Irish disability news playlist from Majo Rivas at Patient Advocacy Service Ireland! https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5MvBNhk6L1zHXKPRCQaIao?si=393CgmXXQAG_5GL_yu2nSA&nd=1&dlsi=26e94c6623984051

23/09/2026

A message of thanks from a family member to a NAS Advocate. The advocacy process is led and guided by the person themselves in a way which demonstrates respect for the person as an individual and for their privacy, dignity and autonomy. NAS supports the person to make informed decisions based on their will and preferences and often works alongside family members to facilitate the best possible outcome for the person in line with their wishes.