Awareness & advocacy

The Migraine Trust Advocacy Service

Despite affecting 8 million people in the UK migraines and the issues that affect sufferers are often misunderstood, overlooked and under-represented in the health service, employment, education and everyday life.

The Migraine Trust Advocacy Service provides advocacy for migraine sufferers, their families, carers and friends. Advocacy is the process whereby an individual or group is supported to have their opinions, needs and wishes heard regarding the decisions that affect their lives.

The aim of the service is to:

• Empower migraine sufferers to take greater control of the decisions that affect them.
• Provide information to ensure that migraine sufferers can make informed decisions, assert their rights, and claim their entitlements.
• Enable individuals to advocate for themselves or another migraine sufferer.
• Advocate for individuals by providing professional representation, where appropriate.
• Promote equality of opportunity and prevent discrimination and social exclusion.

In this section you will find information about the rights of migraine sufferers in employment, education and when accessing medical treatment in the UK.

Where possible we encourage individuals to advocate on their own behalves but understand that at times this can be confusing and options can be unclear.  The Migraine Trust have produced a series of Self Advocacy Packs to help you to understand the options that are available to you and make informed decisions when advocating for yourself or another migraine sufferer.  Each section contains an ‘advocacy toolkit’, which includes template letters and forms, to help you when challenges arise.

The Migraine Trust Advocacy Service may be able to advocate on an individual’s behalf where further support is needed.  To discuss what the Advocacy Service can do for you please fill out the relevant online referral form (patient advocacy, employment advocacy or education advocacy) or telephone 020 7631 6973.

The Advocacy Service is unable to provide:

• Legal advice
• Welfare Benefits advice
• Detailed medical advice or recommendations
• Advocacy for a course of action which is contrary to the aims and objectives of The Migraine Trust 

This service is only available in the UK.  For more information please read the Terms and Conditions. Please note, due to limited capacity we are unable to provide representation for every case. Due to limited capacity representation by the service will typically involve letter/email writing and phone calls on your behalf, however each case will be considered on an individual basis.  Please note this is NOT an advice service and the Advocacy Service is not able to make decisions on behalf of migraine sufferers.  If our service is unsuitable for you we will endeavour to signpost you to an organisation which can support you. Disclaimer.

Further contact details

For more information please contact advocacy@migrainetrust.org or call 020 7631 6973.

The Migraine Trust also offers an Information and Enquiry Service for questions about migraine, other headaches and their management.