The Care Act 2014 requires that local authorities must arrange an independent advocate to facilitate the involvement of a person in their assessment, in the preparation of their care and support plan and in the review of their care plan, as well as in safeguarding enquiries and Safeguarding Adults Reviews if two conditions are met: 1) That if an independent advocate were not provided then the person would have substantial difficulty in being fully involved in these processes and; 2) There is no appropriate individual available to support and represent the person’s wishes who is not paid or professionally engaged in providing care or treatment to the person or their carer. This duty to provide an independent advocate is separate from the power of the local authority to provide an Independent Mental Capacity Advocate (IMCA) where someone lacks capacity to fully participate. The role of the independent advocate is to support and represent the person and to facilitate their involvement in the key processes and interactions with the local authority and other organisations, as required for the safeguarding enquiry or SAR.