Help (Frequently Asked Questions) | DIY Advocate

Help (Frequently Asked Questions)

DIY Advocate® Frequently Asked Questions

1. About DIY Advocate®

What is DIY Advocate® app?
  • DIY Advocate® is your online tool to work through problems.
  • It is an app to organise your problem step by step, think about your options, make decisions, get more information and make an action plan.
  • It gives you tools to make your voice heard and have your rights upheld.
  • If helps you organise your thoughts, feelings and wishes about a problem.
  • It helps you get the information you need about your problem from the resources section.
  • It helps you consider your options and make decisions about what you want to do.
  • It helps you write a report which gathers the details about your problem and what you would like to happen.
  • It helps you share the report with someone you want to tell about your problem and explains to them what you need help with.
  • It helps you work out what actions you want to take and make an action plan.  
  • It helps you get the best out of appointments and meetings by preparing for them and telling people beforehand what you’d like to discuss.
  • It helps you get the services you need
Who is DIY Advocate® for?

DIY Advocate® is for anyone who has a problem and needs to make decisions about it and take action.

Who provides DIY Advocate®?

DIY Advocate® is developed and provided by Connected Voice. Connected Voice is a registered charity (number 1125877) based in Newcastle. To find out more go to the Connected Voice website.

2. How do I use DIY Advocate®?

How can I get the most out of it?
  • Use Help me with a problem  to log your problem
  • Go to My reports & actions to see your action reports and share them with a support worker, friend or service.
  • Email reports to yourself if you want to save them outside DIY Advocate®
  • Use Resources to find information about your problem
  • Use My Contacts to store your key contact details. You can then use them if you need to contact them again
How do I navigate around it?
  • The app will guide you through the questions – follow the instructions
  • Click Skip to go to the next question
  • Click Back to go to a previous page
  • Click Next to go to the next page
What’s in the menu?

Go to the menu by clicking the menu icon (3 lines) in top right corner

What’s in Resources?

Go to Resources to find information about your problem. There are links to websites which give lots of advice, information and support. To find out more go to Help Section 9 about Resources.

3. About my information and privacy

Why do I need to agree to the DIY Advocate Data and Privacy Policy?

The information you put into DIY Advocate® is called data. We need to be sure that you agree to how we will use and protect your data. By using this app you agree to the DIY Advocate Data and Privacy Policy which you can read here.

Will my information be kept confidential?

DIY Advocate® is provided by Connected Voice. The information you put into DIY Advocate will always be kept completely confidential. We have detailed policies which make sure we protect the confidentiality of people who use any of our services and ensure your personal data is kept secure. See the full Connected Voice Privacy Policy.

Where does my information go?

The information you put into the app will be stored on a secure server. The server has a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Transport Layer Security (TLS) certificate which encrypts your data during transmission. Your data can only be accessed via an encrypted password system that ensures it cannot be read by anyone else.

Will my information be shared with anyone?

All the information you put into DIY Advocate® is completely confidential and will never be shared with anyone unless you choose to share it by sending a report to someone.

Will you look at the information I put into the app?

We might produce anonymised reports about DIY Advocate® to help us understand how it is being used and keep it up to date so that we can make sure the app is useful. These reports will include information about, for example, how many people have used it and the kinds of issues they have selected e.g. Benefits, Housing. However, the information in these reports will always be anonymised and will never include your personal or identifying details or any details about the problem you used the app for.

Will I be contacted or receive marketing material? 

We will not send you marketing materials or sell your data to any third party. Connected Voice may occasionally contact you about DIY Advocate® and your account (for example if we upgrade it). Additionally, we may contact you if we have a new product you might be interested in.

How long will my user account be open?
  • We will delete your user account if it is inactive for more than 1 year and all data in your account will be anonymised so that you cannot be identified.
  • Once your user account is deleted your action reports will no longer be available to you. You should consider downloading and saving all your action reports if you want to ensure you have a record of them.
  • You can re-register as a new user at any time.

4. How do I install DIY Advocate®?

To install on Android:
  1. View this website in Chrome
  2. Click on the menu icon Chrome menu icon
  3. Add it to your home screen
To install on iPhone and iPad:
  1. View this website in Safari
  2. Click on the share button Safari share button
  3. Add it to your home screen
Can I install more than one version of DIY Advocate® on a single device?

If there are multiple people using a single device, more than one version of DIY Advocate® can be installed for each person.

Follow the steps for installing the app on your device. When you select the option to add it to your home screen, you can change the name to identify which device user this version of the app is for.

 5. About my DIY Advocate® account

How do I delete my account?

Once you are logged in:

  1. Go to the menu
  2. Click My account
  3. Click  Edit
  4. Enter your password in Current password
  5. Click Reset your password
  6. Click Cancel account
How do I change my password?

Either before you login:

  1. On the log in screen
  2. Click  Reset your password
  3. Enter your Username or email address
  4. Click Submit
  5. Password reset instructions will be sent to your registered email address

Or once you are logged in:

  1. Go to the menu
  2. Click My account
  3. Click Edit
  4. Enter your password in Current password
  5. Click Reset your password
  6. Click Save
What if I forget my password?
Instructions to follow
Why do you need my email address?
  • All emails from the system will be sent to the email address you enter. 
  • Your email address is not made public and will only be used if you wish to receive a new password or wish to receive certain news or notifications by email.
  • Reports you create in the app can be sent to your email address.
How do I change my email address?

Once you are logged in:

  1. Go to Menu
  2. Click  My account
  3. Click Edit
  4. Enter your new email in Email address
  5. Click Save

6. About accessibility

Is DIY Advocate® accessible?

We want to make DIY Advocate® useful and accessible to as wide a range of users as possible. We have added Recite Me software which provides accessibility tools including translation to multiple languages, screenreader, magnifier and changes to font and colours.

How do I use the Recite Me accessibility tool?

To use Recite Me:

  • Go to Menu
  • Click Accessibility Tool
  • To access functions click on Recite Me toolbar buttons
  • To open Recite Me User Guide: Click on red i button
  • You can also open the Recite Me User Guide here

7. Report any problems

What do I do if I have problems using the app?

We would really like to know if you have any of the following problems using the app:

  • It stops working
  • You have technical problems when using it
  • You have accessibility problems when using it

Please make sure you look at this guidance for help, before reporting a problem.

How do I report any technical or accessibility problems I have with the app?

Please email Connected Voice Advocacy at advocacy@connectedvoice.org.uk

8. About Reports 

How do I email myself or someone else a report?
  • Go through all the stages of Help me with a problem
  • Click Share report
  • If you want to email yourself the report enter your email
  • If you want to send someone else the report enter their details and email address
  • Click Yes under Send a copy of this report to them now (you must enter an email address)
How do I view a report?
  • Go to the Home page
  • Click My reports & actions
  • Click the report you want to view
  • Click arrow to right of each section to view
How do I edit a report?

To view a report or make changes to Help me with a problem):

  • Go to the Home page
  • Click My reports & actions
  • Click the report you want to edit
  • Click Edit
  • Go through the questions and make any changes
How do I update a report after a meeting?

After a meeting or appointment:

  • Go to the Home page
  • Click My reports & actions
  • Click the report you want to update
  • Click Update report
  • Click Save
How do I download and save a report?
  • Click My reports & actions
  • Click the report you want to update
  • Click Download
  • Open the report (pdf)
  • Save to your device
How do I delete a report?
  • Click My reports & actions
  • Click the report you want to update
  • Click Delete submission
  • Click Delete (this will delete the whole report

9. About Resources 

What’s in the Resources?

Go to Resources to find information about your problem. There are links to websites which give lots of advice, information and support.

How do I see the Resources?
  • Go to the Home page and click Resources
  • Or click Resources at the bottom of any page
  • Click the subject you would like to get information about