draft revised National Occupational Standards (NOS) for Legal Advice, including welfare rights advice, are now available for consultation ...

see http://www.skillsforjustice.com/template01.asp?pageid=596

deadline for feedback 30 january 2009

Possibly heretical, but here goes:

Please can someone inform us:

1. How much has the LSC spent, directly and indirectly, in developing these?

2. How many people in the advice sector have both read and understood them?

3. What difference have they made or will they make?

4. What is more useful? A cardboard saucepan or National Occupational Standards for advice?

I have looked at them and read them and, at least I think, understood them. But only those immediately relevant to some of the work I do freelance.

I really don't think they will make that much difference because they are underpublicised and I doubt that many folks know of thier existence. I'm not sure of thier usefullness because we tend to do them anyway (I've never had to make any adjustments to fit within the standards on my freelance work).

However, I don't necessarily think it's a waste of time and expense. For those that would like or need guidance on minimum standards (e.g. those advising as indivduals, freeelancers, and small organisations with no body to measure standards) I think NOS have thier place.

Besides which, I think that we should all 'sing from the same hymn sheet', which we don't (WR included), and NOS could (though probably not in the current form) help to achieve consistency.