Forum Home → Discussion → Access to justice and advice sector issues → Thread
Advice agencies in crisis: ‘We will just disappear. No one will notice’
The Guardian reported last week on Legal Action Group’s recent London Advice Watch report.
However, while CABs have long been the acceptable face of the advice sector, LAG’s research also reveals – despite their high brand recognition - when it comes to actually seeking advice, most Londoners surveyed ended up at a range of different advice centres.
Many of these other agencies will have zero name recognition outside the immediate, often immigrant, communities, they serve and, therefore, have no one to champion the invaluable work they do.
The strength of these local, independent agencies – diversity and specificity to their communities – is also their weakness when it comes to developing and fighting their corner. While the number of clients seen by these agencies individually may be small, it adds up.
Advice agencies in crisis: ‘We will just disappear. No one will notice’
The problem as i see it is that a lot of organisations and local authorities will not pay for any advice services any more as they insist that all of the information required can be gleaned from the internet or library. This is no help to people with literacy issues, learning difficulties or the “digitally challenged” (people like my 79 year old father, for example) and the amount of quality advice out there will decline.
Just need to test this chaps!