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Advice Needs…What local advice charities need to continue serving their communities… A view from the front line
Justice for All has published a report, following its recent round of consultation meetings aiming to influence the Cabinet Office advice review.
The content of this report is based on:
* Over 150 campaign members involved in providing or supporting advice attending four focus groups in January 2012. Cabinet Office staff also came to listen.
* 200 people participating in a phone survey on their experiences of seeking advice on debt, benefits, employment or housing in the last year.
* 230 advice charities sharing the impact funding cuts are having on their services in an online survey.
Key findings include:
* One in five people sought advice on housing, employment, debt or benefits problems in the last year.
* 73% of the advice charities surveyed reported a drop in income last year, and a fifth said they were faced with closure.
* 88% of advice charities said more people came to them for help in the last year, yet most (81%) also predict they will actually be able to help fewer people next year.
Ministry of Justice impact assessments estimate that £51million a year will be lost from not-for-profit providers of legal aid advice, under current proposals in the LASPO Bill (thus the £20m in today’s Budget announcement barely scratches the surface of the overall loss).
Other findings include:
1. Advice is more needed than ever, both by individuals and by Government, but front line services are being hit hard.
2. Sustainable funding is desperately needed, and central Government’s contribution is vital.
3. Face-to-face advice on the most complex problems is under the most serious threat, yet charities know this is often what makes the biggest difference and saves long-term costs.
4. Phone or email advice provides different help for different people. Those who need face-to-face advice will not access phone advice but simply go without help.
5. People in the most need of help, and making long-lasting improvements in their lives, should be the priority. Volume targets often work against this.
6. More can be achieved with long-term, locally flexible funding delivered through existing networks of advice charities.
7. Reducing funding red-tape would allow agencies to spend more time giving advice.
8. Public bodies can make more use of advice agencies’ experience and knowledge of where systems are going wrong – but this needs money to unlock intelligence.