Building pride in Cumbria

Advocacy and Advice Review

Discussion Paper

May 2011

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What is Advocacy and Advice?

• Advocacy is taking action to help people say what they want from services, represent their interests

• Advocacy uses a case working model – supporting vulnerable individuals or groups

• Advice is about providing information and options for someone to take action

• Advocacy and advice is usually independent of statutory services

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Purpose of a Review of Advocacy and Advice

• Assess existing provision • See whether we could have better advocacy

services• Reduce gaps in service and duplication• Focus on needs of the most vulnerable

population groups – regardless of background

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Potential Benefits of Advocacy and Advice Services

• Provide support to people who struggle to access services

• Supports prevention and early intervention• Prevents escalation of complaints to Ombudsman or

Judicial Review• Helps with Council Plan priorities of tackling poverty,

targeting services at need and improving life chances• Complements broader Customer Access to Services

offer

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Empowerment and staff culture

• Traditional service models can lead to high demand for advocacy as clients do not feel listened to.

• Enabling staff to provide basic advice and information will lead to long term decline in demand for advocacy

• Long term provision could focus on supporting individuals with greatest need or in dispute with services

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Current Provision: Advocacy

Mapping undertaken to date is beginning to illustrate:• At least 11 advocacy services funded by CCC• Current spend on advocacy approximately 700k (over

800k if including projects jointly funded with the PCT)• Level of use – at least 2600 clients per annum• Significant variations in usage and cost per client

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Current Provision Advice

• Generic Money Advice – commissioned by Chief Executive Office

• Specialist and targeted advice commissioned through Directorates

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What will the Review cover?• Levels of need/demand• Gaps in provision• Best practice

– Performance measures– Value for money– Quality assurance and advocacy policies

• Potential for efficiencies• Benchmarking against other Local Authorities• Recommendations for advocacy services to

implement by April 2012

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Process for completing the review

• Desktop evaluation

• Consultation and engagement

• Development of options – offer

• Implementation

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Who should we engage with?• Two stage Public Engagement

– Soft engagement on need for advocacy– Engagement on proposals for future advocacy

• Existing advocacy services• County Council Staff providing advocacy• Existing users of advocacy and advice services• People who do not use advocacy and advice services

from target population groups• Elected Members• Professionals who may come into contact with

advocates• Other Local Authorities

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Timescales

April 2011 Agree ambition on advocacy and scope of review

May – August 2011 Consultation and Engagement May - June phase 1 soft consultation July Cabinet Briefing agree preferred options July & August phase 2 consult on options

Sept 2011 – March2012

Commence implementation of agreed model

April 2012 New model in place and operational