Advice – Everything you wanted to know about Advice Sector

For individuals seeking a career in advice work and learning opportunities in the sector

Produced by: Rachel Candy, The Learning Curve

Key Organisations in the Advice Sector

Citizens Advice

-The Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) is the citizens advice service and helps people resolve issues by providing free information and advice

-Issues dealt with include:

  • Legal
  • Financial
  • Education
  • Housing
  • Health
  • Consumer affairs

-Citizens Advice and each Citizens Advice Bureau are registered charities reliant on over 20,000 volunteers and need to raise funds to provide these vital services. The majority of our advisers are trained volunteers, helping people to resolve over 5.7 million problems every year.

-All Citizens Advice Bureaux in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are members of Citizens Advice, the national charity which sets standards for advice and equal opportunities and supports bureaux with an information system, training and other services.

-Citizens Advice also co-ordinates social policy, media, publicity and parliamentary work and maintains an information and advice website. Visit:

-Advice that makes a difference - The principles of CAB advice are:

  • Independent – they will always act in the interests of their clients, without influence from any outside bodies
  • Impartial – they don’t judge their clients or make assumptions about them. Their service is open to everyone, and they treat everyone equally
  • Confidential – they won’t pass on anything a client tells them – or even the fact that they’ve visited them – without their permission
  • Free – no-one has to pay for any part of the service they provide

Advice Week

  • Every year, the Citizen’s Advice Service holds an annual service-wide event.
  • In 2008, the Citizens Advice service's annual Advice Week takes place 6 - 10 October
  • Events and activities are held all around the UK to promote bureaux as vital local charities, to raise much needed funds and to recruit the 5,000 new volunteers they need every year.
  • For Advice Week 2008 Citizens Advice will be working with advice agencies Advice UK, Advice Services Alliance, Age Concern, Law Centres Federation and Youth Access to raise awareness of the importance of advice.
  • Can you help us?
  • If your company would be interested in providing national, regional or local support for Advice Week, please email Citizens Advice:

Contact Citizens Advice

-To contact Citizens Advice please visit their website ‘contact us’ page and navigate to the appropriate link according to the nature of your enquiry:

Job Opportunities

  • Citizens Advice and every Citizens Advice Bureau are registered charities. The service is one of the oldest and biggest voluntary organisations in the country, and they have over 6,000 paid staff and more than 20,000 volunteers in a wide range of jobs. For information about volunteering, visit theirvolunteering pages at:
  • They offer a number of very worthwhile opportunities, whether you’re looking to develop your professional career or just starting out and they are committed to equality and diversity, and particularly welcome applications from people with disabilities and other under-represented groups.
  • Visit their job opportunities page:

-Learning Opportunities - Training

Training courses for Advisers

oWhy should I choose Citizens Advice Specialist Support training?

Citizens Advice offer a programme of training courses for advisers and specialist case workers in the areas of welfare benefits, consumer and employment law.

Their courses are open to all and you do not have to work or volunteer for a Citizens Advice Bureau to attend.

Most of their courses carry Continuing Professional Development (CPD) hours.

Their trainers are experts in their field and are staff from Citizens Advice Specialist Support providing a consultancy service to bureau advisers, training and other services.

For courses at a glance view their course calendar at:

Adviser Training

Places on their courses are available in the areas of welfare benefits, consumer and employment law.

Most of their courses carry Continuing Professional Development (CPD) hours. For more information please see course details at:

Our courses will provide participants with:

  • a broader understanding of the issues
  • comprehensive up-to-date information
  • case studies based on real situations
  • professional development opportunities
  • the chance to meet and share experiences with others in the field

For further information about adviser training from Citizens Advice visit:

Visit the Citizens Advice Website for the latest news, information, advice and guidance, their current and past campaigns, voluntary and paid job opportunities, getting involved through supporting their work, up to date publications on a wide range of relevant topics and further information about Advice Wee. Visit:

advice UK

-advice UK is the UK’s largest support network for free, independent advice centres. adviceUK was formed in 1979 as the Federation of Independent Advice Centres (FIAC).

-They do not give advice themselves but give details of advice giving agencies, visit:

-AdviceUKhas just fewer than 1000 organisations in membership. Their members range from small volunteer only services run from makeshift premises, through to large national advice organisations. Members are either generalist services offering advice on a range of subjects, or specialist services offeringin-depth advicein one area of social-welfare law.
Some membersspecifically serve a particular community in society andfor a number, advice is but one of the services that they provide.
It is this diversity that makesAdviceUK and uniquely rich organisation, and able to speak with authority on a wide range of topics.

-Join advice UK

  • adviceUKmembers must meet the following criteria:
  • Your advice must be free, and your organisation must be non-profit making
  • Your organisation must be independent of local or national government control
  • Your constitution and governing documents must meet our standards
  • You must be accountable to the community you serve
  • You must have and operate a confidentiality policy
  • You must have and operate an equal opportunities policy
  • You must have and operate a complaints procedure
  • Before making an application you should read their briefings on the membership criteria. This will speed up the membership process.
  • For further information about membership visit adviceUK : Join Usat:
  • Or contact The Membership Team

AdviceUK
12th Floor New London Bridge House
25 London Bridge Street
London
SE1 9SG
tel: 020 7407 4777
fax: 020 7407 4071
email:

-Services

  • AdviceUKprovides a range of services for its members. A summary of the range of services is shown below and further information can be found by visiting the services page on the adviceUK website, visit:
  • Discounted Services - Information on AdviceUK's Guardian recruitment, advertising,Payroll service, Stationary, Data recovery, and more
  • Management Support Services - Details on the Management Support Helpline, Quality Standards, Salary Benchmarking, and mentoring/buddying schemes.
  • Insurances - Details on AdviceUK's insurance schemes - including Professional Indemnity, Trustees Directors and officers, Legal Assistance, and more.
  • Training - adviceUK is the only advice sector based Advice NVQ Assessment Centre approved by City & Guilds. They have expertise and knowledge to ensure their training reflects how advice centres work, and to meet the highest quality control standards for advice work training.
  • Information Services - AdviceUKand other advice Briefings, monthly mailing including the monthly news letter "Bulletin", Members Extranet.
  • Money Advice Support - OFT Group Debt Licence, Money advice briefings, National Money Advice Co-ordinator.
  • Not a member of AdviceUK?
    As a non member you can still take advantage of the services that they offer. The prices are higher than for members ofAdviceUK but still represent good value for money.

Learning Opportunities - Training

-Advice UK offers a wide range of courses, enabling you to develop and progress your skills and knowledge.

-Courses currently offered at advice UK’s London Bridge Conference Room include:

  • Learning to Advise Training Programme - Learning to Advise is a 13-day advice work training programme. This modular programme is designed to meet the needs of new advice workers and those who undertake advice work alongside other roles. It provides both the essential skills and knowledge framework that an advice worker will need to perform effectively in their job. The course covers the underpinning knowledge requirements for Advice NVQ Level 3.
  • Key Skills for Reception Workers in Advice Services
  • Effective Supervision for Managers and Supervisors in Advice Services
  • A1 NVQ Assessors
  • Train the Trainer
  • Quality Assurance for Advice
  • NVQ Assessment - They also offer NVQ Assessment Services for Advice & Guidance, Management, Assessor Awards plus training on site. Please contact the training team on 020 7407 6611 or email for further details and prices.

-To view the Training Brochure for some of the above courses visit the courses page:

-

-In House Training Courses

  • In addition to their regular courses; they deliver specially designed in-house training to organisations.
  • In particular the Modules on their Learning to Advise Training Programme can be customised and delivered to suit individual organisation. Click here for further details about In House Training:

Looking for jobs in the advice sector?

-Visit the Jobs section of the advice UK website:

To contact advice UK:

-By mail:
AdviceUK
12th Floor New London Bridge House
25 London Bridge Street
London, SE1 9SG

-By telephone or fax:
NationalEnquiry tel: 020 7407 4070
Membership/insurance tel: 020 7407 4777
London/Training tel:020 7407 6611
NationalEnquiry fax:020 7407 4071
London Regionfax: 020 7407 6699

-By email:
Nationalenquiries:
Membership enquiries:
London enquiries:

-Visit the Advice UK Website for the latest news on Advice UK National projects, advice sector policy matters, jobs and training opportunities as well as obtaining further information of advice giving agencies:

Advice Services Alliance

-The Advice Services Alliance (ASA)was established in 1980 is the umbrella body for independent advice services in the UK.

-ASA promotes the development of high quality advice services and co-operation between advice organisations. They provide a forum for members and undertake policy work on their behalf, including responding to government initiatives relating to advice. ASA's CLS Support Project provides help to advice organisations participating in the Community Legal Service.

-Their aims are to:

  • champion the development of high quality information, advice and legal services
  • ensure that people are not denied access to such services on account of lack of means, discrimination or other disadvantage
  • encourage co-operation between organisations providing such services
  • provide a forum for the discussion of issues of common interest or concern to advice organisations.

Members

-Membership of ASA is open to national networks of independent, not-for-profit advice services in the UK. Other organisations concerned with the provision of advice and legal services may affiliate to ASA as associate members. A list of current ASA members ( and links to their websites are contained in the member’s page. Please contact us () for more information on joining or affiliating to ASA

On behalf of members, they respond to government initiatives relating to advice and the legal system. They represent the advice sector in discussions with government bodies and other organisations. They produce policy and discussion papers, and undertake research. They host policy forums for their members and run occasional seminars and conferences. They provide training, information and guidance to members and advice agencies.

Their current areas of work include:-

-policy work on the legal aid scheme and Community Legal Service (CLS) in England and Wales

-representing the advice sector in connection with its involvement in legal aid and the CLS

-practical support to advice agencies applying for or operating legal aid contracts and the CLS Quality Mark - this service is provided through our CLS Support project

-work on quality and standards of advice, with the aim of developing a consistent and rigorous approach to quality by providers and funders of advice

-developing awareness of alternative methods of dispute resolution such as mediation and ombudsman services

-the development of electronic legal information services, through their Advicenow and ADRnow websites.

-They do not provide advice to the public. Advicenow, run by the ASA provides information on the law in England and Wales. Advicenow ( also contains the Community Legal Advice directory ( of solicitors firms and advice organisations.

Their Management and Funding
ASA is a not-for-profit organisation and a company limited by guarantee. They are managed by a Board of Directors nominated by their members. Their activities are financed by members' subscriptions with additional support from other organisations and individuals, including the Legal Services Commission and the Community Fund.
For further information about ASA contact:
The Administrative Team
Advice Services Alliance
12th Floor, New London Bridge House
25 London Bridge Street
London SE1 9SG
telephone: 020 7378 6428
fax: 020 7407 6822

Learning Opportunities – Training

-ASA offer training for staff involved in Learning Skills Council Contracts

  • Courses offered include:
  • Casework under the Unified Contract
  • The Foundations of Supervision: an introduction to supervision, file review & appraisal
  • The Effective Supervisor
  • Making Every Matter Count: fixed fees
  • Audit 2008: fixed fee contract compliance
  • Eligibility & Means Assessment
  • Costs Assessment & Chargeable Work
  • For further information on the above courses visit the courses page on the ASA’s website:

Visit the Advice Services Alliance website for the latest CLS support news, CLS Training and Consultancy service, policy documents, 2008 Conference Report and links to advice-giving organisations. Visit:

Age Concern

-Age Concern is the UK’s largest charity working with and for older people

-They producea range of information in a number of formats, including:

  • Information guides covering a wide topic area such as guidance to healthy living, employment choices and financial help in retirement. To view the information guides available visit:
  • Factsheets, which are the most comprehensive guide to the issues that affect older people in the UK. The factsheets deal with issues such as dental care and council tax among many others. To view the factsheets available on the website click:
  • Information sheets – these are shorter than factsheets and explain specific aspects of an issues relevant to older people, to view, click:
  • To contact Age Concern by post or telephone:
  • Age Concern England
    Astral House
    1268 London Road
    London SW16 4ER
  • Free helpline0800 00 99 66

Please visit the Age Concern website for their latest information and advice, their latest campaigns and issues, subscribe to their free newsletter, find out about information on computer courses, useful links for advisers, get involved in their chat rooms and discussion forums, find out further information about supporting Age Concern and to read their online magazine ‘Living Room’. Visit:

Law Centres Federation

-The Law Centres Federation is the voice of Law Centres, which provide free independent legal advice and representation to the most disadvantaged members of society.

-The LCF is the national body for a network of community based Law Centres.

-Law Centres provide help in solving everyday problems, such as getting decent housing, dealing with discrimination, or obtaining the correct benefits.

-The LCF believes that every community should have a Law Centre and calls for a national network of independent Law Centres to stand up for people’s fundamental and human rights.

-Law Centres are members of the LCF and provide an independent, specialist legal advice, assistance and representative service.

-To find your nearest Law Centre, visit:

Getting Involved

-Becoming a member

  • New committees are elected by community representatives each year. Members of the committee include local people, representatives of local voluntary and community groups, the local authority and Law Society.
  • You can also become a member of a Law Centre, as a representative of a local group.

-Learning Opportunities – Training

  • Working for a Law Centre
  • All Law Centres employ paid staff and are managed by voluntary management committees comprised of representatives of local communities and other interested parties.
  • Solicitors working in Law Centres are subject to the same rules as solicitors who work in high street firms. The difference though is that Law Centres are not-for-profit organisations. Law Centres hold the Specialist Level Quality Mark which means that they have reached the required standard of quality as laid down by the Legal Services Commission.
  • Law Centres are unable to meet all the demands placed upon them and have to concentrate on the areas of law that disproportionately affect poor people. Amongst the most common areas of work are housing and homelessness, welfare benefits, employment, immigration and nationality, community care and all forms of discrimination and human rights issues.
  • Law Centres do not do any commercial work, such as conveyancing, probate, divorce, adult crime or personal injury work.
  • What sorts of skills are needed?
  • All Law Centres employ solicitors and barristers. A Law Centre needs at least one senior solicitor (possibly five years Post Qualification Experience). This is particularly relevant where a Law Centre is running a Trainee Solicitor programme. The Law Centre will also need suitably qualified workers to supervise each area of law that the Law Centre holds a Quality Mark for. In addition Law Centres employ managers, administrators, advice workers, community workers, researchers and volunteer co-ordinators.
  • Law Centre workers need a wide range of skills including an awareness of social exclusion issues and the ability to empathise with their clients. Law Centre workers also need to be willing to use their knowledge and skills to inform people of their rights and to partake in community legal education projects – to give training and talks to other groups and to generally contribute to social policy work in conjunction with other Law Centres and the Law Centres Federation.
  • Who should work in a Law Centre?
  • Law Centre work is for those who want to make a positive contribution to society. To affect change and provide a channel for people to air their grievances. Law Centres deal with new areas of law and often there is no text book with the answer. They require people who develop and extend legal remedies and use the law in innovative ways. Law Centre workers spend time researching case law and have been seminal to the development of legal services in this country.

Trainee Solicitors