Advice Outcomes

Who's doing it?
 
This workstream is co-ordinated by the Advice Services Alliance, but also involves other members of the Working Together for Advice project. Age UK Help the Aged, Youth Access, the Law Centres Federation and Citizens Advice are funded service providers for the workstream.
 
Why was this workstream developed?
 
The workstream was developed to build on work previously carried out by ASA and the advice networks on measuring the outcomes of advice. The projects we had already completed were small-scale and did not cover the range of agencies, areas of law or client groups covered by ASA's members. We therefore developed the workstream to test new and existing models for measuring outcomes with a wider selection of agencies.
 
What is its aim?
 
The aim of the workstream is to enable the sector to better demonstrate the value of advice work and its beneficial impact on the lives of advice agency users. It will help advice agencies to define, measure and evaluate the outcomes of services provided to individual users and the wider community
 
What are the expected outcomes of the workstream?

• Advice agencies will be equipped to measure outcomes more effectively
• Outcomes assessment will help agencies to improve the quality and effectiveness of their services
• Funders will use improved and more consistent approaches to outcome measurement
• The sector will be better placed to make the case for advice
• There will be an improved evidence base for Law Centres
• There will be an improved evidence base for youth advice work
• The development of an outcomes toolkit that can be used by all advice agencies to demonstrate the value of the work they do
• The use of outcomes data in the promotion of advice services will enable the sector to maintain effective and influential relationships with decision-makers and reach some of the 4 million people who experience problems but don't seek advice.

What has it achieved so far?
 
Youth Access and Age UK have developed and piloted toolkits for measuring outcomes with their respective client groups.
 
ASA has piloted different methodologies for collecting outcomes information with a diverse range of agencies including a disability advice organisation, a women's group, a young people's organisation, a Law Centre, a CAB and a money advice organisation.
 
Youth Access have held a seminar for managers of advice agencies wanting to improve the way they measure the outcomes they achieve for young people.
 
What about future plans?
 
By Septembner we will publish online all of the outcomes measureing tools mentioned above. These will be accompanied by guidance on how to use the tools.
Earlier work on Outcomes
 
Shanta Bhavnani - Outcomes Workstream Manager
020 7398 1480