Delivering general advice services in the future

Housing Rights Service has recently responded to a DSD consultation on A Strategy for the Delivery of Generalist Advice Services in Northern Ireland 2015 – 2020’.

We feel that any future changes to the work, organisation and administration of the generalist advice sector has the potential to impact on the day-to-day work of specialist agencies such as Housing Rights Service. Over 70% of our clients are already referred to us by another agency. Any change in their resources will also have an effect on the demand for Housing Rights Service.

A co-ordinated approach

Housing Rights Service supports working in a co-ordinated approach with other agencies to ensure the best outcome for clients. Working in this way will:

• free up much needed resources for all,
• ensure that resources are put to best use, and
• reduce the duplication of work done.

In 2004, we established the Community Housing Advice Partnership (CHAP) in conjunction with Advice NI and Citizens Advice. CHAP currently works with 24 frontline agencies operating throughout Northern Ireland to ensure that clients, regardless of where they live, can have access to high quality housing advice.

People still want to seek advice face to face

Our own advice services statistics show that whilst visits to our advice site www.housingadviceNI.org, use of our virtual adviser facility, and our email advice service have increased over the last 4 years, this has not led to a comparative reduction in the demand for one-to-one contact with a housing adviser.

We agree there should be growth in the provision of digital means to deliver advice, but this should not be done in isolation or to the detriment of traditional advice giving, which are still crucial to many people in NI.

Our response also states that:

• any strategy must be supported with sufficient resources and training of advice staff with appropriate skills and knowledge.
• appropriate referral arrangements between generalist and specialist advice agencies are key to the successful delivery of the strategy.
• generalist advisers must be trained to recognise when a customer needs other services and be able to make appropriate referrals for specialist advice.