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Advice Strategy

7. Conclusions - where are the gaps?

Having looked at the needs analysis and the map of existing supply we can begin to see where the gaps are in current provision. These key findings form the basis of the advice strategy for Calderdale.

1. Most CLS Specialist suppliers are based in the centre of Halifax. There is concern about the level and choice of provision in areas situated in outlying towns, particularly Todmorden, and rural areas.

2. LSC figures show that, overwhelmingly, eligible clients from Calderdale access services within Calderdale. There is almost no evidence of users with Calderdale postcodes accessing services in areas such as Leeds, Kirklees or Bradford. This means that traditional arguments about residents accessing services out of the area are not valid.

3. There is currently a level of need in both housing and debt advice across Calderdale that is not being fully met by the level of existing supply.

4. There is a profound and serious lack of provision in the North Halifax area. Mixenden, Ovenden and, to a lesser extent, Illingworth, consistently appear very high in terms of need across all areas of social welfare law. Yet in every category of law these areas have very low levels of supply. Anecdotal evidence from groups working in the area suggests that local residents do not routinely access services in Halifax centre. This is something that the CLSP must take into account when planning new services. Providing effective and accessible services for North Halifax will be a challenge to both funders and suppliers.

5. A large percentage of the work in debt and welfare benefits, is undertaken by the district CAB. There are no other Not for Profit suppliers with a contract for CLS Specialist work and this may raise some concerns around diversity of delivery

6. There are a variety of communities within Calderdale, each with its own particular needs. A commitment to equality of opportunity needs to underpin the delivery of all services.

7. Anecdotal evidence suggests that there is a low awareness of rights amongst the most disadvantaged communities in Calderdale. Further investigation may identify particular communities and any holistic strategy must take account of this and incorporate an educational element rather than focusing solely on increasing provision.

8. There is a particular issue relating to developing services for ethnic minority communities in Calderdale. This issue is obviously important in areas with a high ethnic minority population, but, also of concern, is the lack of supply for those minority communities, which live outside of the ‘traditional’ areas of ethnic minority population.

9. There are a number of other client groups in Calderdale that need more tailored provision. These include young people, victims of domestic violence, people with physical and sensory disabilities and older people – particularly those living in rural / semi-rural communities

10. Given the particular needs of these communities, there is an evident need for outreach services – this is something, which has come across very clearly during consultation on need with local providers. Outreach services could provide advice ( CLS Specialist or General Help) or information (for example, through developing links with other services such as health visitors, social services and so on).

11. Support for immigration and asylum is limited in Calderdale. Whilst recognising the difficulty in identifying potential suppliers, the partnership believes that additional provision is required.

12. As funders are increasingly making possession of the Quality Mark a condition of funding, there is a need for organisational development within the voluntary sector to ensure that all locally based groups are offering a Quality Marked service and are thus not disadvantaged when seeking future funding. The partnership has put a strategy in place to support this process.

13. There are some specialist areas of law with very limited or no supply and, consequently, what we may term 'regional' suppliers (these areas would include Health and Community Care, Mental Health and Education). We anticipate that this level of supply will be able to meet need locally. However, what is needed is much better local awareness of which firms are providing this service in Yorkshire and Humberside in order to facilitate more effective referral of clients.

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