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The Voice of Independent Advice

Policy & Campaigns Update from AdviceUK - issued February 2010

Welcome to the first Policy & Campaigns Update from AdviceUK. We intend to issue these on an ad hoc basis and when there are significant developments in the policy arena. You can expect an Update at least twice a year. The Update will not provide breaking policy news – for this, see our regular members e-mailing and news and campaigns web page.

The main purpose of this first Update is to explain the policy issues we deal with, how we work to be the ‘voice of independent advice’ and how you can get involved.

Download a hard copy of this Update below.

Policy Team

Phil Jew is Head of Policy & Campaigns and takes the lead on most of our policy development, campaigns and responses. Contact: phil.jew@adviceuk.org.uk / 020 7469 5700.

We also have David Hawkes who focuses specifically on Money Advice and debt policy issues. David issues a regular Money Advice Update – to subscribe contact david.hawkes@adviceuk.org.uk.

However, policy matters are taken up and responded to by many people at AdviceUK, from Chief Exec to regional Development Consultants. Depending on the policy matter – local, national, specific or general – there should be someone at AdviceUK who can help. To find out who covers your geographical area visit: www.adviceuk.org.uk/local or call us on 020 7469 5700.

Policy Issues

Our aim is to provide our members with a national voice and leadership on issues such as the funding, commissioning and regulation of advice services. We submit responses to key proposals and we develop our own policy proposals. We try to provide more localised policy support where resources permit. We would like to carry out more social policy work but we don’t have the means to do this at present – but we are working on that.

We have made a note of some of the pressures currently on members (in England and Wales primarily) in the funding, regulation and socio-economic environment: www.adviceuk.org.uk/news-and-campaigns/campaigns/wherewestand.

Based on member feedback, our key concerns at present are around the funding environment for advice services and a general top-down, micro-management approach to them that we think threatens the existence and development of a diverse range of truly independent advice providers. More competitive tendering for contracts, the increasing prominence of Local Area Agreements, legal aid reforms, joint commissioning of Community Legal Advice Services, funding cuts, the recession – all things that we’re acting on.

We’ve also contributed to a range of specific policy initiatives in relation to money advice.  These include the Turning the tide?  (a joint evidence report on mortgage possession actions in the county court), lobbying for changes in the way in which pension funds are treated for Debt Relief Orders, successfully arguing for an extension of the freeze on the standard interest rate for Support for Mortgage Interest, and co-ordinating the advice sector response on the draft bailiff regulations.  For further information about this work see http://www.adviceuk.org.uk/news-and-campaigns/sector-news.

What we are doing

We try to get a seat at the table of key policy and decision-making bodies and campaign forums. Some examples of places at which we currently seek to represent our members include:

  • Legal Services Commission representative body meetings, including specific meetings about social welfare law and immigration
  • Ministry of Justice, steering group for the study of legal advice at local level
  • Money Advice Liaison Group (www.malg.org.uk)
  • Money Advice Sub-Group of the HMT Financial Inclusion Task Force
  • Advice Services Alliance policy group
  • Money Advice Trust Partnership Board
  • Management Board for the Scottish National Standards for Information and Advice Providers Accreditation Service run by MBARC
  • Wales Independent Advice Providers Forum

We are also having an input into research initiatives by Refugee and Migrant Justice and the Council on Social Action (see Time Well Spent). We hold meetings with MPs, Ministers and senior civil servants whenever we have a constructive comment to make.
Crucially, we are taking our own initiatives to influence the future policy agenda:

Our RADICAL Project produced arguments for radically rethinking advice services and the report It’s the System Stupid! Radically Reforming Advice

Our BOLD Project is challenging funders, commissioners and advice providers to put people first in the way in which advice services are funded, commissioned and designed

Smart Advice – intelligent thinking about advice services – is our 2010 campaign focused on the general election and beyond, encouraging Smart Funding and Smart Design

This way for independent advice – we are planning a postcard campaign for 2010 aiming to put the AdviceUK network on the map

We respond to a range of policy proposals and consultations. Over the past year we have submitted views on CLACs and CLANs, quality standards, regulating immigration advice and alternative business structures, legal aid reforms and commissioning in Wales. See our consultations web page for details.

Getting Involved

We have a range of materials to help you to make your voice heard on our campaigning resources web page. The Smart Advice campaign web page will also have details of how you can get involved. But we’re also on hand to both assist you when we can and to make sure we’re reflecting your policy concerns in our work. If you have a view that you would like us to take note of and represent, please contact us: policy@adviceuk.org.uk / 020 7469 5700.

Attached documents