In Bristol, the Aviva Foundation is already supporting Talking Money, St Pauls Advice Centre and AdviceUK to test out how a Whole Person, Whole Community Approach can contribute to building financially-resilient communities. We are learning a lot about what works better, whether that’s how we do casework, communication with people who ask us for help, or getting a fuller understanding of how the advice we give fits into people’s wider lives.
Building on this learning, AdviceUK has recently secured initial funding from City Bridge Trust’s Cornerstone Fund to explore how AdviceUK’s Whole Person, Whole Community Approach could be used by marginalised communities in London to develop and sustain their work. The approach reflects the values and practices of many of our members: it is fundamentally centred on understanding what matters to people and the communities they live in. It gives very practical ways of improving the experiences people have when they look for advice and support, and also how that advice and support can be resourced.
Over the next few months, we’ll be working with a number of AdviceUK members that advise specific minority ethnic or marginalised communities in London, and looking to grow a partnership of organisations with direct experience of applying and developing the Whole Person, Whole Community Approach in their own work. Our hope is that this will in turn benefit the 100+ other AdviceUK members in London advising particular communities of experience and identity. Contact influencing if you would like to know more.
