Inverness Badenoch & Strathspey Citizens Advice Bureau
Charity registered in Scotland SC003951
The twin aims of the organisation are: 1. To ensure that individuals do not suffer through a lack of knowledge about their rights, responsibilities or of the service available to them through an inability to express their needs or assert the same effectively. 2. To exercise a responsible influence on the development of social policies and services both locally and nationally.
The Organisation main office is in the city of Inverness with other offices in Aviemore, Grantown on Spey and the Regional Hospital Raigmore. Through Partnership working we have access to offices at Fort William, Dingwall, Alness, Portree, Golspie, Tain, Wick and Thurso.
The service provides confidential, impartial, free information, advice, advocacy and representation service to any member of the General Public who may present with any issue but that which ordinarily relates to issues of Welfare Rights, Housing, Employment, Discrimination, Immigration or Money Advice
- From 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2018
- Award: £10,000 via Call 4
- Data published on 360Giving
- www.invernesscab.org
Project plan
Project description
This project will build into the current benefits assessment & support process the ability for CAB staff and volunteers to be able to research their client's basic digital skills competences, and therefore their ability to undertake online matters, and assess whether they would benefit from learning opportunities to improve their capacity and capability to manage their affairs. Clients will receive tailormade digital skills training enabling them to report a higher level of knowledge and ability to manage their affairs with particular regard to UC and Benefits. A self-help guide for individuals on the basic essential actions that are required to ensure a benefit claim remains “in payment” is also planned. Sessions will be individual, group work and a mix of appointment based, drop in and also in prominent locations. They aim to train and recruit 50 volunteers, hopefully from the beneficiary group, who will ensure that the work carries on after the money is spent. Training resources will be produced and adopted by staff and volunteers in order to see the assessment of basic digital skills underpinning their day-to-day operations. The project will be delivered across the Highlands.
Project milestones
Phase 1
Recruit, Train and Deploy Project Worker ready for launch on 1st April
Phase 2
Produce Training Materials and carry out check of relevancy of materials.
Phase 3
Test Learning Journey on selection of Clients taking any refinements into account
Phase 4
Review Operation and Delivery on last working day of each month commencing
Evaluation
Updates
The aim of the Project was to upskill and support digital awareness primarily amonng those individuals that were receiving Universal Credit assisting them to maintain their claim and learn a transferable skill.
As discussed with Beverley MacLean on 29/11/17 the project has not seen the level of public interest we had initially anticipated. Our ongoing poster campaign, twinned with highlighting the service through our workforce of paid/volunteer advisers has not yet generated any significant or meaningful take-up of our offer to help develop people's digital skills.
The problem is on obtaining engagement from clients to want to be empowered to learn. In discussion we are finding a natural reluctance for assistance and often CAB is not part of the commitment that the client has entered into with DWP when seeking employment. The Job Centre is referring direct to their own partner organisations e.g. Merkiinch Enterprise. Other organisations in our area are part of that commitment e.g. Job Clubs. This effective direct referral route from Inverness Job Centre Plus to such organisations for cases is resulting in clients who are in need of basic digital skills being signposted away from ourselves, initially for help in initiating online UC claims.
We have discussed this with Governmnt Agencies and the Council Employability Team to try and make folk aware that we have free public wifi accessible and that we can provide PCs for clients to use. This has only proven somewhat popular with Inverness Library referring people to us, when we evaluated the usage from clients referred by the library it was found that they were not in need of our support simply our machines.
The availability of similar digital-skill offerings through other organisations in our local area seems to have been a factor.
As previiously reported In order to address poor take up we produced a selective listing from our client database of 200+ individuals who have engaged with CAB regarding Universal Credit . We completed a direct mailing exercise promoting the basic digital skills project, highlighting the potential benefits and encouraging clients to take up the offer as part of the suite of free services available through their local CAB. The outcome was poor with only 3 individuals responding.
Our Worker has used his time to proactively develop the digital skill-base of our 65 Volunteer Generalist Advisers. Ths has proven valuable to the Bureau overall with the upskilling of volunteers He has conducted a series of 5 group presentations and one to one coaching sessions promoting the use of IT and enhancing the digital skill-sets of our Advisers. These sessions have added considerable value to the skills of our volunteer adviser work-force – and this in turn has made our overall client-offering more relevant and professional.
We are heavily promoting that we are a friendly welcoming environment that people can drop into for support to use either their own devices or our PCs - this is very slowly starting to gather traction and will be hopefully a legacy of this project.
As discussed with Beverley MacLean on 29th November the project has not seen the level of public interest we had initially anticipated. Our ongoing poster campaign, twinned with highlighting the service through our workforce of paid and volunteer advisers has not yet generated any significant or meaningful take-up of our offer to help develop people's digital skills.
The problem appears to centre on obtaining engagement from clients to want to be empowered to learn. In discussion we are finding a natural reluctance for assistance and often CAB is not part of the commitment that the client has entered into with DWP when seeking employment. Indeed the Job Centre is referring direct to their own partner organisationms such as Merkiinch Enterprise. Other organisations in our area are part of that commitment e.g. Job Clubs. This effective direct referral route from Inverness Job Centre Plus to such organisations for cases such as these is resulting in clients who are in need of basic digital skills being signposted away from ourselves, initially for help in initiating online UC claims.
We have discussed during this quarter with Governmnt Agencies and the Council to try and make folk aware that we have fre public wifi accessible in our building and that we can providfe PCs for clients to use. THis has proven somewhat popular with Inverness Library referring people to us.
The availability of similar digital-skill offerings through other organisations in our local area seems to have been a factor.
As previiously reported In order to address poor take up we produced a selective listing from our client database of 200+ individuals who have engaged with CAB regarding Universal Credit . We completed a direct mailing exercise promoting the basic digital skills project, highlighting the potential benefits and encouraging clients to take up the offer as part of the suite of free services available through their local CAB. The outcome was poor with only 3 individuals responding.
Our Worker has used his time to proactively develop the digital skill-base of our 65 Volunteer Generalist Advisers. Ths has proven valuable to the Bureau overall with the upskilling of volunteers He has conducted a series of 5 group presentations and one to one coaching sessions promoting the use of IT and enhancing the digital skill-sets of our Advisers. Although the public appetite for the project may not be what was anticipated, these sessions have added considerable value to the skills of our volunteer adviser work-force – and this in turn has made our overall client-offering more relevant and professional.
We are heavily promoting that we are a friendly welcoming environment that people can drop into for support to use either their own devices or our PCs - this is starting to gather traction and will be hopefully a legacy of this project.
The project has not seen the level of public interest we had initially anticipated. Our ongoing poster campaign, twinned with highlighting the service through our workforce of paid and volunteer advisers has not yet generated any significant or meaningful take-up of our offer to help develop people's digital skills.
The problem appears to centre on obtaining engagement from clients to want to be empowered to learn. In discussion we are finding a natural reluctance for assistance and often CAB is not part of the commitment that the client has entered into with DWP when seeking employment. Other organisations in our area are part of that commitment e.g. Job Clubs. This effective direct referral route from Inverness Job Centre Plus to such organisations for cases such as these is resulting in clients who are in need of basic digital skills being signposted away from ourselves, initially for help in initiating online UC claims.
In the next quarter we will work with Government Agencies in order to take firm referrals for the Project.
The availability of similar digital-skill offerings through other organisations in our local area seems to have been a factor.
In order to address the points listed above in August 2017 we produced a selective listing from our client database of 200+ individuals who have engaged with CAB regarding Universal Credit in the previous three months where we were of the view that they could and would benefit from our intervention and would be could candidates for engagement. We completed a direct mailing exercise promoting the basic digital skills project, highlighting the potential benefits and encouraging clients to take up the offer as part of the suite of free services available through their local CAB. The outcome has been poor. Only three individuals responded. Of those, one had misunderstood the nature of what help was available*, another had personal circumstances that rendered him unable to participate, and the other did not respond to further contact.
(* client was expecting advanced skills-development in the use of Microsoft Excel Worksheets to promote employment chances.)
Our Digital Skills Project Worker has used his time to proactively develop the digital skill-base of our 43 Volunteer Generalist Advisers. He has conducted a series of 7 group presentations and one to one coaching sessions promoting the use of IT and enhancing the digital skill-sets of our Advisers. Although the public appetite for the project may not be what was anticipated, these sessions have added considerable value to the skills of our volunteer adviser work-force – and this in turn has made our overall client-offering more relevant and professional.
The project has not seen the level of public interest we had initially anticipated. Our ongoing poster campaign, twinned with highlighting the service through our workforce of paid and volunteer advisers has not yet generated any significant or meaningful take-up of our offer to help develop people's digital skills.
The problem appears to centre on obtaining engagement from clients to want to be empowered to learn. In discussion we are finding a natural reluctance for assistance and often CAB is not part of the commitment that the client has entered into with DWP when seeking employment. Other organisations in our area are part of that commitment e.g. Job Clubs. This effective direct referral route from Inverness Job Centre Plus to such organisations for cases such as these is resulting in clients who are in need of basic digital skills being signposted away from ourselves, initially for help in initiating online UC claims.
In the next quarter we will work with Government Agencies in order to take firm referrals for the Project.
The availability of similar digital-skill offerings through other organisations in our local area seems to have been a factor.
In order to address the points listed above in August 2017 we produced a selective listing from our client database of 200+ individuals who have engaged with CAB regarding Universal Credit in the previous three months where we were of the view that they could and would benefit from our intervention and would be could candidates for engagement. We completed a direct mailing exercise promoting the basic digital skills project, highlighting the potential benefits and encouraging clients to take up the offer as part of the suite of free services available through their local CAB. The outcome has been poor. Only three individuals responded. Of those, one had misunderstood the nature of what help was available*, another had personal circumstances that rendered him unable to participate, and the other did not respond to further contact.
(* client was expecting advanced skills-development in the use of Microsoft Excel Worksheets to promote employment chances.)
Our Digital Skills Project Worker has used his time to proactively develop the digital skill-base of our 43 Volunteer Generalist Advisers. He has conducted a series of 7 group presentations and one to one coaching sessions promoting the use of IT and enhancing the digital skill-sets of our Advisers. Although the public appetite for the project may not be what was anticipated, these sessions have added considerable value to the skills of our volunteer adviser work-force – and this in turn has made our overall client-offering more relevant and professional.
