Sackman: Funding a lifeline for thousands
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has pledged £6m to the next round of funding for providers of early legal advice, after research reinforced how effective it can be.
The money will be shared between two programmes run by the Access to Justice Foundation – the Improving Outcomes Through Legal Support (IOTLS) and Online Support and Advice.
The current IOTLS funding period ends today, having started on 1 July 2023, during which time 59 organisations based across England and Wales shared £10m – although 221 had applied, seeking £35m between them.
The evaluation report for the predecessor Help Accessing Legal Support (HALS) grant programme – which ran from 1 October 2022 and 31 June 2023 and saw 55 providers split £4.5m – showed that it supported 100,000 people with 140,000 issues in its nine months.
“[It] helped many people to increase their income, stabilise their housing situations and avoid further family conflict, improving the wellbeing of the clients and their families,” said the report, published on Friday.
“Often clients did not know where to turn for help and felt relieved having someone to support them through the process of resolving their issue.”
Welfare benefits (25%), family (22%) and housing (16%) issues were the main practice areas supported by the HALS money and predominantly to provide initial generalist advice (59%), followed by casework (28%), with smaller amounts of pre-court advice and guidance (11%), and legal advice and representation at court (2%).
Of those who declared, most clients were female (58%), between 25 and 54 years of age (66%) and white (64%). Just over half reported having a disability, with 19% experiencing physical mobility limitations and 16% moderate to severe mental health conditions.
The demographics were similar to those reflected in Citizens Advice data and other MoJ legal support grants.
The majority of the grant funds (82%) were used for staff costs, with retention and recruitment due to uncompetitive salaries and lack of job security because of short-term funding prominent issues for advice services.
Agencies said this highlighted the importance of core funding for service sustainability.
“Grantees noted an increase in demand for legal support in recent years, which they attributed to the Covid-19 pandemic, rising costs and increasing economic pressures,” the report said.
“They reported adapting to this increase in demand with a blend of face-to-face, telephone, and online services.
“Many grantees noted that the HALS funding had enabled them to sustain these changes, emphasising the importance of a hybrid approach due to digital exclusion concerns and the unique strengths of face-to-face engagement, particularly when providing casework and support related to court hearings.”
Grantees also reported that the funding helped them to sustain a range of informal and formal partnerships with other advice services and community organisations.
Researchers said the findings supported the conclusions in other MoJ grant reports that “grant funding to the advice sector increases access to legal support and assists people in serious and vulnerable situations struggling with social welfare and family problems”.
Justice minister Sarah Sackman said: “Access to early legal support for those experiencing issues with housing, welfare or debt can be vital in stopping problems from spiralling.
“That’s why we’re providing a £6m boost to charities that offer a range of vital support and advice that is a lifeline for thousands up and down the country.”
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