Member Survey 2010
Introduction
Law Centre (NI) carried out a survey of its 393 members in November and December 2010. We also encouraged a response from people using our website or attending training and practitioner groups. There was a very good response to this invitation to provide feedback with 126 surveys completed by people from 115 member organisations. It was good to see that responses were received from across Northern Ireland and from the voluntary advice and community sector, the public sector and lawyers in private practice. The full results of the survey are set out below. The Law Centre management team has studied the feedback in detail and will be carrying forward a number of recommendations for change as a result.
Key findings and actions
The feedback across the range of questions was very positive, indicating that members really value their relationship with us. Some of the key results are:
· Over 95% of those commenting on our advice line services said that they were satisfied with the skills and knowledge of our advisers and that our advice helped them in their own client work. On average over 60 % were ‘very satisfied’. Although there were some feedback that advice was not as accessible as it should be, there was still over 90% satisfaction with accessibility.
· There was a good level of awareness of case referral opportunities but some room for improvement on communication of our casework outcomes.
· The level of awareness of practitioner groups was lower than we would have liked but still reasonable. Nearly all respondents were satisified with the content of the group meetings and agreed that participation helped them in their work.
· Classroom based training is still the top priority for members and there is a strong preference for us to develop more accredited courses. Satisfaction with the quality of our training was over 90 %, with 50% being very satisfied.
· Frontline is considered very useful for their work by over 60% of respondents and over 95% find it useful or very useful. The figures are similar for Encyclopedia of Rights. One third of respondents use our website every month.
· 87% of respondents are satisfied with our partnership work on policy, 52% being very satisfied. Policy was the area members were least aware of with only 62 % of those responding aware of our policy work . However of those members, 48% were very satisfied with how we communicated on policy.
· Nearly 80 % of members were very satisfied with the way Law Centre staff provide assistance to them and say that they use us rather than an alternative provider because of our experience, skills and the helpful way in which we provide information.
· 100% of respondents to the question on membership said that Law Centre membership is value for money.
Agreed action as a result of feedback
· Law Centre service leaflets and casework selection policy to be distributed to WRAP attendees to improve awareness of the scope of our services
· Review call back practice when returning advice calls so as to ensure accessibility
· Update case selection strategy and issue to all members
· Prioritise more regular casework bulletins
· Revisit promotion of practitioner groups: email list, website profile, links with speakers
· Address affordability of training by introducing 3 places for 2 if there are spaces available on courses
· Review marketing in mental health law training
· Review accessibility of training for rural areas
· Explore further development of accreditation with NIOCN for 2012 onwards
· Review circulation lists for publications
· Include a standard sentence in all member email communications: ‘if you know of anyone else who should receive this email then please forward it and let us know’
Full results
Other· Education, health, consumer, etc
· Students
· Housing
· Victims issues
· Debt Advice/Advocacy/Representation
· Community services ie childcare, youth, senior citizens
· Matrimonial, child law, litigation, probate, conveyancing
· Political - MLA's constituency office
· Human Rights
· Disability
· Domestic violence
· Education
· Further and Higher Education
· Access to justice, public interest law, civil legal aid
· Training, advice, family support to lone parents
· Trade union
· Prisoners, offenders in the community, prisoners' families
· Charity
· Drugs
· Equality and Anti-discrimination
Comment on advice line services
· They are excellent· Valuable service
· Policy of one call-back is not helpful.
· Could be available to individuals on an outreach basis or drop in, as some clients may not be aware of having to be referred by members of the law centre.
· Find Mental Health and the Law Centre very valuable
· Good friendly informative staff
· At times hard to access
· Think they are a great asset but as I am in education I use Law Centre resources to keep me up to date with NI issues in relation to Health and Social Care practice as it is very difficult to source NI information.
· I rate the advice line highly, information is always very accurate
· Advisers are always helpful, courteous and prompt on delivery
· Would be great if the lines were available throughout the working day.
· Really glad you are available.
· I have never used the service - I wasn't aware of the range of things that you can advise on.
· The RAG Helpline receives calls that are then referred to the Law Centre's advice line. It is wonderful that RAG can offer this service.
· The time frame for answering queries is most efficent and the advisers are very knowledgeable and helpful
· Need more information on the service
· Always very supportive and knowledgeable
· Very helpful when we use your services.
· Very appreciative of quality of service
· You need to advertise them more
· Extension of hours if possible
· Seminars would be welcomed (western)
· Excellent
Comments on casework referral service
· Much needed not available elsewhere trusted and driven by integrity· Difficulty with making contact within very limited access hours.
· Have referred clients re difficult cases
· Overall good clarity and updating of current legislation
· Law Centre will take opportunity to take on complex and strategic cases
· Extremely efficient and invaluable to the adviser
· I don't think that RAG is aware of the referral service
· I always get good support
· I work in advice and this is the first time I’ve heard of these
· Would like more info on casework outcomes
Comments on practitioner groups
· My organisation should use this community of practice more· I did attend a migrant workers group meeting once but that was well over a year ago. Wasn't aware that it still existed.
· Attended Alliance groups Also MH Practioners Forum very useful
· I am not the recipient of the notices or emails for APEX Housing so I do not represent it on these groups.
· Consistent contact and awareness of current practices legislation
· I would welcome the opportunity to attend but heavy caseload prevents this
· RAG does not attend the practitioner group service although law centre staff feed info back to RAG which is extremely helpful
· I am not always able to attend However I found the meetings I attended very useful for my work
· Get the message out
· I would like to find out more about the practitioner groups, particularly the social security group
· More group services in western area
Comments on training services
· All our staff benefit from being able to attend these quality and affordable training programmes our clients also benefit from the enhanced knowledge they bring to our staff and service· Don’t use most of above
· Excellent
· WRAP course has been a fantastic informative course which I use in my working day and private time on a daily basis.
· Very helpful
· Excellent training. The most focused and useful I have ever done in my work life.
· Generally very useful.
· Good comprehensive training packages
· We are unable to rate your training services as we only had them once and the trainee left bureau on completion of the course.
· Training is always of the highest quality
· Constitutional law and human rights law training very good
· Not done any in the last year. Immigration training was excellent when I did it a few years ago.
· We are very happy with the Law Centre providing the Immigration traing for our ATP
· Training services cover at present the broad spectrum of what the advice sector requires in daily advice giving and representation. "On the Ball"
· Any training I have received has been excellent
· Accessibility is not good. The lift at the front door has broken twice.
· RAG has not sent any members on Law Centre training courses in recent years, however, some RAG members have attended through their organisations and also report back positively
· Don't use any of these training services
· All the training courses I have attended were excellent and presented expertly by the trainers
· Highly professional
· The training I’ve had is excellent
· Wrap course was excellent
· Find any attended very useful
· Excellent
Respondents’ ideas for new training courses
· Going to need more support around conditionality and sanctions to benefits· Training for Ind Trib in particular
· Application of law at tribunals
· To run the Advocacy course in Derry
· Immigration advice training focused on OISC requirements
· Employment & Support Allowance again
· Was not aware of your Wrap Training
· Industrial Injuries Benefit
· Criminal justice
· The Tribunal Training Course.
· Like to see more tribunal representation courses
· Courses relevant to new legislation in relation to supporting people with dementia
· Areas on housing/benefits
· Student and welfare rights
· Possible debt advice services
· Money/debt advice
· Social security issues/tribunal issues
· Would love to do a training course on employment
· Refresher courses
Respondents’ comments on training delivery
· ICT supported learning is excellent however the networking and informal learning from group learning environment is added value· Needs to be more accessible for rural areas and outside of office hours
· I have not attended training
· Excellent.
· Excellent room facilities with good hospitailty.
· The support provided and the delivery of training has been top notch.
· Interaction and case examples are essential
· Strong believer in the importance and value of people being in one another’s presence to learn.
· It is useful to have training in a classroom set up, as there is so much you can learn from other advisors, and class discussions is invaluable.
· Very good
· Would like to see more local input i.e. western
· Excellent
Comments on course length
· Prefer my colleagues have the full day to devote to a course - switch off and commit to their learning and development· Due to travel and time for travel I would not like courses in shorter time frames if there were more times to travel- early bird not an option as I have a child for school, nor evening course.
· Think most training requires full day 10.00 to 4.00
· Find the afternoon not as productive if it goes on all day Perhaps 10 to 3pm with a short break for lunch would suit traffic and parking problems.
· All day shorter courses
· Depends on amount of content. If several hours prefer day long. If just 2 hours, evening preferred.
· It depends on the subject matter.
· Always right for me
· 2 DAY, 10-4 about right
For respondents who answered ‘Yes’
· All· Advocacy courses
· Tax credits
· Immigration training
· All courses should be accredited to assist client when applying for new employment. Employers do not recognise courses used to update clients skills without certification.
· Both
· Immigration, mental health
· Employment tribunal
· Any at this stage as we wish to have our staff be qualified to as high a level as possible with accreditation for their own personal development.
· Mental health and employment
· All
· Accreditation for advocates
· Already completed wrap
· Tribunal
· ESA
· Housing areas
· Any community related/social security related
· All of them
· Community care legislation and mental health issues
· Social security courses
· Immigration
· Social security/employment
Comments on publications
· They are excellent we use them extensively· Redundancy publication useful
· Very good
· Frontline and Encyclopaedia both very good - Encyclopaedia excellent for Community Care - think problems with this due to become much more prevalent.
· Encyclopaedia of Rights is up to date information at my fingerstips when clients visit NBEC for advice
· Always of excellent standard and very useful.
· They are received by Head Office so I do not have access to them.
· Good reference points, good information on new legislation and case law
· Think they are a great asset but as I am in education I use Law Centre resources to keep me up to date wih NI issues in relation to Health and Social Care practice as it is very difficult to source NI information.
· Keeps the adviser abreast of legislative change and of relevant case law
· I haven't seen your Frontline quarterly magazine.
· RAG
· Can't comment as we don't receive publications
· I check the Encyclopaedia of Rights on a daily basis
· Very helpful to refer to in the course of our work with families with disabled children
· Very accurate and helpful
· Am new to the organisation and will use these publications in the future
· Didn't know about frontline quarterly magazine
Comments on Frontline