London Advice Conference 2011
"Looking to the Future: Meeting the Challenge"
The fourth London Advice Conference took place on Wednesday 6 July 2011 and was attended by 120 delegates, at the offices of Clifford Chance in Canary Wharf. The conference was organised in partnership by Advice UK, Citizens Advice, Lasa and Law Centres Federation, who make up the London Advice Executive, with funding provided by London Councils
Key-note speakers were Tony Travers, Director of LSE London, a research centre at London School of Economics and Political Science, and Karen Buck MP Westminster North, Shadow Welfare Reform. They set the tone for the day brilliantly, with a compelling mixture of intriguing content mixed with some humour in appropriate proportions. They tackled the difficult issues facing us all at the moment helping delegates to relax and enjoy the rest of the conference. There followed a range of 8 workshops, as well as networking opportunities and a lively funders plenary panel debate to round things off with the Big Lottery Fund, Trust for London, City Bridge Trust and London Legal Support Trust.
More than 100 frontline advisers and centre managers came along, and got an update on issues, including welfare reform, housing benefit changes, legal aid proposals, getting the best from volunteers, using technology to deliver better advice, charging clients for advice and using social media effectively.
Social media links
Sound Delivery, a specialist digital media training, production and consultancy company made recordings of our key-note speakers, workshop leaders and delegates over the course of the day. You can find links to what they said below. This blog post covers how LASA used social media to record some of the content of the speakers and workshop.It also has links through to most of the individual podcasts.
Guest speaker keynote speeches podcasts
Karen Buck MP Westminster North, Shadow Work and Pensions Minister.
Views of the delegates
You can listen to what delegates had to say here Views from the delegates
Photos from the day
You can view photos of the delegates, key speakers and funders taken during the day
Workshop session presentations
Presentations, training materials and sound recordings of the 8 workshops are given below:
Government proposals for Legal Aid
Click here for Legal Action Group's Policy section on their website - this documents the impact of the cuts at a local level including the report on London which Steve referred to in the workshop.
Analysis from ASA of the impact of the proposed cuts in civil legal aid for social welfare law (Excel: 70Kb)
Click to listen to Steve Hynes, Director, Legal Action Group who faciliated this workshop with Adam Griffith, Policy Officer (Legal Services), Advice Services Alliance
Managing the client journey
Managing the client journey - presentation and group exercise notes
Carol
Moonlight, Public Information Development Manager, Citizens Advice
& Simi Ryatt, Chief Executive Officer Hammersmith & Fulham CAB.
Engaging users through social networking
Engaging Users through Social Networking - Conference presentation & handout
Noam Kostucki, Trainer, Directory of Social Change & Co-founder, Seeducation
Welfare reform
Welfare Reform – an update
Ros White, Editor, Rightsnet, Lasa.
Cuts, culling and conservation
“Cuts, Culling and Conservation!” - How to best source, train, and integrate volunteers to maintain your advice service in a time of cuts.
Sean Canning, Director, North Kensington Law Centre and Liz Carboni, Learning and Skills Manager, AdviceUK
Using technology to deliver advice
Using technology to deliver advice
Miles Maier, London ICT Champion, Lasa
Impacts of Housing and Housing Benefit reforms on London
Impacts of Housing and Housing Benefit reforms on London
Click to listen to Rachael Orr, Campaigns Manager, Shelter.
Charging for advice?
Phil Jew, Head of Policy and Campaigns, AdviceUK,
Anne
Lewis, Policy Director, Advice Services Alliance and Noeleen Adams,
Director of Support and Development, Law Centres Federation
Click to listen to Phil Jew, Head of Policy and Campaigns at Advice UK, discuss charging clients for advice.
Funders plenary panel
A Funders plenary panel was held with the following funders:
Matthew Smerdon was unable to attend this session due to unforeseen circumstances. We acknowledge the vital work The Baring Foundation are doing to support the advice sector.
Bob Nightingale - London Legal Support Trust,