Step 1 of 616%This is a “discovery and planning” exercise to ensure that we all have a say in agreeing how to move forward as we come out of the Covid Pandemic restrictions. Everyone has a vital role to play, our volunteers, staff, trustees and stakeholders. The Structure of The Conversation The 5 Strategic Objectives in our Business Plan drive what we do - but do they need to change?The Approach To Our Conversations Work through this short discovery exercise using the interactive area on our website (complete by end of end of March) What we’ve learnt about what’s gone well and what’s been a challenge – pages 2 -6 Survey Questions – pages 2 – 6 Add to the Matrix Summarising What’s Changed – page 7 Join on-line discussion groups and give your individual feed back (22nd March – 7th April) Invitations to 1:1 chats on key themes Comment on our findings and proposals for the coming years (results published 19th April) Advice Kiosk Definition You will see that we refer to Advice Kiosk as one way to deliver advice. We are exploring options but in essence this would be a large touch sensitive screen located in one of our own interview rooms or in a partner venue. Clients would touch to start and this would trigger a “virtual ring” for our allocated adviser, letting them know the client is ready. Adviser accepts and client immediately in a video call. We are piloting a kiosk in a dedicated room at Forefront in Chard. We have used our 5 Business Plan Objectives (above) to summarise what we’ve learned in the last 12 monthsPlease start by selecting which of the below options describes you best:* STAFF VOLUNTEER TRUSTEE STAKEHOLDER Objective 1Increase Capacity To Help All Our Diverse Clients Through Our Phone, Email and Online Advice ServicesWHAT WE’VE LEARNT More clients than we expected have been able to access via phone or email and receive the advice they need More vulnerable clients have accessed advice using support from other agencies (Village Agents, Parent Family Support Officer) We need to re-think drop-in and ask ourselves whether it is the best way to organise things because it only suits people who can travel to us and wait for hours! The agencies’ referral mechanism (on our own website and on the CA in Somerset website) helps because we can go back to that referrer for more information. With a better level of background we are more effective at getting the client into the right serviceWHAT’S BEEN A CHALLENGE Clients who have requested a call back often don’t pick up the phone and we have to try again 3 times before moving on – this wastes our time Moving to remote supervision made it more difficult to give all our advisers the time they needed and left some feeling isolated or without the support they were used to Many of our advisers find face to face advising extremely rewarding and wish to return to in- person advising We still have clients coming to the Yeovil office, some of whom are in an emergency We saw a decrease in clients accessing advice from Wincanton, Martock and CrewkerneCommentsadd to what has been learnt or what has been a challengeWhat do you think is best to manage our resource and offer clients some form of face to face adviceExactly as was – open in various towns and people just come along. Phones continue as per current arrangement. Yes No Move to only offering a very limited number of on the day appointments where client accesses by a phone or kiosk from our office or face to face Yes No Move to limited on the day appointments and include option for other agencies to book an appointment for their vulnerable client Yes No Advice only by phone, email and other channels (yet to be available) Yes No OtherObjective 2Improve Routes Into Advice for Vulnerable Clients and Those Who Can’t Use Phone or EmailWHAT WE’VE LEARNT Vulnerable Client referrals from other agencies don’t always have to go automatically into a face to face meeting, although it takes longer some clients can manage over the phone The website can really help us and the advice on film is a great additional resource to get information to clients and other agencies supporting them We have developed great new partnerships that help to get clients through to us – Parent Support Workers, Village Agents, Yeovil 4 Families We rely on texting with our most vulnerable clients as a means to stay in touch and for them to update us or confirm appointmentsWHAT’S BEEN A CHALLENGE Third party consent had to be posted out to client and back into the office and a better solution is needed – that other agencies’ will accept. We don’t know if our clients have looked at the films before contacting us Increased amount of follow up work from increasing number of referrals We can’t put texts into casebook Many clients use WhatsApp We have seen a fall in the number of vulnerable clients when we compare with previous yearsCommentsadd to what has been learnt or what has been a challengeDo we rely 100% on other agencies to engage vulnerable clients and bring them to us? Yes No Do we provide 1 or more vulnerable clients’ appointments every day so that we can offer immediate help once they’ve been brought to us or turn up at the door? Yes No Do we let clients “self-refer” as vulnerable and give them the option to request an appointment? Yes No Do we make sure we are present or we have an advice kiosk at key venues where vulnerable clients go and see them then and there? Yes No OtherObjective 3Expand Specialist Case Work For Clients Most At Risk of Financial Distress, Crisis or Enduring DisadvantageWHAT WE’VE LEARNT We can bring new members into our team using remote induction and training reasonably effectively We have expanded our mental health project and now have opportunities to work with patients receiving acute treatment for mental ill health Texting is really important for caseworkers and their clients (to continue their engagement, to progress their case and to confirm and remind on appointments) We can deliver debt and benefits casework by phone although it takes longerWHAT’S BEEN A CHALLENGE Cancer Services have been badly affected by Covid causing delays in patients getting treatment. This has reduced referrals coming to the Macmillan Team Clients who have been booked a telephone appointment often don’t pick up the phone and we have to try again 3 times before moving on – this wastes our time (although this was also the case for many of the f2f appointments) We have not managed to integrate a text solution within the soft phones system When demand for debt increases we won’t have the luxury of extra time to complete advice by phone /channelCommentsadd to what has been learnt or what has been a challengeDo we go back to all our work being by face to face appointment? Yes No Do we agree a better way of allocating face to face appointments and continue some work by phone – if so how? Yes No Do we co-locate (base caseworkers at other organisation’s offices – eg a GP surgery, Mind office) and see clients by appt? Yes No Do we use video calls and advice kiosks to start and/or complete casework? Yes No OtherObjective 4Strengthen the Sustainability of Our Organisation Through Smarter Use IT, Greater Collaboration, Service ExpansionWHAT WE’VE LEARNT Our IT systems mean we can work from anywhere that has decent internet The VA portal is a really effective one stop shop for many of the team Online video calls are potentially a great way of us delivering advice by appointment without the need to drive Advice Kiosks could be located in our partners’ venues very cost effectively Verbal consent has become the norm for us when beginning work with clients Remote observations with trainee advisers are possible We don’t have to travel to join meetingsWHAT’S BEEN A CHALLENGE Keeping everyone engaged, informed and working together without leaving anyone behind How to keep VA Pro from getting cluttered and over complex and have alternative if needed for some Clients / staff not wanting to use video in their homes How to resource available volunteers/staff for client demand Some training has been not worthwhile due to being better suited to in-person deliveryCommentsadd to what has been learnt or what has been a challengeDo we want a text solution that integrates with casebook but that is sent using our soft phone – ie via your lap top or chrome book? Yes No Do we spend some of our working week based remotely including from home? Yes No Do we want a solution for clients to upload documents or third party consent into a digital platform? Yes No Do we want to continue to focus on the Virtual Adviser portal as a main “whole team” communication? Yes No OtherObjective 5Maintaining a Culture of Excellence and Inclusivity, Supporting and Investing in Our People So That They Thrive and ExcelWHAT WE’VE LEARNT We don’t have to travel to meet We did manage to recruit some fantastic new people during Covid and lock downWHAT’S BEEN A CHALLENGE We miss being together with our colleagues Some training doesn’t work well on video platforms Remote supervision can feel less friendly and less supportive We need time to chat and socialise to make our work feel rewarding A number of our volunteers did not want to advise remotely and have stopped their involvement with us and we miss them There are skills shortages in the advice sector and it is very difficult to recruit to some specialist posts due to the high competition for these most specialist postsCommentsadd to what has been learnt or what has been a challengeShould we have a mentor system for volunteers/staff to support each other? Yes No Our volunteer advisers like advising as part of a team – the comradery and the opportunity to come into the office and meet new people. Can some volunteers be office based? Yes No Do we continue to recruit and train volunteer advisers who will advise remotely or from home? Yes No Some of our new volunteers don’t live in Somerset – they have trained as remote volunteers. Do we continue? Yes No In the last 2 years we have recruited new paid roles as trainee caseworkers should we use our own funds (savings) to bring in more trainee staff to key roles such as trainee supervisor? Yes No Other
