Volunteers without legal training were recruited as Advice Champions. They received public legal education training as part of the Early Action Advice project.

The evaluation of the project addressed whether the training was effective in preparing Advice Champions to support others by developing their knowledge, skills, and confidence, and whether people helped by Advice Champions increased their legal capability.

Key findings

The course was effective in providing Advice Champions with knowledge, skills and confidence. They reported an increase in their legal capability, especially their confidence in understanding legal issues and their ability to see the legal issues that form part of problems people face.

Advice Champions remained confident. Four or sixteen months later they continued to work confidently and felt that the course had enabled this.

People receiving advice also felt that their legal capability had increased. Over 90% of the clients supported by Advice Champions felt more confident about dealing with their problems because of the support they had received.

  • 31% of people receiving advice from Champions strongly agreed they felt more confident in dealing with their problems, 54% agreed- 85% positive response.
  • 12% of receiving advice from Champions strongly agreed they knew where to look for support, 43% agreed. 55% positive response.
  • 12% of receiving advice from Champions strongly agreed they knew where to look for legal information, 41% agreed. 53% positive response.
     

Conclusions and recommendations

There are areas which were not addressed owing to resource issues. It would be useful to look at:

  • what capacity is added by Advice Champions
  • whether people are reached by Champions before the point at which they’d seek advice usually
  • how many clients resolved their issue without seeing a qualified advisor.

Cognitive testing of legal capability questions for advice clients would improve the data collected.

Advice Champions should be offered regularly updated PLE to help them remain effective.

Methodology

People who took the course completed pre and post course questionnaires. To establish a control group, partner agencies asked service users who did not take the course to also complete these questionnaires.

Evaluators observed training sessions, held informal talks with participants and agency colleagues, and interviewed partner organisations.