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Signposting
8. 1 Introduction
Welcome to this training module on Signposting. Signposting means explaining to clients where they can go to get help and support.
Learning outcomes
This module explains why signposting is an important part of your volunteering at Support Through Court and how to signpost clients effectively. It assists you in feeling more confident when you need to signpost clients to other people or organisations.
In this module you will learn about:
- What is meant by Signposting and why it is important
- Where to signpost clients to
- Examples of good and poor practice when signposting clients.
This module is one of a number of training modules to help Support Through Court volunteers when supporting clients. The modules all use the same case study to explore the different aspects of supporting clients effectively. We will be referring to this example as we work though this module, so it may be helpful to remind yourself of the facts now. You may want to open this case study in a separate window (use Ctrl + click on the link) so you can refer back to it when needed. Find out more about the fictitious Johnson/Smith family and their situation.
During the module you may come across terminology which is unfamiliar to you. Some words are hyperlinked to the Glossary, so by hovering over the word you will be able to see its definition
Please note
This module deals with some sensitive issues including descriptions of domestic abuse. These training modules are not compulsory, but they are recommended. If you do not feel comfortable to start the module, or if you are affected by the material, or feel you are unable to undergo the training, then Support Through Court can help you. Please speak to your Service Manager when you are next in the office.
If you need immediate support over the phone you can call:
National Domestic Violence Helpline – 0808 200 247
Give your opinion
How would you rate your understanding of signposting right now, before you start this module? Submit your answer .
8.2 What is signposting and why is it important?
A signpost is a sign giving information such as the direction and distance to a nearby town, typically found at a road junction. It enables travellers to know how to get to their destination; the direction they need to go and how far they have to travel. An important part of your volunteering role is to direct clients to other organisations and individuals who will be able to assist them with their legal problem(s). You are working as a signpost, showing them where to go and what they need to do to get there.
Support Through Court has a very clearly defined role in helping those attending court with no legal representation. As a volunteer you provide emotional and practical support to clients throughout the court process, helping them to represent themselves with dignity and supporting them to fully take part in court to better access justice. This may include providing procedural information, explaining what will happen in court, helping people to fill out complicated legal forms and supporting them as they plan what they would like to say to the judge.
Activity 1
Please use the green highlighter to identify the things you can do as a volunteer.
Please use the red highlighter to identify the things you cannot do as a volunteer.
How to use the highlighter
Click on the colour you want to use and then drag your cursor over the text you want to highlight. The return arrow icon erases the single last highlighting you did. If you want to clear all of your highlighting use the Reset button. When you have completed all of your highlighting click on the Save button. To check your answers click on Reveal answer.
Comment
There are a number of things that you are not able to do for a client as a Support through Court volunteer. The most obvious one is to give legal advice. Nor can you represent people in court hearings. These are legal activities regulated by specific professional bodies. Neither can you offer specialist advice regarding specific issues the client is facing. Your role is to offer advice and guidance about the court processes. Finally, although you are offering emotional support to clients, you are not there to offer wider ranging pastoral support for the, often significant, issues they are facing in their lives.
This is where signposting becomes important. In your role you can point clients in the direction of other people and organisations that can help with the issues you are unable to assist with such as legal advice, specialist information or ongoing emotional and pastoral support.
8.3 Where to signpost clients to
We have mentioned that there are some things you cannot provide advice and support on in your volunteering, usually because they fall outside the remit of our service or are not directly related to the court proceedings the client is involved in.
Activity 2
Thinking about your volunteering, what types of issues raised by clients do you think should be signposted to other organisations?
Comment
Typical issues where you would signpost clients for support to other organisations include legal issues (including where legal advice is needed), money and debt issues, housing concerns, mental health issues and concerns around domestic abuse. You may also have thought of other issues which fall outside the areas where Support Through Court can help.
There are local and national organisations which deal with a wide variety of different types of issues. You will therefore usually be able to identify organisations you can signpost clients to for more specialist support. Your local Support Through Court Service Manager and other volunteers may be able to help you identify relevant organisations.
Activity 3
From the list of national organisations below, please highlight the ones which can assist with different issues.
Please highlight in blue those which can assist with legal advice.
Please highlight in green those which can assist with money/debt issues.
Please highlight in yellow those which can assist with housing issues.
Please highlight in red those which can assist with mental health issues.
Please highlight in purple those which can assist with domestic abuse issues.
How to use the highlighter
Click on the colour you want to use and then drag your cursor over the text you want to highlight. The return arrow icon erases the single last highlighting you did. If you want to clear all of your highlighting use the Reset button. When you have completed all of your highlighting click on the Save button. To check your answers click on Reveal answer.
Did you know?
The Live Fear Free Helpline offers support to people in Wales in relation to domestic or sexual abuse. They can be contacted 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on 0808 80 10 800, for free advice and support and to talk through options.
You may be able to find further information about organisations you can signpost clients to at Support Through Court’s useful links section of their website.
The AdviceNow website also contains useful information and signposting links for common problems. You might want to explore the website and identify where clients can get help on commonly encountered areas.
Activity 4
As well as the national organisations listed above, there may also be local organisations you can signpost clients to. How do think you can find local organisations?
Comment
You may have thought of a number of different ways. You could search online using an internet search engine such as Google. There may be local directories such as a local authority directory or the Women’s Aid domestic abuse directory. You could also ask your Service Manager and other local Support Through Court volunteers. There may also be local information leaflets in the Support Through Court office.
8.4 Examples of good practice when signposting
You may already have experience of signposting clients to other organisations. We are going to think now about what makes an effective signposting activity.
Activity 5
Think of an example from your own volunteering or that you have seen from other volunteer’s work. What made the signposting effective?
Comment
You may have thought of a number of different things needed to ensure a successful signposting activity. The volunteer needs to know what issues are faced by the client and what they want to achieve. They need to explain clearly to the client why Support Through Court is unable to help with that issue. They will need to know what other organisations can help the client achieve the support or outcome they want and whether they have the capacity to take on further clients at this time.
Finally, they will need to communicate this clearly to the client and give accurate information, so the client knows how to get in touch with the organisation and any additional information or steps the client needs to know about, to be able to access the support from that organisation.
Support Through Court seeks to empower the client to take responsibility for their own court case and to make their own decisions. When you signpost clients to other organisations, you will therefore usually give the client the information about what the organisation can do and how to contact them. It is then up to the client to contact the organisation if they wish to do so.
Did you know?
Volunteers have a duty of confidentiality not to pass on information they have obtained through their volunteering to third parties, unless in specified limited circumstances. You therefore should not pass on information about a client to another organisation unless you have the client’s consent.
8.5 Other Examples of signposting
Activity 6
What can make signposting less effective or even lead to negative consequences?
Comment
There are a number of things which can lead to a poor client experience following a signposting activity. The volunteer may make assumptions about what the client wants, and the suggested signposting can offend or alienate the client. You may signpost the client to an organisation which cannot help them, either because the issue is outside their area of expertise or because they are not accepting new referrals at this time. You may give incorrect or out of date contact information so the client cannot get in touch with that organisation.
Consider the following scenario.
You are volunteering in the Support Through Court office and a client arrives without an appointment. He is very agitated. He tells you that he has been to see another advice agency who have suggested that he comes to Support Through Court as we can represent him in court and help with paperwork. You ask some open questions and establish that the client is a taxi driver and he has been involved in a car accident. He is not clear about what has happened or why he needs help but he keeps saying he wants to ‘appeal’. He is clutching some official looking paperwork.
You take him to a quieter area of the office and offer him a drink. You ask some more questions and he shows you the paperwork. He shows you a summons to the magistrate’s court for ‘careless driving’ and a letter from an insurance company offering to settle a claim for injury caused to the passenger he was carrying at the time of the accident. He is to appear in the magistrate’s court next week about the driving offence. He keeps telling you he wants to appeal and the advice agency he has spoken with have told him we can help.
You realise that there are several issues:
- He has been involved in a car accident
- His passenger is bringing a claim through his insurance
- He is also being prosecuted for careless driving and is due in court
- There are no civil court cases involved
- By ‘appealing’ he actually means he intends to contest the driving offence allegation.
Activity 7
Answer the following multiple-choice questions:
a.
Yes, we have an ex-police officer among the volunteers who can tell him how to defend the charge against him,
b.
Yes, the claim the passenger is making is a civil claim so we can help him complete paperwork to get the insurance company’s decision set aside.
c.
No, the driving offence is criminal law and will be heard in the criminal court and the insurance company appear to be settling the claim from the passenger out of court.
The correct answer is c.
Answer
Although it might be tempting to try and be helpful and resolve the issues, the client has been inappropriately signposted to Support Through Court. These are not matters we can directly help with.
a.
Send the client back to the organisation who signposted him to Support Through Court and tell him to get them to help him as it’s their mistake that he was signposted to us.
b.
Explain what Support Through Court can help with and why we cannot directly help him with the issues he has. Help him to identify who would be the most appropriate organisation to help him.
c.
Tell the client to contact Citizens’ Advice as they can help him work out what to do next.
The correct answer is b.
Answer
Even though Support Through Court cannot directly support him with his issue, we should provide the best service we can and ensure that he is signposted appropriately to get the help he needs. The referral from Support Through Court should, where possible, be the final referral for the client.
a.
To the police officer that attended the scene of the accident and to a no-win-no-fee solicitor.
b.
To
c.
To a solicitor who specialises in criminal motoring law. A list can be found on the Law Society’s website or may be available through his insurance company, and to the author of the letter about the insurance claim.
The correct answer is c.
Answer
If the taxi driver wants to contest the careless driving allegation he would certainly need legal advice. The insurance claim is being dealt with by the person who wrote to him to advise him about how they intended to deal with it. Therefore, they are in the best position to talk to him about what to do next.
Give your opinion
How would you rate your understanding of signposting after completing this module? Submit your answer.
8.6 Your volunteering and Signposting
This module has explained why signposting is an important part of your volunteering at Support Through Court and how to signpost clients effectively.
In this module you have learned about:
- What is meant by Signposting and why it is important
- Where to signpost clients to
- Examples of good and poor practice when signposting clients.
Signposting to other organisations
When volunteering with clients who may need signposting to other organisations, please remember:
- As far as possible, anyone signposted away from Support Through Court should be signposted to the correct agency. If in doubt, check.
- Signposting should never be a method of avoiding supporting a client. If you can't help the client there and then, consider making an appointment for a time when a volunteer may be available to help them.
- If someone is inappropriately signposted to Support Through Court then don't apportion blame and as far as possible signpost them to the correct agency.
Support Through Court have a suite of training modules which you can complete so please do take a look at the other modules available. You can study these in any order. They include:
- Special measures
- Working with Cafcass
- Interviewing clients
- Writing statements
- Signposting clients to other organisations
- Working with vulnerable people
The domestic abuse modules are designed to be studied in order, from the first working to the third. These modules are:
- Introducing domestic abuse
- Supporting survivors of domestic abuse
- Supporting clients who are accused of perpetrating domestic abuse
Give your opinion
Well done, you have completed this module.
How much will it help you with signposting in your volunteering? Submit your answer.
8.7 Quiz
This self-assessment quiz contains 5 questions and is a great way to check your understanding of what you have learned in this module on Signposting.
The pass mark is 60% and you have unlimited attempts at the quiz. This self-assessment quiz does not count towards your digital badge.
Go to the Signposting quiz now.
Acknowledgements
Grateful acknowledgement is made to the following sources:
Every effort has been made to contact copyright holders. If any have been inadvertently overlooked the publishers will be pleased to make the necessary arrangements at the first opportunity.
Important: *** against any of the acknowledgements below means that the wording has been dictated by the rights holder/publisher, and cannot be changed.
268477: 8.2 signposting: sodafish visuals / Adobe Stock
270824: 8.4 good practice signposting: Steve Topson