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 [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] 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.
8.2 What is signposting and why is it important?