Advice network | Advice Centres For Avon

Developing advice services in Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire

The Advice Network project is funded for three and a half years to develop the advice network across Bristol, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset. The aim of the project is to defend & help maintain a diverse and professional range of advice services across the region, and to help organisations to best meet the needs of their clients.

We will be working on the following areas:

Developing a common referral system between agencies
Unified quality systems e.g. file reviews and supervision
Training and workforce development
Mapping current provision and highlighting advice deserts
Identifying and developing network structures that enable collective bidding and tendering
Common monitoring and quality systems
Developing a shared funding and sustainability strategy
Developing and implementing Social Policy work and activities
Creating a best practice database
Researching and promoting different ways to improve client access
Providing a quarterly Newsletter/bulletin to ACFA
Establishing a monthly funding update

The project is funded by The Big Lottery Advice Plus round 2 and The Baring Foundation.

Avon and Bristol Law Centre are the lead agency on the project and are responsible for the staff and for reporting to the funders, but it is the ACFA steering group who have responsibility for the strategic direction of the project guided by the agreed budgets, milestones and outcomes . The steering group is made up of representatives from ACFA members. We are actively looking for new members for the steering group, particularly from smaller organisations - this is your chance to influence the direction of the project. Please feel free to contact us if you would like to talk about any aspect of the Advice Network project.

Contact details:

Email: General – info@advicenetwork.org.uk
Jane Emanuel – jane@advicenetwork.org.uk
Ellen Cheshire – ellen@advicenetwork.org.uk
Ben Sansum – ben@advicenetwork.org.uk

Telephone: 0117 929 2153

Address: 82-88 Colston Street, Bristol BS1 5BB