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Sometimes it can be easy to underestimate the difference that legal advice charities make to people’s lives. That’s why our impact report is such a labour of love, says David Powles.
For Norfolk Community Law Service (NCLS), impact is everything. If we didn’t make a positive impact on people, we wouldn’t exist. Simple as.
But impact also drives the conversations we have over contracts with public sector organisations, shapes our bids for all-important grant funding and helps us to get our message across to those who follow or support us in any way. As such, our impact on the lives of the 4,500 people we support every year is something we discuss regularly.
We’re always trying to strike the balance between helping as many people as possible and ensuring that the support we offer is meaningful and makes a difference to their lives. Hopefully, we get it just about right, but I’m sure there are areas in which we can improve.
I often say to staff that, if it came down to a choice, I’d rather we made a big difference to the lives of a slightly lower number of people than a tiny difference to many more. The demand we face is so great that, at times, people must wait several weeks for an appointment. If, at the end of their time with us, they deem it not to have been worth that wait, we have failed them.
I’m touching on this subject now because our
Impact report 2023/24 has just been published. As a former journalist who loves to deal in numbers and data and enjoys hearing about people’s stories, pulling together the report is a real labour of love. But it’s also a great reminder of just how important NCLS, and other organisations like us, are to plugging some of the many gaps in access to justice that now exist.
Our services across Norfolk include:
•weekly free legal advice clinics;
•access to a social welfare solicitor;
•debt and money advice;
•welfare rights advice and representation at appeals;
•legal advice for victims of domestic abuse;
•family court support service; and
•immigration advice.
In 2023/24, we helped 4,512 people across the county, an 18 per cent increase on the previous year and a 38 per cent increase on 2021/22. Outcomes of that advice included:
•£729,000 of client debt written off or affordable payments negotiated;
•a 78 per cent success rate at the First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support), which enabled £3.2m of benefits to be awarded and paid back to clients;
•232 people supported at family court hearings, many of them victims of domestic abuse;
•353 people supported through employment issues; and
•812 people helped with immigration matters.
However, figures alone won’t tell the story of our impact. Nothing beats the testimonies of service-users, of which here are just a few from our latest report:
•I don’t know how I could have coped with the tribunal without the help of NCLS.
•The service has and will have a big impact on me and my daughter’s quality of life in the future.
•Always the best service from all the staff, whether telephone calls, email or meeting. They worked hard to give the best support they can.
•I can’t thank them enough for being so supportive, understanding, professional and personable. They changed my life and I’m sure I’m not the last.
Sometimes it can be easy to underestimate the difference charities like ours make to people’s lives. All too often, the sector has a reputation for being full of kind-hearted and well-meaning people, but not for being tremendously effective or efficient. Well, I want to challenge that stereotype. Because the reality is very different and, increasingly, organisations like ours are being asked to fill gaps left by the public or private sector – and we do so not just more efficiently, but with just as much quality and professionalism.
As far as NCLS is concerned, I want to ensure that our reputation for dealing with people’s legal issues is just as great as some of the legal firms we work so closely with. I want people to see that we operate with professionalism and quality, and that, ultimately, we make a lot of positive impact.