Research
July 2009 Rights and Responsibilities in the Social Security System
‘Rights and Responsibilities in the Social Security System’ by Julia Griggs and Fran Bennett, University of Oxford was published by Social Security Advisory Committee in July 2009.
The paper aims to provide an overview of the development of rights and responsibilities in the UK social security system, including the evolution of benefit conditionality and a consideration of the importance of these concepts in the current policy context. This background provides a starting point for thinking about key issues involved in debates about both benefit conditionality and rights and responsibilities more generally.
Occasional Paper 6: SSAS Rights and Responsibilities July 2009.pdf
June 2009 Study into Local Legal Advice
Findings from the study into the provision of local legal advice were published in June 2009. Government announced in December 2008 that it was to carry out a study into how recent legal aid reforms, and any wider changes to the way in which local advice agencies are funded, had affected the provision of services. The aim was to identify, bring together and analyse the available evidence across England and Wales. Justice Minister Lord Bach commissioned the study which examined:
The study was informed by a steering group consisting of representatives from various stakeholder groups, including the LCF. Lord Bach was chair of the group.
Implementation of the recommendations will be discussed with the Steering Group, and an action plan prepared with their input by the end of September 2009.
Copy of the Review: Local Legal Advice Review 10.06.09.pdf. The recommendations: LLAL Conclusions and Recommendations 06.09.doc
Lord Bach’s speech at the launch of the research on 11th June: Legal Aid Lord Bach 11.06.09.doc
In February 2009, Austin Mitchell MP put down EDM 675 in support of the study. It also called on the Ministry of Justice ‘to ensure that the existing community legal advice centres are evaluated for their effectiveness in meeting advice needs in communities, particularly the needs of vulnerable groups, those in debt, and those living in less accessible parts of the community, before any further tenders are rolled out.’ 58 MPs signed the EDM. A copy is here: EDM 675 02.09.doc
June 2009 Public funding for legal representation before Asylum Support Tribunals
Research carried out by Citizens Advice concludes that Asylum Support Tribunal’s users are especially vulnerable and disadvantaged, relative to other tribunal users. The briefing, endorsed by the Law Centres Federation repeats previous calls for publicly-funded legal representation before the Tribunal. It suggests that the annual up-front cost of providing such representation – of the order of £300,000 – could be met entirely from the savings that would flow from an evidently much needed improvement in the quality of the UK Border Agency’s initial decision-making on asylum support.
The Briefing: Supporting Justice Briefing Paper June 09.pdf
June 2009 Social housing allocation and immigrant communities
Research commissioned by the Equality and Human Rights Commission, ‘Social housing allocation and immigrant communities’ by Jill Rutter and Maria Latorre from the Migration, Equalities and Citizenship Team at the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) was published in June 2009. The study found that social housing policies are targeting those in most need including the homeless, the elderly and families with children. Less than two per cent of all social housing residents are people who have moved to Britain in the last five years and that nine out of 10 people who live in social housing were born in Britain. It found no evidence to support the perception that new migrants are getting priority over British-born residents. Nor was there any evidence of abuse of the system, including ‘queue jumping’ or providing false information.
The research: EHRC Report Social Housing Allocation and Immigrant Communities.pdf
May 2009 Social Return on Investment
This guide aims to show organisations and institutions to make better decisions using Social Return on Investment (SROI) principles, helping them to recognise value beyond what can be easily captured by financial measurement.
Social Return on Investment (SROI) is a framework for measuring and accounting for this much broader concept of value; it seeks to reduce inequality and environmental degradation and improve wellbeing by incorporating social, environmental and economic costs and benefits.
SROI measures change in ways that are relevant to the people or organisations that experience or contribute to it. It tells the story of how change is being created by measuring social, environmental and economic outcomes and uses monetary values to represent them. This enables a ratio of benefits to costs to be calculated. For example, a ratio of 3:1 indicates that an investment of £1 delivers £3 of social value.
The Guide: Social Return on Investment NEF Guide 05.09.pdf
Link to: New Economics Foundation
May 2009 Ministry of Justice review of access to justice for vulnerable groups.
This report is an exploratory investigative review of access to justice for vulnerable groups. Under the broad heading of ‘Ethnicity, Identity and Sexuality’, the groups focused upon were ‘black and minority groups’, ‘Gypsies and Travellers’, ‘refugees and asylum seekers’ and individuals in a minority group on the basis of ‘sexuality’. ‘The groups were selected in this context as they are recognised within both policy and research literature as vulnerable to social exclusion.’
The review found that there was evidence of prejudice and discrimination within the systems, organisations and agencies of legal and civil justice. There was also evidence of legislation having negative impacts for these groups. There was evidence that perceptions and experiences lead to mistrust amongst minority groups, who believed their treatment will be prejudiced should they seek solutions to justiciable problems.
A number of recommendations were proposed including a proposal that research, policy and practice concerned with social exclusion must consider access to justice as a key dimension of this. In this context, consideration should be given to a social model of vulnerability.
Copy of the Research by Paul Mason & Nathan Hughes, with Rachel Hek, Basia Spalek & Nicola Ward, Institute of Applied Social Studies, University of Birmingham and Allan Norman , Celtic Knot, Birmingham:
MoJ Access to Justice Minority Groups May 09.pdf
Extract from the paper listing the recommendations: MoJ Access to Justice Minority Groups Recommendations May 09.doc
The research was based on evidence that was available in 2007. Crown Copyright ISBN: 978 1 84099 237 3
A review of the use of case management models to support vulnerable people in the justice system by Matrix Research and Consultancy was also published by the Minsitry of Justice in May.
The study assesses whether case management models could be used to deliver better outcomes for individuals in civil, criminal and family justice. Case management is a structured programme aimed at coordinating services and support on behalf of an individual.The evidence from this research indicates that client groups within the family and civil legal sectors who need to access diverse services may also benefit from case management.
A copy of the paper is here: MoJ Intensive Help Vulnerable People.pdf
May 2009 Training and regulating providers of publicly funded legal advice
The Ministry of Justice published this summary, ‘Training and regulating providers of publicly funded legal advice – a case study of civil provision’ in May 2009. The study was carried out by Hilary Sommerlad. Leeds Metropolitan University and Peter Sanderson, University of Huddersfield. The report considers the commercial legal advice sector and the not for profit sector. The research was designed to investigate the impact of training and regulation on delivering, and managing the delivery of, legal advice and representation. It was based primarily on the qualitative methods of interview and observation, undertaken with a limited number of firms and NFP agencies in a region of Northern England including one Law Centre.
Their findings included:
A copy of the research is here:
MoJ Training and regulation research May 09.pdf
Crown copyright ISBN: 978 1 84099 240 3
May 2009 CLANS - Can they Work ?
A study by Adam Griffith from the Advice Services Alliance looks at the proposals for Community Legal Advice Networks that have been put forward in Cornwall, South Wales (Cardiff, Vale of Glamorgan and Bridgend), Gloucestershire, East Riding and West Sussex. The review was reported on in the May edition of the Legal Action Group Bulletin.
Article: CLANS - can they work.pdf
Link to Advice Services Alliance
April 2009 LAG research on the distribution of civil legal aid funds
In April, Legal Action Group published an analysis of the Legal Services Commission’s (LSC’s) distribution of an extra £10 million for help with civil law problems. The figures show that many of the poorest areas in the country missed out on the cash for more cases that was supposed to counter the impact of the recession.
Article: LAG Poorest miss out.doc
Index of Deprivation 2007 from the Communities and Local Government Department: Index Communities and Local Government 2007.xls
April 2009 Responding to Discrimination: The Geography and Geometry of Advice Provision
‘Responding to Discrimination: The Geography and Geometry of Advice Provision in England, Scotland and Wales’ by John Borland, Aled Griffiths, Osian Rees (University of Bangor) was commissioned by the Equality and Human Rights Commission. It reviews the provision of legal advice and representation on the equality and human rights enactments.
2Gs Report on Legal Advice and Representation.pdf
