We fund Barnet Lone Parent Centre to provide welfare advice. As a small organisation, they’ve developed a reputation for providing top-quality advice, a high success rate, and for providing long-term, holistic support. Here, Nina Gentry (services manager) and Craig Greenaway (senior advisor) outline their approach and offer their advice to small organisations.
TW: References to suicide
We became an independent charity called Barnet Lone Parent Centre in 2008 – before that we were a part of Gingerbread. It’s the best thing we’ve ever done. We’ve focused more locally, becoming deeply embedded into the local community.
Our holistic approach to advice
When someone comes through the door with a specific issue – like needing help with a personal independence payment (PIP) review, we look at everything, not just that specific thing. And inevitably, there’s lots of different things that need to be done - things they never even realised they’d be entitled to. We offer more than just advice, too. Clients come to us for our toy libraries, food banks, and second hand goods – or even things like applying for a passport.
Building trust and fostering long term relationships is a big part of what we do. This allows us to make a significant impact on people’s lives.
This client-led approach means that we address a wide range of needs. And by speaking to our clients about everything in their life, we’re often able to identify problems before they really become problems – heading things off before they happen. Clients often stay with us for a long time, coming back whenever they need help. Building trust and fostering these long term relationships is a big part of what we do. This allows us to make a significant impact on people’s lives.
There’s one that I (Craig) will always remember from my second week here. A woman came in, who’d been referred to by a mental health service. She sat in my office and she said: “I’m going to kill myself today.” Everything was going wrong with her. Three years on, I still work with her. We’ve managed to get her son over from Iran. She has a partner, they’ve got a nice flat together, and she’s just given birth to another baby. She came into the office and said: “He’s got to come and meet his uncle Craig.”
The challenges of this approach
This holistic approach to advice giving really does take a lot more time. And it’s much more expensive – I can see why other advice providers try to deal with one issue, and funnel people through. But that’s not us. This approach does require a delicate balance to manage workload. If you’ve done enough for the day, you’ve done enough for the day. And if someone needs a break to clear their head, they can take it without hesitation. Flexibility is key, too. We all have our own things going on, or our own health issues. If someone is struggling, it’s fine to step away. Do what you need to do, and come back when you’re ready.
As well as celebrating our successes together, we support each other through tough times.
On top of that, we try to treat everyone with the same respect. Whether you’re staff, a client, volunteers, trustees – we're all human. It's a workplace, but it feels like a family. Whether it’s having lunch together or playing games during breaks, try to keep it a fun, relaxed environment. This helps us maintain our sanity – and it means that we can keep providing high-quality, personalised support.
Mental health is a priority, too. We deal with some really heavy duty issues, and as well as celebrating our successes together, we support each other through tough times. We create a supportive atmosphere where everyone feels comfortable being open about their challenges.
How we foster trust with clients
We get people coming in at really hard moments. It starts by listening to them, and being non-judgemental. You’re not there to judge who that client is, or why they’re here. You listen – and sometimes that in itself can help your client. One client came in with an impossible situation, and when we said we couldn’t help they said: “I don’t care. I’m just glad someone finally listened. At least you’ve tried.” And then it’s about engaging with active communication, listening to people’s whole stories.
It’s also about having a relaxed environment. Sometimes you can be there for a long time with people – we don’t have time-limited appointments, and people can have as many as they need. We offer people a cuppa, or biscuits. It’s about making people feel relaxed. It sounds silly, but it’s just about being nice to people. Treating people like they’re people. And if someone doesn’t turn up, it’s not a big thing. We ring them, we say: Are you alright?
Advice for other small advice services
Know the regulations, and know the law. That’s the most important thing. We put all the case law in our work – even in the early application stages of PIP – and we use all the regulations properly. This really helps in leading to successful outcomes. It’s important to know the relevant case law in your area. As well as increasing the chance of success it reduces work down the line. We are known for our relentless advocacy, whether it’s securing permanent housing for clients or winning tribunal appeals against the DWP. This level of commitment ensures that our clients receive the thorough and robust support they deserve.
When it comes to recruitment, we know we’re a small organisation, so it’s so important that we hire the right person.
The other thing is invest in people. When it comes to recruitment, we know we’re a small organisation, so it’s so important that we hire the right person. We need someone who has the knowledge and skills, who’s been out there and got a lot of experience. It’s more expensive. But the value comes in hiring a person with all that knowledge and experience. And staying up to date, too. It’s not enough to do a short course on benefits. Continuous, in-depth training is essential to ensure your team is up to date on their knowledge.
