The value of funding user-led advice services: Strengthening Voices, Realising Rights evaluation report

Report authors: Helen Kara and Hilary Cornish

What’s this?

Strengthening Voices, Realising Rights was a funding initiative from Trust for London and City Bridge Foundation, which invested just under £2m to 7 Deaf and Disabled People’s organisations over five years. Through this funding, SVRR aimed to empower DDPOs to provide essential advice services and to promote sustainable capacity-building practices.

Why does it matter?

All of the organisations funded under SVRR are led by Deaf and Disabled organisations – meaning they are user-led.

User-led organisations offer a unique blend of professional expertise and lived experience. This adds huge value to civil society. Some of the benefits of user-led organisations include holistic services, employment opportunities, and a greater understanding of the issue they’re working on.

This report highlights the value of supporting these organisations, and also of providing resourcing for things like capacity building, which ultimately leads to improved outcomes in the day to day lives of people relying on services.

Key findings

User led advice plays a vital role in the wider ecosystem

• Deaf and Disabled people’s organisations play a crucial role in the advice service ecosystem, offering a unique blend of professional expertise and lived experience.
• They provide holistic, person-centred peer support that also benefits clients by connecting them to community and improving their wellbeing.
• More widely, this illustrates the importance of user-led advice services across the board.

Added financial value to Deaf and Disabled Londoners

• The programme generated significant financial revenue for Deaf and Disabled Londoners, helping them to access their rights and reduce poverty.
• For every £1 invested in Strengthening Voices, Realising Rights, at least £3 was generated for Deaf and Disabled Londoners. This is likely an underestimate.

Resourcing capacity building improves outcomes for services users

• SVRR included resourcing for capacity building, which was provided by Inclusion London and included training, peer support networks and business development assistance.
• This was essential for enhancing the funded organisations’ effectiveness and sustainability.
• By providing opportunities and space for capacity building and training, organisations were better able to serve their communities, and adapt to rapid changes such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Challenges

Although resourcing capacity building helped DDPOs to meet some challenges, demand has continued to increase. Many clients also had complex needs, which required long-term support over a number of years. These challenges further highlighted the need for longer-term funding and the importance of peer support and networking.

Recommendations for funders

1. Prioritise longer-term funding of 6 years of longer
2. Fund capacity building initiatives that prioritise network building and shared learning
3. Encourage applicants to include costing to address wellbeing issues for staff
4. Fund advice services for delivery with more than one advice worker
5. Recognise and fund access costs for staff and clients
6. Offer additional funding for organisations to engage in networking, development and peer-relationship building
7. Adopt a mixed funding model that prioritises specialist DDPO community advice provision alongside advocating for larger agencies funded to improve their accessibility

Download the full report and summary document below.