Youth Advice Practice
These pages contain a range of briefings and sample policies & procedures that will support youth advice managers and practitioners in providing a high quality service for young people.
Definitions and Principles
Definitions of Information and Advice (Youth Access, 2007)
A short briefing outlining definitions of information and advice, including definitions written by Youth Access, the Legal Service Commission and Advice UK, and the difference between 'personal' and 'rights-based' advice work.
Common Definitions Guidance for the Advice Quality Mark (Working Together for Advice, 2010)
This paper defines the meaning of terms commonly used within the advice sector, such as, 'information, advice case work and specialist advice' and helps clarify what is meant by legal advice for the purpose of the Advice Quality Mark
Enquiry and Case Management
Guidance on Case Recording (Youth Access, 2010)
A short briefing explaining the what, when and how of case recording for youth advice agencies.
The Principles of Case Recording in Advice Work (Youth Access 2001)
Good practice guidelines on case recording for youth advice services, Youth Access training notes.
File Management Guidance (IQP/Youth Access, 2003)
Guidance notes for good file management.
Case Management and Client Care (Advice Services Alliance, 2003)
A CLS Support briefing on the CLS Quality Mark requirements regarding case management and client care issues.
For information on case management systems see Statistical Monitoring and Evaluation
Conflict of Interest
What is a Conflict of Interest? (Youth Access 2006)
A brief guide explaining Conflict of Interest within an advice service, plus guidance notes for developing your own procedure.
Conflict of Interest Procedure (Youth Access 2006)
A sample Conflict of Interest procedure for a Youth Advice Service.
Conflict of Interest (Advice Services Alliance, 2002)
A CLS Support briefing on the CLS Quality Mark requirements regarding avoiding and dealing with conflicts of interest.
Signposting and Referral
Referring Young People to Legal Advice Providers (Youth Access 2001)
Good practice guidelines on referring young people to mainstream advice services. Youth Access training notes.
Signposting & Referral Procedure (IQP / Youth Access, 2003)
A sample signposting & referral procedure for youth advice services.
Signposting and Referral (Advice Services Alliance, 2002)
A CLS Support briefing on how to develop signposting and referral policies and procedures to meet CLS Quality Mark requirements.
Key Resources for Advisers
Information Resources to Support Youth Advice Work (Youth Access 2011)
A briefing setting out suggested information resources a youth advice worker will need.
The Citizens Advice Information System, AdviserNet, is an essential resource for advisers and covers all welfare issues from employment to benefits, housing to debt . Youth Access has negotiated a special discounted rate for members .
Managing Demanding Clients (Advice Services Alliance, 2003)
A short CLS Support briefing giving guidance to advice agencies on how to deal with difficult or demanding clients.
Supervision & Quality of Advice
Models of Technical Supervision (Youth Access, 2010)
A short briefing highlighting the different models of technical supervision appropriate for a youth advice service, including the advantages and disadvantages of each model.
Ten Steps to a Quality Advice Service (Youth Access 2011)
A practical guide for managers of YIACS, this briefing provides ten simple steps to follow to help improve the quality of advice provision.
Quality of Advice Assessments (Youth Access, 2008)
A short briefing exploring the different quality of advice assessment methods used in the advice sector, including the pros and cons of each.
Mystery Shopping Evaluation Report (Youth Access/Age UK 2010)
An evaluation report of the mystery shopping pilot carried out as part of the Quality Workstream for Working Together for Advice
Independent File Review (Advice Services Alliance, 2002)
A CLS Support briefing on how to audit advice case files to meet CLS Quality Mark requirements.
Job Descriptions
A model job description for a young people's lawyer provided by Streetwise Community Law Centre.
Also see Training & Workforce Development
Providing Information and Community Education Services
Peer Education Case Study (Youth Access 2007)
Case study of Shelter's Ricochet project, which delivers peer education alongside advice to young people, written for National Youth Homelessness Scheme.
Community Education Case Studies (Youth Access 2007)
Three short case studies of organisations that have successfully developed community education projects for young people, written for National Youth Homelessness Scheme.
Community Legal Education Top Tips (Youth Access 2007)
Top tips for anyone developing community education work with young people, written for National Youth Homelessness Scheme.
Information Services Top Tips (Youth Access August 2007)
Top tips for anyone developing information resources for young people, written for National Youth Homelessness Scheme.
Advice Service Planning
SDAIS Business & Service implementation Plan 2007 /2008 (Stockton District Advice and Information Service)
An extremely detailed youth advice service business and implementation plan, provided by Stockton District Advice & Information Service. This document would be of particular interest to any agency considering developing a specialist youth advice service.
Service Planning (Advice Services Alliance, 2002)
A CLS Support briefing on strategic planning for advice agencies, covering things like conducting a SWOT analysis, ensuring you're meeting community needs and pulling together a business plan.
Commissioning
Getting Your Advice Service Ready for Commissioning (Youth Access 2007)
A briefing intended to help youth advice service managers identify the action they might need to take to improve their chances of gaining funding for public services in the new commissioning climate
Also see funding pages
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