Out of Hours Service: Meet One Of Our Advisors
For the past few months our Out of Hours Service has been helping people across Greater Manchester access the extra help they need during the coronavirus pandemic. Available 7 days a week from 7pm - 9pm, the service provides vital support for those who might be unable to reach us during our normal operating hours.
Lindsay Fletcher is one of the many volunteers giving up their time to deliver the much-needed service during difficult and uncertain times. Having worked as a benefits caseworker at Citizens Advice Manchester for the last eleven years, Lindsay does Saturday nights with the Out of Hours Service and shared with us what it’s like helping people during COVID-19.
“The type of help we give people varies dramatically. Whether it’s giving people initial advice there and then, signposting them to organisations that can help or making appointments for generalist or specialist advice in the area they’re asking about and putting them in work cues for callbacks from different teams. It’s giving them the advice they need or passing them on fluidly to someone better equipped to help, so they don’t have to call us back again.”
The Out of Hours Service, funded by Greater Manchester Combined Authority was set up to deal with the rise in people needing advice due to the coronavirus pandemic and is equipped to help people with a wide range of issues. “Most of the queries we receive are concerning employment, benefits, housing, immigration as well, there’s no one subject area that’s more popular than the other.” says Lindsay. As well as these issues, the service has GM-wide network of support organisations that can deal with almost any issue.
A key element to the service’s success has been the groundbreaking new Whatsapp integration, which has helped more people than ever get access to advice. “Since Whatsapp was added it’s been by far the most popular, that’s what everyone uses. It just seems to be so much more convenient for someone to just be sitting at home watching TV and just being able to get in touch with us. It’s something they’re used to and familiar with and they can reply to us at their own timescale and convenience.”
The service operates a traditional phone-in service from 7pm-10pm every night, alongside the option to get in touch through it’s integrated Whatsapp, Facebook messenger and SMS support meaning digital help is available 24/7. “I think the Out of Hours service has probably appealed to a lot of people who haven’t spoken to Citizens Advice before. A lot of people don’t like ringing so there’s that option there for those people. We also offer Facebook Messenger, you can still phone up or you can text.”
Another huge benefit to the service is the freedom that it offers, with clients not obligated to provide personal information or be locked into drawn-out conversations. “As soon as you’ve got the information you need you can just stop replying, that’s completely fine. You can give as much or as little information as you want to, you can remain anonymous if you want to. You don’t have to give all your details if you just want to receive a bit of initial advice.”
The availability of the service means it’s there for people at night time, when people’s concerns and vulnerabilities are often at their worst. “I had one gentlemen get in touch on a Saturday night, he’d been shielding for months during lockdown and was due to go back into work the next day. He was really concerned about going back as he’d not left the house for months and had obviously been sat there panicking, so it was good we could be there for him.”
Lindsay was able to reassure the client of his options, informing him what his rights were and encouraging him to discuss the issue with his employer and what other steps he could take to make sure his workplace would be safe. “We reassured him and told him that if he didn’t feel safe to get back in touch with us. He’s not been back in touch since, so fingers crossed we were able to sort out his issue.” This is just one example of the service providing vital reassurance, during what is an uncertain time for everybody.
So why does Lindsay choose to do what she does? “The joy you get from helping members of the public is the best thing about working for Citizens Advice. I originally wanted to be a solicitor, but I actually found working for the service was far more rewarding. I wanted to help normal, everyday people and make a difference in their lives, and that’s what we do every day especially with our benefits advice, it’s giving them the voice when they don’t feel like they’re being heard themselves.”