Outreach

We’ve come up with lots of points for you to consider when planning your campaign. The research suggests that the initial contact should be from a trusted source.

• Existing capacity - the pinch point is likely to be capacity of money advice staff at a time when demand is already very high. The Pension Credit claims process is simple, so could other staff be trained to support with this? For example, For Housing are training all sheltered scheme managers.

• Sheltered/supported housing staff – how can they help with the campaign? They will already be in contact with a large number of potentially eligible people. Involve them in your internal discussions when planning your campaign. Could they be given training to enable them to add capacity to your money advice work?

• Welfare calls – since Covid, many providers have been making welfare calls to sheltered and supported tenants. Could this be included as part of that call?

• Are you doing anything else in relation to the Covid humanitarian response that would help you with this?

• Are you planning a winter wellness/welfare campaign? Could this be part of it?

• Contact centres – are your incoming calls handled by a central team? How could they support the campaign? Are they able to discuss the campaign with callers and make referrals to the campaign team?

• All staff – can you raise awareness of the campaign across your organisation so that all staff can refer people for a follow up call? Can staff spread the word among friends and family who may be eligible?

• Local residents and volunteers - do you work with local residents who could support this through social media and word of mouth? Are there any community groups or community run social media pages that you could ask to share the message?

• Carer’s Centres - each local authority will have their own carers centre. Can they help you get the message out and generate some referrals?

• Local CVS and VCSE sector – how could you link in with them?

• Other potential partners - consider which other organisations are in regular contact with older people because of Covid, shielding and isolation, e.g. Age UK and The Royal British Legion - could they start the conversation for you?

• What other money advice support is available in your area? Could they be part of your campaign?

• Citizens Advice is supporting the wider GM campaign and is happy for you to refer people in to access support via their website. See next section for details.