1. Strategic Partnership, Isle Help CIC & Isle of Wight
Local Authority
Background
Isle Help is an Advice Service Transition Fund project based on the Isle of Wight. The partners are
Citizens Advice Bureau, AgeUK, People Matter, Footprint Trust, Community Action, and the Law
Centre. The delivery objectives of the project are broadly in line with Cabinet Office
recommendationsfollowingtheirreview of the Not for Profit Advice Services in England published
on 25 October2012. Insummarythe project has helped to improve the sustainability of the advice
service by improving collaboration, increasing service delivery channels, and creating a shared
service hub. Our approach has ensured the successful continuation of the ASTF project as Isle Help
has now been incorporated as a Community Interest Company and is now working as a funded
strategic partner of the Isle of Wight Council.
Issueswe faced
The major issue we faced fromthe outset of the project was increasing uncertainty over continued
local authoritygrantfunding.Thisissue wasof particularconcernto Citizens Advice Bureau and Age
UK as the local authoritygrantmakes up a significantproportion of annual funding for information,
advice andguidance (IAG).Duringthe earlystagesof the project it seemed more than likely that IW
Council would tender for advice services and follow the example of Portsmouth City Council who
had letan advice servicescontractin 2012. Therefore itwasimportantforthe partnership touse the
ASTF funding to position itself favourably in a bidding process by improving sustainability and the
services that were provided to clients.

2. What we did
From the beginning of the project we ensured that Isle Help was positioned to assist the local
authoritytoachieve its objectives,andprioritisedprojectobjectivesthatwouldhave mostbeneficial
impact for the Council. For example we introduced a shared services hub in a prominent position
immediatelyoppositethe TownHall inthe Countytownhigh street. The shared services advice hub
has reduced the overheads of project partners, greatly improved collaborative working and
therefore improved servicestoindividual clients.Ithasalso providedself-serviceITfacilitiesthatwill
assistthe Council’sdigital service provisionprogramme andthe introductionof Universal Credit.The
locationof the advice serviceshubhasalsoincreasedfootfall and served to improve the awareness
of Council senior officers of the importance of voluntary sector services. The project has also
introduced a three year strategy http://www.islehelp.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Isle-
Help-Strategy-VERSION-3.1-2015-2018.pdf whichwasa clearindicationof itsintention to transform
intoa vehicle thatcoulddeliverlongtermbenefitforthe local community.The strategy lays out Isle
Help’sstrategicaims,valuesandobjectivesforthe next three years.Itwaswritten togive deference
to the IW Council’s own priorities referenced in the local authority three year corporate plan. This
approach hasgivena clearindicationtothe council of sharedprioritiesoverthe next few years. The
strategy also includes an annual action plan with clear accountability for delivery of the 2015-16
objectives. One of the prioritiesof the Isle Help strategy is to introduce a prevention programme to
prevent members of our from spiralling into crisis http://www.islehelp.org.uk/wp-
content/uploads/2014/09/Isle-Help-Prevention-Plan-2015-2016.pdf
The 2015-16 Isle Helpprevention plan uses existing management information to identify the most
prevalentissues on the Island and profiles the clients most likely to come to Isle Help agencies for
advice.The plan is already yielding benefit to Islanders as outreach for priority issues such as debt
and benefitsadvice have been introduced into the lower level super output areas that suffer most
from deprivation.
What wentwell
The project has been successful in a number of ways. From a service users point of view it has
introduced a conveniently located advice hub with access to a range of IAG services. An internet
based referral system has also been introduced which vastly improves the customer journey, and
peripheral accesstodebt and welfare advice is now available at outreach locations prioritised by a
comprehensive prevention plan. The success of the Isle Help project has significantly raised the
profile of the voluntarysector with the local authority. The aspirations of Isle Help expressed in its
strategy and prevention plan have convinced IW Council that it does not need to tender for IAG
services.A strategicpartnership is now in place between Isle Help CIC and IW Council that enables
the council and voluntary sector providers to work together for the benefit of Island people. The
objective of the partnership isto agree and implement a joint strategy for the continuing provision
of advice, information and guidance at a time of increased demand and limited resources. The
partnership will ensure continued public access to effective advice information and guidance that
will helppeople tobetterrespondtodebt,housing, health, welfare, employment, consumer rights
and other issues. The partnership will continue to ensure reduced costs and greater efficiency

3. securingthe future sustainabilityof bothcouncil andindependent voluntarysectoragenciesoffering
information, advice and guidance.
What didn’tgo well
Currentlythere isonlyapotentialfor thingsto go wrong.Insome waysthe projecthasbeen a victim
of its own success and it will be a priority for the board of Isle Help CIC to carefully manage
expectations with regard to what Isle Help is capable of achieving. The austerity programme has
prompted the local authority to consider Isle Help for a range of prospective services but it will be
important for capacity to be carefully considered throughout the lifetime of the partnership.
Key lessonslearnt
The outcomesfromthe projectand the strategicpartnershipbetweenthe local authorityandIsle
HelpCIC provide good evidence thatthe voluntarysectorcanbe of enormousbenefittopublic
sectorservicesduringperiodsof austerity.The voluntarysectorhasthe necessaryskillsand
expertisetodevelopanddeliverlongtermplansforthe goodof the community.
Lee Hodgson
CEO IOW CAB