1
NFCAB Business Plan 2015-16: 21 May 2015

1 Introduction
This Business Plan considers the context in which the Bureau is operating and the factors which will impact on our future operation. As well as scanning national and local factors, it incorporates the outcome of business planning sessions held within the Bureau with had an open invitation to all staff and volunteers. Whilst it focuses on 2015/16 its strategic reach covers a 3 year period.
2 Aims & Principles
The Citizens Advice service provides free, independent, confidential and impartial advice to everyone on their rights and responsibilities. It values diversity, promotes equality and challenges discrimination.
The service aims:

To provide the advice people need for the problems they face
 To improve the policies and practices that affect people’s lives
By informing clients of their rights, we aim to empower them so that they can help themselves.
Through our campaigning activity we use the evidence provided by our clients to positively influence practices and law. We do this at a local and, by pooling our information, at a county and national level.
3 Overall Context
The Bureau recognises that it is working, and planning, in a challenging context. The following is a quote from the Citizens Advice One Service Strategy consultation launched in October
2014.
“In March 2015, there will be five years of public spending cuts behind us and another four years ahead. We will be just 55 per cent of the way through the total reductions of £178bn in public spending, and many of the toughest choices will be starting to hit home”.
We recognise the implications of this context:

our funders have their own financial constraints: we have to demonstrate to them our effectiveness and the value for money we provide

our clients continue to be impacted by austerity and welfare reforms: we have to help them, individually, with the support they need to manage their problems; and collectively, through our campaigning work, by challenging unfair or unintended consequences of policy and practice.
2
NFCAB Business Plan 2015-16: 21 May 2015

Given this context, in our 2013/14 Annual Report we identified our Key Deliverables for the next 12 months as being:

maintaining the volume and quality of the services we provide for the people of the
New Forest

raising the publi c’s awareness of the service by improved publicity including a greater presence in the press and the use of social media

expanding our campaigning role on behalf of the people of the New Forest, using our own social policy evidence and materials from Citizens Advice nationally

improving the financial health of the Bureau by continuing to review our cost base and seeking new sources of funds, including contracts for service and fund-raising

exploiting the potential of the New Forest Advice Network in all of the above and, by working together, improving access to advice services.
These key deliverables remain valid. This Business Plan gives more detail on the drivers for change, our objectives for the year and the actions required to achieve them.
4 Influencers on Business Plan
There are influencers on the Business Plan at a number of levels.
4.1 National
The public finance context has already been described above. For advice services the implications of this were spelt out in the aims of the Advice Services Transition Fund (ASTF) established in 2013; namely that advice services needed to use the opportunity of the one-off funding to find ways of making themselves more resilient to funding reductions by working together to identify cost efficiencies and more sustainable business models.
The same context was addressed by the Draft Citizens Advice One Service Strategy launched in August 2014. Designed to elicit feedback on how the Citizens Advice service might adapt its working model to cope in the new climate, it proposed changes over the whole range of its operation, e.g.

ease of access for consumers with more channels of access

less rigid case management processes

use of cloud-based technology and shift away from big procurements with built in obsolescence

a new performance/quality assurance framework

encouragement towards more local flexibility for sustainability

a stronger role for Research and Campaigns
The final strategy will be released in May 2015. Prior to that Citizens Advice has issued a further consultation on the part of the strategy relating to the performance and quality framework (PQF) and membership consultation. This is a wide ranging consultation including proposals on:
3
NFCAB Business Plan 2015-16: 21 May 2015


key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure all asp ects of bureaux’ performance

phone and digital targets for bureaux
 advice framework including option for introduction of “initial check”

support model for bureaux from Citizens Advice and between bureaux
Subject to the outcome of the consultation implementation of the proposals will commence in
October 2015 and complete by April 2017. The requirements set out in the proposals will be incorporated into the new Membership Agreement. The Agreement will also cover the use of the new Citizens Advice Brand introduced in April 2015.
The Bureau has been analysing the consultation proposals and will respond by the closing date. The new PQF, advice model and phone and digital strategy present a major change programme. Key elements from the consultation document have been reflected in the
Business Plan objectives.
In terms of national influencers on advice content arising from national influencers, the most significant are probably Universal Credit and the 2014 Care Act. Universal Credit is due for initial implementation in the New Forest in December 2015 and the Care Act is being progressively implemented through 2014. Both are likely to mean increased workload for the Bureau and also have the potential for funding opportunities.
4.2 Local
Locally we enjoy an excellent relationship with New Forest District Council (NFDC), our core funder, and have received an increase in our grant aid settlement for 2015/16. A successful case was also made to a number of our Town and Parish Councils for an increase in grant aid. We are aware, however, of the funding reductions being experienced by Local Authorities and the need for our financial strategy to respond to this context. This gives rise to three important priorities for the next 12 months:

continuing to prove our worth to the District, Town and Parish Councils and adding value where we can

identifying opportunities to reduce costs

identifying and securing alternative funding streams
As indicated above, the ASTF project is one approach to seeking greater resilience. The New
Forest Advice Network (NFAN) funded by the ASTF has now matured to a level where there is mutual trust and a willingness to engage in shared projects. This lays the foundation for greater collaboration which may help its members financially, through shared services or joint bidding. Leading the Network effectively, in itself, will bring added value for the NFDC.
4.3 Bureau
The Bureau has experienced considerable change in the past 12 months, one feature being the change of personnel in the CEO, Operations Manager and Finance Officer positions as well as two new Advice Service Managers, and the NFAN Project Coordinator. We also have a new Trustee as Treasurer. This brings the opportunity for new ideas and challenge to build on the firm foundations of its current operating model.
4
NFCAB Business Plan 2015-16: 21 May 2015

As an early initiative and as referenced above, the CEO, accompanied by a Trustee, visited the Team meetings of all the locality offices to hold business planning sessions. The outcomes from these were written up, shared with all staff and volunteers and have been fed into this
Business Plan. What was evident from the process is a willingness on the part of volunteers to explore new ways to deliver and support the service whist sustaining its core values.
5 Service Delivery
The Bureau operates from five offices and one outreach facility. The current opening hours per week for the plan year are:
Hythe – 16 hours over 4 days
New Milton – 16 hours over 4 days
Lymington – 30 hours over 5 days
Totton – 16 hours over 4 days
Ringwood – 16 hours over 4 days
Fordingbridge (outreach from Ringwood) – 6 hours over 2 days
Lymington is the only office open for 5 days a week and this is primarily because it provides the hub for the Adviceline service which is required to operate 5 days a week. The hours of the Ringwood service were reduced, making it consistent with the remaining offices, in
November 2014 to address affordability issues.
Office opening hours are from 10am to 2pm with the exception of Lymington which is from
10am to 4pm. The plan is to maintain those hours throughout the year unless additional funding makes it possible to extend them.
Adviceline now accounts for 19% (2013/14) of client contacts throughout the Bureau though the figures are far higher in Lymington than the other offices. As Citizen Advice continues to develop its Phone Strategy which will inevitably involve a greater promotion of Adviceline, the
Bureau needs to strengthen its capacity to fully service Adviceline with appropriately trained assessors.
The Bureau has been successful, as part of a Hampshire Consortium with 5 other Bureaux, in obtaining a contract for a webchat and email advice service through 2015/16 and this was commenced on 27 th April 2015.
Consultation within the Bureau has surfaced concerns that its service may not be equally accessible to all for a number of reasons, e.g. opening times, service style, location and so consideration should be given to reviewing these factors to see whether the service can be more accessible within available resources or new resources.
The Bureau continues to provide specifically tailored services consistent with its core aims and principles with the following status as at February 2015:

Healthwatch: funded under SLA until March 2016, with possible extension to March
2017

Macmillan: funded under SLA until June 2016 with further 3 month extension option

Energy Best Deal funded until September 2015
5
NFCAB Business Plan 2015-16: 21 May 2015

Opportunities to bid for other contracts will be monitored, assessed and taken as they arise.
In the same way we have found advantages in bidding for, and providing services, as part of the Hampshire Citizens Advice Consortium, it may be advantageous to explore the scope for collaborating on bids with other local advice agencies. The NFAN has provided opportunities to test the issues involved in this and the outcome of these will need to be assessed.
The Audit of 2014 confirmed a QA assessment of 65% which was a reduction from the 70% achieved in 2011. A remedial action plan was put in place and has been the subject of close monitoring through 2013/14. In addition a client satisfaction survey was undertaken in
December 2014 which showed an improvement over the one undertaken in 2011: 97% and
99% respectively for the Adviceline After-Call and Client Satisfaction surveys.
Citizens Advice is trialling a new Quality Assessment Framework which is likely to be based on continuous self-assessment with a requirement to undertake this forming part of the revised
Membership Agreement.
7 Research & Campaigns
The Citizens Advice approach to social policy has undergone a radical overhaul with the intention that it forms a more prominent part of its work and is supported by a more structured and consistent approach within bureaux. Additional guidance materials have been prepared and a self-assessment framework on Research and Campaigns performance is being piloted.
In response, and using the enthusiasm for this area of work evident from the team business planning sessions, the Bureau has overhauled its own social policy activity and adopted the research and campaigning approach. Its Research and Campaigns meeting is now effectively run, with dedicated support, attendance from all offices, the CEO and a Trustee. Commitment is given to national campaigns and local ones are being given a higher profile, including, currently, a survey on renters. Campaigns are also being extended to include the participation of other parties including NFDC and the New Forest Advice Network agencies.
At its May meeting the R&C Group will self-assess against the new requirements and report to the Trustees on results and outstanding requirements.
8 People & Training
Despite significant turnover in the past 12 months, the Bureau now has a full complement of paid staff and with a number of roles re-profiled to better reflect the current demands.
Volunteer numbers have, however, for a number of reasons, suffered a reduction and this needs to be a major focus of attention in 2015/16: this needs to include as well the profile of volunteers required for the changing service priorities.
Training was the subject of criticism at the Team Meeting business planning sessions. The
Operations Manager has now taken over responsibility for this function which needs to be the subject of a review complementary to the staffing review.
6
NFCAB Business Plan 2015-16: 21 May 2015

Communications within the Bureau were also voiced as an issue at the Team Meeting business planning sessions, although improvements were acknowledged. However, at a subsequent meeting in April 2015 with Volunteer Representatives there was very positive feedback on communications demonstrating that continuing management attention has paid off. Opportunities for further improving communications will continue to be explored.
9 Publicity and Marketing
Publicity and marketing have probably never been more important for the Bureau. Nationally,
Citizens Advice has updated its brand and the Bureau has expressed an interest in being an early adopter of the new brand. This should help us to focus on the way we wish to project the Bureau locally to improve our ability to compete for business, recruit successfully and develop effective platforms for our campaigning on social policy issues.
Both the Leadership and the Research and Campaigns self-assessment tools within the proposed Citizens Advice PQF require the completion of stakeholder mapping and strategies so we will need to complete these in the coming year.
We have recently refreshed the Bureau website and we also have a presence on the New
Forest Advice Network website. Consideration now has to be given to other social media platforms e.g. Twitter, Facebook and neighbourhood networking sites.
10 Governance
Effective governance is essential to our continuing operation with respect to our legality, the safety of our staff and clients, and our good reputation. It is also a prominent feature of the proposed Citizens Advice PQF which requires the completion of a Leadership Self-
Assessment covering all key areas of governance.
Management of risk needs to play a more prominent role given the strategic decisions the
Bureau may be facing in. The Annual Liaison Visit was undertaken in April 2015 with the overall assessment for the Bureau being low for 2015/16. However it also recognises challenges presented beyond 2015/16 including the continuing difficult financial climate and the implementation of the Citizens Advice PQF. In this context, risk management will need to become more embedded in the routine overview of the Bureau’s operation.
11 Premises
The Lymington office move in 2014 gave a one-off financial benefit and a reduced rental cost.
The current accommodation arrangement, however, presents problems in terms of space utilisation and requires review.
As part of medium term strategic planning, consideration needs to be given to the cost and utilisation of all the Bureau’s rented premises so that advantage can be taken of lease dates and break clauses, as necessary. Options to share premises with other organisations should be considered where siting and costs suggest advantages. In particular, in view of the
7
NFCAB Business Plan 2015-16: 21 May 2015

desirability of optimising accessibility to our services, using outreach sites should be considered.
Every effort should be made to keep premises in good condition to ensure that they provide safe and valuing environments for clients, volunteers and staff.
12 Information & Communication Technology (ICT)
Interestingly, the ICT resources available, most notably PETRA, are regarded by volunteers as both a great asset and a great impediment. There is little that we can do locally to overcome the problems presented by the system, including reliability issues, other than ensuring that staff and volunteers are as fully trained as they can be in how to use it. Nationally, PETRA has to be replaced by 2018 as its underlying Microsoft platform will not support it beyond then and the current Citizens Advice strategy is to replace this with a internet-based digital service which will facilitate case management in a more intuitive and flexible way whilst also generating data for research and campaigning.
In 2015 Citizens Advice is also planning to offer Google Apps as an email and office support platform with consequently lower capital and revenue costs for bureaux.
The Citizens Advice IT strategy implementation offers great potential to improve our client management and business systems, with attendant risks of implementation which will need to be managed. It will be important for us to monitor developments closely to ensure we are well placed to take advantage.
Our participation in the Webchat and email pilot should be helpful in developing our skills in using ICT for new advice channels.
In 2014, the Bureau prepared an inventory of its hardware and software and this needs to be followed up with a replacement strategy to ensure resilience and improve tools available to advisers. Decisions on this will increasingly need to be made with one eye to the national ICT strategy roll-out.
Sound information assurance remains essential and training on this will need to be renewed.
New systems and processes will need to be checked for information assurance compliance.
13 Finance and Fundraising
The 2015/16 Budget is included as Annex 1 to this Budget Plan. This projects a break-even and a Reserves level of £95,000.
The Bureau has identified one of its key deliverables as improving its financial health by continuing to review our cost base and seeking new sources of funds, including contracts for service and fund-raising.
One of the early objectives of the new Finance Officer is to refine the costing and budgeting process so that we can more easily identify, monitor and seek to affect, where necessary, our cost drivers. This will form part of a performance management approach which seeks to
8
NFCAB Business Plan 2015-16: 21 May 2015

identify in what activities, and where, we are most cost effective so that we can shape our operational and strategic management decisions accordingly.
Maintaining income levels and identifying new income is essential. Our ability to do this will significantly depend on our success with publicity and marketing and, most importantly, the quality of our service.
A fund-raising dinner is planned at Beaulieu Abbey in November 2015 and dedicated support has been agreed to assist in the planning for this event and test for other fund-raising opportunities. The Bureau is also exploring a corporate sponsorship scheme to try and establish continuing relationships with local companies and an associated recurring income stream
14 Strategic Development
Much of the Bureau’s business activity is responsive to the requirements of the annual cycle and normal governance processes including external strategies and regulation. For the next
3 years, the Citizens Advice PQF and membership agreement will generate work required to meet KPIs and satisfy membership requirements. Citizens Advice has also recently issued update proposals for its Equality Strategy, Stand up for Equality. These will require a response and consideration of proposals we wish to develop on equality for our own Bureau, When issued, we will also need to review the final Citizens Advice One Service Strategy and the
Citizens Advice Hampshire Business Plan.
Much of this work can be captured in the topic based objectives accompanying this Business
Plan. However, there are also strategic questions which do not readily fit within any one category but are important and require Trustee deliberation, eg:

Planning for resilience in the continuing challenging financial climate

Relationship with NFAN partners following expiry of the Big Lottery grant and how continuing collaboration is to be resourced

Relationship with CitAH and choices between collaborative and unilateral bidding

Appetite for contracts outside the current core activity and potential benefits and risks involved

The profile of the Bureau within its local community and its appetite to be a champion for fairer policies and practices
With the hard work of Bureaux mergers and integration now substantially behind us, it will be appropriate for the Trustee Board to spend more time addressing strategic issues to secure the Bureau’s continuing successful operation in a context of considerable change.
9
NFCAB Business Plan 2015-16: 21 May 2015