Projects & Partnerships 6 April 2023

Advice First Aid - scaling up across London

As part of the GLA Cost of Living Crisis Prevention Project, London Citizens Advice are working to develop and spread the delivery of Advice First Aid (AFA) training sessions to a wider range of diverse partners across London from faith and community groups to local charities, migrant, foodbanks, social prescribers, volunteers working with emerging black, Asian, ethnic minority, migrant and refugee (BAMER) groups, disability advocacy, and support organisations engaging vulnerable Londoners and those impacted by the cost of living crisis and financial hardship.

As well as their local own local delivery, Citizens Advice Wandsworth (CAW) who have pioneered AFA and lead on this have now supported the delivery of Advice First Aid sessions for community partners with LCAs in Hounslow, Harrow, Lewisham, Croydon and Enfield, with many more sessions planned. 

Citizens Advice Hounslow delivered their first AFA training session in February 2023 at the Afghan and Central Asian Association (ACAA) for members of the Bridgelink Community Centre and of course for the ACAA itself, with CAH's GLA adviser  contributing by illustrating the services that CA Hounslow can offer and the access routes into core services and projects. Local AFA training sessions and have gathered a lot of interest among local foodbanks at Hope Church, Riverside Vineyard, Hounslow Community Foodbox, as well as community organisations like Hestia. 

Citizens Advice Harrow have also delivered several sessions with lots of positive feedback, including the following from one attendee.

We want to take a moment to express our sincere thanks for the wonderful 2-day training program, Advice First Aid Training. The training was incredibly informative and has equipped us with the skills and knowledge needed to provide effective advice and support to those in need. The trainer was engaging and knowledgeable, and we appreciated their willingness to answer questions and provide real-life examples that helped us to understand the material better. The training materials were also well-designed and easy to follow, making the learning experience both enjoyable and effective. Overall, we feel much more confident in our ability to provide first aid advice and support after completing this training. We would highly recommend this program to anyone looking to improve their skills in this area.