Projects & Partnerships 6 November 2023

London Learning - how partnership works

Joining forces with London Legal Support Trust we held a one day learning event about our GLA funded joint Cost of Living Advice partnership which now involves 41 different delivery agencies, plus a wider range of community organisations engaging in Advice First Aid. The sessions were led by Phil Jew consultancy, our joint learning partner to explore what had been achieved through the partnership and what more could be achieved. 

"The Project is doing what it set out to do: primarily, it is providing much needed welfare advice for Londoners affected by the cost-of-living crisis. 26,000 Londoners have been helped to access financial improvements totalling £7.2millon. Every £1 invested by GLA puts £3.75 in the pockets of hard-up Londoners. It is contributing to the Robust Safety Net plan, creating a foundation for longer term partnership work within, and across boroughs and enhancing engagement within the advice sector and between the sector and faith and community groups. Advice has been made more accessible and additional people have been reached and helped. It has also contributed to advice sector workforce recruitment and retention."

Cost-of-Living Crisis Prevention Advice Project Learning & Evaluation Year 1 Report, October 2023

The evaluation found that the strategic funding partnership approach has enabled more effective mobilisation and collaboration than individual/competitive grant funds approach, and that the concepts of working with community and faith agencies, including delivering advice first aid training and cross borough work between advice agencies have been proven to be effective.

At the learning event attendees which included managers and advisers from agencies across London valued the opportunity to come together in person to discuss greater collaboration.