Advice Pro a basic guide for Bradford agencies (v4) October 2015

Transcription

1 Advice Pro a basic guide for Bradford agencies (v4) October 2015 This guidance tells you how to enter the right information when setting up a new client/case record and when adding information to your existing client/case records. The aim is to ensure your monitoring reports to Bradford Council are complete and correct. It does not cover legal aid work. Note: there is a lot more info that you can record on Advice Pro and it is up to you (or your manager) to decide what else you want to enter. This guide covers the info you need for monitoring reports to Bradford Council. If you want to hide sections that you do not need to fill in, contact nickh@bradfordcan.org.uk Contents Page 2: creating a new client & case record ie setting up a client whose details have not previously been entered onto Advice Pro Page 7: adding a new case to an existing client ie you are advising the same client about more than one type of problem. This section applies both: when you advise the client about more than one type of problem from the first time you have contact with them; and when the client comes back with a different problem after your first contact with them Page 8: reporting further work done for the same client about the same problem ie you have repeat appointments with the same client about the same problem Page 9: if you choose to use welfare rights (rather than welfare benefits ) to record advice about benefits this is a matter of choice for each agency to decide Page 11: appendix 1 keeping case notes about the client s problem and the advice you have given to the client; how to alert each other about clients issues or behaviour Page 12: appendix 2: how to customise Advice Pro

2 1) Create a new record by clicking on new client / case near the top left of screen 2) A form appears called create new client / case - fill in: a. Forename b. Surname c. DoB d. NI number It is up to you whether to allocate an agency client ref number e. House number/name f. Postcode 3) Choose whether to record this as an enquiry (oneoff) or case (ongoing) it is up to you to decide and it makes no difference to your monitoring report for Bradford Council. 4) Select the relevant matter type (the type of problem) from the drop down list eg debt, housing, benefits, etc Note a): if you are advising about benefits, it is up to you whether to use welfare benefits or welfare rights. Welfare benefits will keep information about all the same clients different benefits in the same case record. Welfare rights will automatically create a separate case details record for each different benefit you deal with for the client. Each case details record will be stored along with the client details record. Note b): if you are advising the same client about different types of problems (eg benefit and debt and consumer), you need to create a case details record for each type of problem see p7 below for how to do this. 5) Funding source: CAN Network may already appear as the funding source. If not, it is VERY IMPORTANT to select this because: a. The following screens will be customised to match Bradford Council s reporting requirements making it simpler to record the right info for your monitoring report b. When you produce your report for Bradford Council, it will only include info from cases/enquiries saved with CAN network as funding source so if you don t choose CAN Network, you will under report your work to the Council. Note: if you have not set CAN Network as your default funding source but you want to do this, please see appendix 2 at the end of this guide

3 6) The next screen checks the info you have already entered and looks for any possible conflict of interest eg if there is already a client with the same name, or address, or NI number, or date of birth, etc in your Advice Pro records 7) If there is a potential conflict of interest, you can check further by clicking on conflict of interest check. If there is no conflict of interest, click next 8) Next screen = client details. This includes the info you have already entered and also gives you more options to record details about the client. See screen shot below Remember: this guide covers what to fill in for your report to Bradford Council you or your manager may want you to add other details as well. 9) On the left side of the screen, you need to fill in: a. Gender b. Sexual orientation c. Marital status d. Ethnic origin e. Custom fields: is your gender the same as assigned at birth? Remember to scroll down to the bottom of the page! You will need to enter contact information (tel no, , etc) for your client below the Custom Fields box

4 10) Scroll back up to the top of the right side of the screen the client address should already be filled in. If it is not, enter the house number and postcode and click search 11) Bradford Council s report does not require any of the household details but you or your manager may want you to then scroll down the page 12) In other details, for Bradford Council monitoring, you only need to fill in: a. Religion b. Preferred language spoken but only fill this in if it is not English Then scroll down the page 13) In the health issues box: select whichever description applies, even if this is none - if you do not select anything, your report to Bradford Council will be blank on this question so if the client is not disabled, select none - if you select more than one health problem, the first one you select is the one that will appear in the report to Bradford Council Then click on next 14) Next screen = initial case details this will include the info you have already entered and also give you more options. As noted above, this guide only tells you what to fill in for your report to Bradford Council but you or your manager may want you to add other details as well. 15) On the left side of the screen you need to fill in: a. Level b. Venue 16) On the right side of the screen: should already have CAN Network as funding source, if you entered this at the start always check that it is there then click next

5 17) Next screen = additional case details 18) IMPORTANT: select the relevant sub matters (if using welfare benefits as matter type) or welfare rights issues (if using welfare rights as matter type) by choosing the sub matters or issues that you are advising the client about for example: if you are advising about 2 different benefits, select those 2 benefits; if you are advising about 5 different debts, select those 5 debts. If you are advising about 3 different immigration issues, select those 3 issues Doing this allows you to add a monitoring stat (a row on the spreadsheet) onto your report to Bradford Council for each sub matter / issue selected. Note: if using welfare benefits as the matter type, there is a list of options underneath each benefit name to describe the work you have done eg eligibility, form filling, appeals, etc Click on the pointer in front of the benefit name to see the drop down list of options. It s up to you whether to use just the name of the benefit or a more detailed description of what you have done. If you choose a detailed description, please only select one per benefit. See appendix 2 for how to add new sub matters if the ones you need are not already there. 19) Near the bottom of the screen you need to fill in the Custom Fields: a. Are you pregnant or have you had a child in the last year? b. Number of Debt Problems Stabilised if relevant, enter the number of debts here c. Welfare Reform Monitoring if relevant, select the issue (this is the same list that Bradford Council has asked you to report on for the past couple of years) 20) Click finish at end however you have not quite finished yet! if you used welfare rights as the matter type, go to p9 below if you did NOT use welfare rights as the matter type, continue to the next page

6 21) Next screen = Case Details: if you previously selected outreach as the venue, you must now select the outreach location name by clicking on edit outreach location scroll down to bottom right of screen 22) You will see a list of outreach venues (if not, see note below) select the right one & save changes Note: if you have not yet set up the outreach location names for your agency, please see appendix 2 at end for how to do this 23) If you have generated new income for the client, or if you have stabilised debts for the client, you need to record how much money was involved by using the outcomes tab 24) Above the purple bar, there are several grey tabs. Click on the one called outcomes. The top row on the next screen says financial outcomes on the right, click on add financial outcomes and a list of options will appear including two with CAN at the start: If you generated any income for the client, select CAN - income generated and add selected outcome If you dealt with debts for the client, select CAN - total debt handled and add selected outcome IMPORTANT: you must use the two options starting with CAN to enter this info if you don t, the info will not appear in your report to Bradford Council 25) On the next screen, enter a figure in the amount box for income generated or total debt handled, and then choose the relevant period from the drop down list: a. For income generated, choose weekly, fortnightly, monthly, one-off, etc b. For debt, choose one-off 26) Remember to save changes each time the screen will then display the annual amounts of income generated and debt handled for that client/case Note: if you generated income both as a one-off (eg backdated benefit or a grant) and also as an extra weekly amount (eg a new benefit entitlement), you need to enter CAN income generated more than once and select the relevant period 27) Finally, if the client has children, click on the grey client tab, on left of screen this changes the grey tabs below it to give you different options 28) Then click on the grey dependants tab in the row below the client tab and add new dependant for each dependant child Note: we recommend setting this tab to give DoB see appendix 2 at end for how to do this IF YOU ADVISED THE CLIENT ABOUT ANOTHER TYPE OF PROBLEM AS WELL (EG BENEFIT AND DEBT OR IMMIGRATION), GO TO THE NEXT PAGE IF NOT, CLICK FINISH AND THEN ENTER NOTES ABOUT THE CLIENT S PROBLEM AND ADVICE GIVEN SEE APPENDIX 1

7 29) If you advised the same client about more than one type of problem, you need to add a new case for the current client 30) For example, if you advised the same client about a benefit problem and about a debt problem at your first interview with them, then so far you have only created a case details record for one of those problems eg the benefit problem but not for the debt problem. 31) In order to create a case details for the debt problem, you need to add a new case about the debt problem for the same client. This is simple 32) First, make sure you have a case details record open for the client eg the benefit case record you have just created. Then look near the top left of the screen for a grey tab called add new click on this and select the last option case for current client 33) On the next screen, choose the relevant matter type (eg debt) and if relevant, choose sub matters (eg different types of creditor) and then fill in the remaining details, following the same steps as before see paras 14) to 26) above 34) Finally, CLICK FINISH AND THEN ENTER NOTES ABOUT THE CLIENT S PROBLEM AND ADVICE GIVEN SEE APPENDIX 1 35) If the same client comes back at a later date for advice about a different matter type (different area of advice), you need to add a new case for the current client 36) For example, if you advised the client about a housing problem at the first interview and later they come back for advice about an immigration problem, you need to add a new case details record about the immigration problem for the same client 37) First, make sure you have opened the existing case details record for the client. Then look near the top left of the screen for a grey tab called add new click on this and select the last option case for current client 38) On the next screen, choose the relevant matter type (eg immigration) and if relevant, choose sub matters (eg family dependants, student visa) and then fill in the remaining details, following the same steps as previously see paras 14) to 26) above 39) Finally, CLICK FINISH AND THEN ENTER NOTES ABOUT THE CLIENT S PROBLEM AND ADVICE GIVEN SEE APPENDIX 1 40) if the same client comes back at a later date for advice about a different problem within the same matter type, you need to add a new case for the current client

8 41) For example, if you advised the client about a benefit problem (eg ESA) in the past and they later they come back for advice about a different benefit (eg Housing Benefit), you need to add a new case details record about that new benefit problem for the same client 42) Follow the procedure outlined above, selecting either welfare benefits or welfare rights as the matter type and then choose the relevant sub matter (eg Housing Benefit) 43) Finally, CLICK FINISH AND THEN ENTER NOTES ABOUT THE CLIENT S PROBLEM AND ADVICE GIVEN SEE APPENDIX 1 44) Now then If the same client comes back at a later date for more advice about the same problem, what you do next is different from above you need to use the work completed tab to add new work to the same case record 45) For example, if you advised the client about a benefit problem at the first appointment but you need to see them more than once in order to deal with that same problem, then you need to update that same benefit case record by using the work completed tab each time you do follow up work with the client 46) First, make sure you have opened the existing case details record for the client. 47) Then click on the grey work completed tab third from the end in the row of grey tabs underneath the case tab 48) Click on add new work and Check the date is correct for when you advised the client Choose the level, the venue and the sub matter from the drop down lists Make sure the funder is still showing CAN network 49) You do not need to select anything else or type anything else on this page for the monitoring report BUT you need to enter case notes to keep a record of the further advice you have given to the client 50) Click on add work

9 51) If you used welfare rights as the matter type, next screen = case specific details 52) This shows a list of each benefit case details record that you have set up for this client now open each case in turn by clicking on the case reference number and enter the following in each case record: 53) if you previously selected outreach as the venue, you must now select the outreach location name by clicking on edit outreach location scroll down to bottom right of screen 54) You will see a list of outreach venues (if not, see note below) select the right one & save changes Note: if you have not yet set up the outreach location names for your agency, please see appendix 2 at end for how to do this 55) If you have generated new income for the client, or if you have stabilised debts for the client, you need to record how much money was involved by using the outcomes tab 56) Above the purple bar, there are several grey tabs. Click on the one called outcomes. The top row on the next screen says financial outcomes on the right, click on add financial outcomes and a list of options will appear including two with CAN at the start: If you generated any income for the client, select CAN - income generated and add selected outcome If you dealt with debts for the client, select CAN - total debt handled and add selected outcome IMPORTANT: you must use the two options starting with CAN to enter this info if you don t, the info will not appear in your report to Bradford Council 57) On the next screen, enter a figure in the amount box for income generated or total debt handled, and then choose the relevant period from the drop down list: a. For income generated, choose weekly, fortnightly, monthly, one-off, etc b. For debt, choose one-off 58) Remember to save changes each time the screen will then display the annual amounts of income generated and debt handled for that client/case Note: if you generated income both as a one-off (eg backdated benefit or a grant) and also as an extra weekly amount (eg a new benefit entitlement), you need to enter CAN income generated more than once and select the relevant period 59) Finally, if the client has children, click on the grey client tab, on left of screen this changes the grey tabs below it to give you different options 60) Then click on the grey dependants tab in the row below the client tab and add new dependant for each dependant child Note: we recommend setting this tab to give DoB see appendix 2 at end for how to do this

10 if you advised the client about another problem involving a different matter type (eg debt or immigration) or the same client comes back later for advice about a different matter type or the same client comes back later for advice about a different sub matter within the same matter type go to page 7 above if not, click finish and then enter notes about the client s problem and advice given see appendix 1 if the same client comes back at a later date for more advice about the same problem, go to page 8 above

11 APPENDIX 1 Case notes The grey tab called case notes is the easiest way to keep track of the client s problem, your advice and what has happened over time (ie to tell the story of the case). When you have entered a case details record (whether you saved it as an enquiry or as a case ) and have it open, the grey case notes tab appears at the end of the top row of grey tabs. Click on add new general case note and type up a description that will make sense to you and your colleagues in future. You can use this in the same way that you would write on a case sheet. You can also print them off if you need to see the info offline eg at an outreach session with no safe internet access. Note: these case notes have nothing to do with the report to Bradford Council they are for you and your colleagues to keep a record of what is happening in the case. There are a number of opportunities to add notes in the case details tabs they will all be visible via the grey case notes tab Social issues tab This allows you to alert other advisers (and remind yourself) about anything significant they should know about clients, eg alcohol problems, risk of violence, etc. When info has been added, an exclamation mark (!) in a yellow triangle appears near the top of the screen above the client details record. It s important always to look out for this before you go to see the client.

12 APPENDIX 2 1) How to set CAN Network as default funding source home page my cases click on any case ref (not client ref ) click on customisation (at top of screen) on left of screen, near bottom, select funding source default value if not already showing CAN Network, tick override, select CAN Network from drop down list and un-tick override Save changes Note: if all or most of your work is funded by Bradford Council (CFU/Adult Social Care or Public Health), it is sensible to make CAN Network your default funder. If not, your advisers need to remember to select CAN Network as funder each time 2) How to customise sub matters eg to add extra types of debt or extra benefit advice issues home page my cases click on any case ref (not client ref ) click on customisation (at top of screen) on left of screen, near bottom, select sub matters on right of screen, find for matter type and select the one you want to add new sub matters to from the drop down list eg debt above that, on the right, select add new value select the top level item that you want to amend eg fuel debt type in the additional sub matter you want to add eg gas save changes Repeat to add all sub matters you regularly use if not already on Advice Pro. 3) How to add your outreach session names home page administration console, at top of screen click on grey tab agency settings click on grey tab edit outreach locations add each outreach location name starting with 2 save changes 4) How to set DoB in dependants tab home page administration console, at top of screen click on grey tab agency settings on left, about half way down, tick box next to Record Client Dependant Date of Birth save changes