Exploring Multiple Advice Needs

Citizens Advice Scotland

Citizens Advice Scotland commissioned Seymour Research and Select Statistics to explore and evidence the holistic nature of advice delivered through Citizens Advice Bureaux, particularly where clients present with multiple, interconnected advice needs.

The project formed part of a wider mixed-methods study. Seymour Research led the qualitative strand, designing and delivering in-depth focus groups with Citizens Advice advisers alongside telephone interviews with clients who had received support on more than one advice topic. This approach enabled us to capture both professional and lived-experience perspectives on the client advice journey.

A quantitative strand of the research was undertaken by our partners, Select Statistics involving a statistical analysis of the CAB client database to uncover the trends and patterns in multiple advice needs.

Our work explored how and why clients seek advice, how multiple needs are identified, and the practical enablers and barriers to providing holistic support. We also mapped the client advice journey, highlighting key decision points, tipping points and opportunities for earlier intervention.

The findings provided Citizens Advice Scotland with robust, narrative-rich evidence to complement the quantitative analysis, supporting learning, developments and communications around the value and complexity of holistic advice provision across the CAB network.

“The work carried out by Seymour Research and Select Statistics gave us, for the first time, concrete proof to demonstrate the need and value of an holistic approach to advice provision; the insights gained from it are now an integral – and frequently used – aspect of our evidence base.”

— Linda Hutton, Senior Research Officer, Citizens Advice Scotland