Client needs for coherent information, advice and guidance services ...

• many clients said they would have used services earlier, had they been aware of
them;
• there was hardly any recognition of IAG in a workplace environment. Employers
and trade unions were not seen as being players in the IAG arena;
• brand awareness of Connexions was high. Young people were generally more
aware of the services on offer than adults.
COHERENCE
13. Most adults had not thought about the issue of coherence in IAG. Given their low
awareness and understanding of the sector, they did not have well developed
expectations of services received, against which to assess their actual experiences.
14. When prompted, clients tended to focus initially on what constituted a lack of
coherence. Examples cited tended to be frustrations with the system at a fairly
superficial level – especially over practical arrangements (e.g. appointments not
being kept or benefits being stopped).
15. At a deeper level, coherence appeared to be associated, in clients’ minds, with:-
• relevance (of a particular course of action being proposed or followed);
• client centredness (the goals defined by or with the individual, not imposed by
the provider);
• encouragement and support, especially when frustrations are experienced;
• periodic reviews and feeding in of new ideas.
16. Coherence is achieved most often when clients have an on-going relationship with an
adviser, who understands their needs and acts as a sounding board and point of
referral. When such a relationship is in place, it does not matter whether the
components of the action plan are achieved through the adviser’s own service,
through other linked services, or through the client’s own development activity; in
practice, there is likely to be a mix of these elements.
17. Perceptions of coherence are influenced significantly by the different motivations of
individuals described in paragraph 8 above):-
• those whose IAG is prescribed by others (e.g. on benefits) will be least likely to
feel any ownership of the process; for them, coherence is seen relatively
superficially. Factors appearing important are whether advisers listen and
empathise – and whether the outcome is as desired (most often finding a job);
• for those whose IAG comes as part of a package with which they feel reasonably
comfortable (e.g. as part of a course), coherence will be associated most with
relevance and helping them to achieve their goal. At the risk of labouring the
point, it should be stressed, however, that it will be the course which will have
been the original trigger for action, not the IAG;
• those accessing specialist IAG providers on their own initiative will have the most
marked ownership of the process. Key factors for them will be the extent to
which advisers are able to help them define personally relevant and achievable
goals, and the encouragement and support provided towards their delivery.
18. Other selected findings include the following:-
• often front-line advisers struggled also (i.e. as well as clients) to define the key
ingredients of coherence, other than supply-side factors, such as mechanisms
for efficient referrals;
• some clients (a minority) had difficulties with the model of an on-going
relationship with a single adviser. They felt providers ‘hung on’ to clients for
their own purposes (e.g. to provide evidence of high usage to funding bodies);
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