The General Advice service provides advice, information and assistance on a wide range of issues including destitution, housing, debt, welfare benefits, health and asylum support. The advice is given by a team of volunteers, and operates four days a week. The objective is to provide basic support and assistance to service users, resolve queries, signpost to external services, and refer to specialist in-house projects and partner agencies where appropriate. It is the main point of contact for new and existing service users, and is currently operating as a combination of a face-to-face service and a remote phone-based service.
Between April 2023 and March 2024, refugees and asylum seekers accessed our General Advice service a total of 4,738 times, either in person, over the phone, or online.
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referrals on average per day to General Advice
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volunteer advisers
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clients helped with the New Refugee Clinic.
Thank you for patience, guidance, and friendliness during every volunteering shift. The experience and the people I’ve had the pleasure of working with at this organisation have been wonderful.
General Advice client
“It has been an incredible experience to volunteer at NNRF for almost a year. I have learned quite a lot about the UK Asylum System, improved my communications skills and acquired a great understanding of the refugee experience. Despite starting my role during the pandemic, I have been provided great training and immense support throughout my volunteering experience. Whenever I struggled as a volunteer, there was always my supervisor that I could reach and get help from as we can deal with complicated cases. Overall, it was a unique experience in which one can make a difference and improve things for them in often the most difficult time of their lives.”
-Begum General Advice volunteer
“I came to the forum as a homeless person without any benefits and the forum has given me a second life. Thank you to the refugee forum.” General Advice client
Thank you so much for your amazing support, I really appreciate the kindness you show us volunteers. I have learnt so much and will always be advocating for our clients, whatever role that I am in.
Beth, GA volunteer