After last year when Covid-19 severely affected our court-based services, with the three periods of national lockdown closing our face-to-face services, we are pleased that this year has seen more stability. Our local services have been largely open for face-to-face appointments, and we have also been able to help people remotely.
This year we helped clients on 49,346 occasions, with the Helpline covering 13,701 of these contacts. This represents 28% of our overall client contact figures, with an average of 1,142 calls per month. The high call volume and low delivery cost also means our cost-per-client-contact for the Helpline was just £5.19. We’re confident that demand will continue to grow, highlighting the importance of planning for remote support in the future.
77% of people felt less anxious after accessing our help
We’re proud of all that we’ve achieved in the past year, but where will we go from here? The beginning of the new financial year has already seen a huge amount of change. We've faced changes to the way we're funded, and we're about to launch new services in partnership with universities across the country. We'll also be launching a new national remote service: Support Through Court Online. With rising costs of living, more people will unexpectedly face court in the year ahead, but we'll be there to stand alongside people needing practical support and guidance as they face court.
