Community Outreach & Advice Partnership (MCOAP)

The Manchester Community Outreach & Advice Partnership (MCOAP) aimed to help meet demand for quality, legal advice and information services in Manchester and to strengthen community-based advice capacity.

MCOAP was delivered by Manchester City Council in partnership with the voluntary sector and ran until December 2011. It comprised three inter-dependent projects, offering advice, outreach and training services, which focused on supporting new migrants, but were open to all Manchester residents.

MCOAP was funded by a one-off grant from the Migration Impact Fund; a central government initiative aimed at reducing the pressure on public services caused by immigration. The Migration Impact Fund, which closed in 2010, was financed by a levy on the visas of non-EU migrants.

MCOAP's Advice Project offered a free legal advice and information service to all Manchester City residents through Advice Workers and trained volunteers based in community venues around Manchester , including welcome centres and Sure Start centres. The service supported residents to find work and access education and provided information and advice about tax credits, benefits and pensions and managing debt. The Advice project was implemented by Manchester Refugee Support Network (MRSN), Manchester Citizens Advice Bureau (MCAB) and Cheetham Hill Advice Centre (CHAC) and key achievements include: 

• Advice sessions delivered from a range of community venues across the city with multi-lingual language support 
• 4,418 cases taken on and 3,988 issues resolved 
• £2,367,414 of additional financial entitlements (tax credits, pensions and benefits) raised and £777,304 of debt rescheduled to enable repayment                 
• 122 people supported to access education, training, volunteering or employment opportunities 
• 92 households supported to remain in their own homes 
• 118 people referred or signposted to social care and health services 
• 80 people with disabilities assisted to claim Disability Living Allowance

MCOAP's Outreach Project engaged newly arrived and marginalised individuals and families, with a focus on residents from Eastern Europe, to support them to access legal advice and information, education and employment and mainstream services, such as GPs. The project was implemented by The Routes Project, part of the Black Health Agency (BHA), and key achievements include:

• 300 families and individuals, predominantly from Eastern Europe , supported to deal with issues including, school attendance, access to employment and volunteering opportunities and access to health services. 
• Over half of the users of this service were aged 18 years or younger. 
• Participation and organisation of cross-cultural consultations and events to promote community cohesion, including a 'Gypsy Dialogue' event to raise awareness of Romani heritage and a RESPECT event in partnership with Greater Manchester Police.

MCOAP's Training Project offered volunteers the chance to access Advice Work training courses, enabling them to gain valuable experience of delivering quality advice and information in the community. In addition, courses were also run to give residents information about the public services available to help them, as well as offering practical advice about how to manage money and how to feel more confident talking to officials. The project was implemented by Cheetham Hill Advice Centre (CHAC) and key achievements include: 

• 39 volunteers trained and supported to deliver quality legal advice and information, with support from MCOAP Advice Workers, in community venues 
• 99 residents empowered to deal more effectively with their own issues through targeted training courses 
• Language support, including Urdu, Cantonese and Mandarin, was provided on a number of the training courses to improve access for residents.  

See guidance on where you can get legal advice in Manchester.