Unit 5: Providing Information to Clients

Understand information needs of clients within own context

When providing information, advice or guidance services to clients, we often begin by learning about the people and communities which we will serve. If we do not understand who they are or what they need from our service, we cannot provide the right things.

In this course, we define a client as someone who is using, or has used information advice or guidance services.

Different organisations may refer to the people which use their services by a different term, such as ‘patient’, ‘service user’, ‘expert by experience’, ‘survivor’, ‘community member’, etc.

The importance of needs assessment within IAG cannot be underestimated, delivering a client-centred approach gives clients greater control and responsibility regarding their own outcomes.

• A “need” is a discrepancy or gap between “what is” and “what should be.”
• A “needs assessment” is a set of procedures that are used to determine needs, examine their nature and causes, and set priorities for future action.

Putting this into practice may involve:

• Providing clients with the information about their situation, health, lifestyle, etc that will be needed to assess their needs.
• Encouraging and respecting the clients decisions.

To enable clients to make real and meaningful choices about their needs, they must be given information that is well presented, easy to understand and comprehensive.

The National Careers Service provide information, advice and guidance to help people make decisions on learning, training and work. The service is available to people who live in England. The website allows people to explore careers, and to look for online learning opportunities and local training courses. The website also has a skills assessment, where people can learn more about their skills and match these to potential new careers.

Have a go at completing the skills health check. (This activity could also be helpful for your work in Unit 2)

Discuss in the comment box: Why IAG practitioners in education, business, industry, government, etc. carry out needs assessments?