\ ° n * i 8ROTHERHOOD OF. ST. LAURENCE 67 BRUNSWICK STREET, FITZROY ARCHIVES

UNEMPLOYMENT RIGHTS SERVICE

Report on the feasibility of Unemployment Rights

Information Stalls.

by Debbie Manning.

November 1979. * 1. INTRODUCTION (i) Background to this report. This report concerns a project which examines the feasibility of Welfare Rights Stalls, The project was undertaken by Debbie Manning, a Monash University Social Work student, as her final fieldwork placement. The placement began in early August and concludes in early December on a full-time basis. The project was divided into three stages, an Exploration, Action and finally an Evaluation stage. It was felt that as Rights Stalls are a relatively new idea, it was important to ascertain what program other groups were operating in that area before beginning a pilot project. During the Actipn phase the Unemployment Rights Information Stall was tested in several different forms and locations. The Evaluation stage involved reflecting on the experiences of the stalls, and drawing together the findings, along with suggest­ ions for possible future directions the Unemployment Rights Service might take in further utilising the information stall idea. ' The observations contained in this report are basically impressionistic, rather than statistical, as it was considered import- and not to disturb the informality and spontaneity- of the stall's operation. However in the future, it is recommended that an un­ obtrusive data collective method be devised to further test the effectiveness of the stalls. (ii) The Service Context At its conception, the Unemployment Rights Service was perceived as having four main objectives which are to provide (a) An advocacy service on behalf of individuals, and where appropriate , obtaining legal advice.. (b) An information dissemination service to individuals and communities about benefit entitlements, roles, procedures and regulations. (c) a community education program informing agencies and organisations of people's rights, entitlements and access to resources. (d) a limited social action component in so far as individuals and groups are empowered with knowledge, skills, together with the capacity to rectify injustices and reform the social security systems where appropriate. The Service focuses on the issue of income security for unemployed people, and emphasises the relationship between individuals and government bureaucracies. A rights service approach at an individual level, involves enabling people to maximise their entitle- ments and the security of those entitlements by both advising the individual of the working of relevant rights and procedures, and presenting the person's circumstances in such a way as to gain as favourable an interpretation of the rules and procedures as possible.^ Social action is seen as much as being about the empowering of those affected by Social Security decisions as it is about actual 3 changes xn policies and procedures. Community education has so far been concerned with conveying two main information messages. The first involves countering the largely held unsympathetic view of the unemployed by conforming the attitude 'stand up for your rights', while the second message concerns providing information 4 about what an unemployed person's rxghts are. The focus of communxty education is therefore on information and attitude change. Traditionally people have obtained information on welfare rights by personally seeking it out from pamphlets or welfare agencies. The experience of this service however has found that the number of client contacts at the Service's Fitzroy office has been less than satisfactory and it seems that we need to go beyond just those . . 5 seeking out help and advice m a crisis. It has been found that people seeking help, start with their own family and friends, and only later do they look for 'official' help. It is therefore indicated that the Service should aim not only to offer a service to those unemployed individuals who find their way to the office in Fitzroy, but also aim to provide information to • their families and friends, about the rights of unemployed people and the existance of an agency equipped to assist those having problems with their unemployment benefits. Some models that have been suggested as projects fulfilling these objectives include (a) A caravan or street stall on unemployment rights. (b) A street party or local fair with a rights stall component. (c) A module of presentations of Unemployment to be taken around small local groups like craft groups, senior citizens centres, schools, migrant English classes. 1. Hollingworth P.J.' Unemployment Rights Service July 1978. 2. Einfeld S. Unemployment Rights' Service: first report June 1979. 3. A,B.I.D. 4. A.B.I. D. 5. Einfeld S. Unemployment Information Program 1979. (unpublished) . . ./3

The third model, involving presenting information on unemployment rights to groups has been in operation in one form for some time. The .co-ordinator takes up regular invitations to speak to classes of leaving age school students on the rules and procedures of Unemployment Benefits and their rights if they are unemployed after leaving school. The service feels speaking to school students is an important method of communicating information more widely> and other speaking engagements are accepted as time permits. (iii) Expectations The idea of Information Stalls in shopping centres and M at fairs and markets is seen as an extension of the Services community education function by providing a more visible, accessible and informal venue for the unemployed and their families and friends to obtain information about unemployment. It was.also felt that by offering an information stall service in public thoroughfares, where many people will pass by, unemployed people may feel less stigma attached to approaching an informal stall, even though it is in a public area, rather than having to enter an office and interview situation. In this way more people will be reached, which may lead to a greater utilisation of the Fitzroy Office. A favourable, informal first contact will hopefully give a prospective client more confidence to approach the office to persue their request for assist­ ance . 2. OTHER EXPERIENCES. (i) Child Poverty Action Group (Great Britain 1969-70 The concept of Welfare Rights Information Stalls is relatively new to the Australian scene. A successful program in Great Britain was operated by the York branch of the C.P.A.G. from January 1969 to June 1970. The establishment of the stall was based on three main aims* They were to provide a continuous and long term information service on welfare benefits and encourage people to claim their entitlements; to publicise the fact that relative poverty still existed in York; and to provide a focus for the discontent felt by people in their dealings with the welfare authorities, including providing assistance and advocacy in giving voice to claimants grievances. .../4 The stall operated every Friday between 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. over an 18 month period, and was situated in a heavily used thorough­ way just off the main square of the market. The stall consisted of displays and leaflets informing people of the various benefits for which they may be eligible, and was manned on a roster basis by teams of activists from the town and university. As a result of the large number of enquiries they received in the stall just seven months of operation, the Group concluded that there was a great need to inform people about their eligibility for benefits. Formal agencies were not reaching out to people. What was required was a continuous system of advice and information, specifically geared to those people, which reached out beyond the centralised office. Such a service should not only provide advice but be a complaints and advocacy service. It is significant that the stall received approximately the same number of enquiries each Friday as the local C.A.B. saw each week, without reducing the load of the C.A.B. (C.A.B. = Citizens Advice Bureau) (ii) Medibank. Operates an information and recruitment .program using a mobile caravan, and an information booth which can be divided into two half booths if demand is great. The development of this program was not based on any indepth research, but grew from the experience of those involved and trial and error techniques. Also there have been no written reports on the development, organisation or evaluation of the program. The choice of caravan and booth was made on the basis of the budget allowed for the program. Their use is dependent on the site, most often determined by the physical requirements of the space allocated and the availability of power for the caravan. Permission to operate in shopping centres is rarely refused by the local Council in street shopping areas where the caravan is utilised, but more often the centre managers of shopping complex's will not allow Medibank to set up its booth. In these cases negotiations are made with individual chemist shop owners who in most cases take, advantage of the opportunity and obvious business benefits of having a Medi­ bank booth within the boundaries of their shop. The choice of shopping centre is based on the concentration of members revealed through computer postcode scans, where established members will require information, while transient areas are noted for concentration of publicity. .../5

The caravan is set up with information both inside and in perspex dispensers hung outside the caravan so that people who don't want to commit themselves can obtain information easily. The booth comprises a counter high enough to stand behind, with brochures in dispensers on the counter at eye level with passers by. A sign is hung on the front of the counter to attract attention, and information is available with leaflets on displays around the counter, if there is room. The van. and booth are in the one position for a period of 4-7 days (Hibernian Society 2-3 days) and it was regarded as being very important to spend this amount of time in order to take advantage of the publicity. Publicity in street shopping centres involved advertising in the local papers and a sign outside the nearest chemists window. In shopping complex's local papers were also used, but if possible announcements were made over the centre's public address system. Follow-up of enquiries was considered extremely important, and 'phone numbers and/or addresses were taken by a team of trained staff working in teams of two. (iii) Red Cross Blook Bank The Bloodbank operates two mobile units or caravans which are continually moving, and operate a shift of either a morning/ afternoon or afternoon/evening in each area every three months. They admit this is not the best way to canvass donors, but is necessary due to demand. It places great importance on efficient advertising. The choice of shift in each area has been made on the basis of staff preference or stated donor preference. No surveys have been made. Publicity is primarily aimed at new or lapsed donors. Regular donors are sent reminder letters approximately three weeks ahead of the unit. However staff usually expect about a.5Q% attendance due to inconvenient times. Mobile unit positions are advertised by 3 A.K & 3 K.Z, being the only two stations who responded to a request to all stations. They are sent a monthly schedule of locations which they publicise every few days. Suburban press are sent press releases and schedules approximately three weeks ahead. Advertising space is never bought and they rely on editorials. Personal rep­ resentation was found to be a good publicity method due to the wide coverage and referal networks of service groups and sporting clubs to friends and contacts by word of mouth. Posters and leaflets were

m i not felt by Blood bank staff to be very effective but response to specific forms of publicity has not been investigated. Posters are used extensively. They are placed in supermarkets, libraries, banks, shops etc. Their placement is recommended about one week prior to the units’ visit. The bloodbank do not use stalls or booths, but has recently bought display boards and may look into a stand being erected the day before, or on the day, in a very public area so as to advertise the unit. No evaluation of the mobile program has been performed. (iv) Council for Adult Education. The C.A.E's main publicity is for their educational courses. Due to the length of time they have been running, the only publicity needed is to place a guide in 'The Age* They operate no stalls other than those associated with publicising the coming of the Art Train to a particular area. Prior to the Art Train' arrival, the community is contacted to assess the needs of the area. The first publicity is a press release approximately six weeks beforehand. This is followed by the purchase of advertising space and an invitation to the opening two weeks prior to the trains arrival. Also at this time posters and leaflets are distributed to shops and service agencies and a stall is set up advertising the train. The stall is very simple consisting of a trestle table and chairs and a couple of display boards advertising the coming attractions. It is important also to have an activity, particularly one that will be part of the Art Train, such as potters or jewellery making. It is important that one person only acts as a media contact, and usually the same person contacts community organisations and operates the stall. There is no organised evaluation of the effectiveness of the Art Train publicity, and the visit is considered successful if the classes are half full, for the week the . train is there. It seems that while differing groups in the community are. involved in community education programs there is very little evaluation of the effectiveness of their methods. While the numbers of people participating may be a possible indicator of effectiveness, it seems that evaluating the amount of information taken up in educating the public is a very intangible concept. Although some groups expressed the desire to evaluate their programs, none had been able to devise a method of assessment. . . 3. UNEMPLOYMENT RIGHTS SERVICE INFORMATION STALL PROGRAM. (i) Aims and Assumptions. Aims.a) To publicise the existance and functions of the Service. b) Provide an information service on Unemployment Rights c) Provide access to an advocacy service through the Fitzroy Office. Assumptions a) Extending the service into a different field of operation will also expand and increase the area of client contact-. b) The extension of the Service out into the streets is an appropriate means of disseminating information to a large cross- section of the community. c) The style of service should be informal and unstructured, so as to reduce the stigma attached to being unemployed, to a minimum. In this way the client can obtain the information needed and avoid feeling the stigma associated with an office interview situation. (ii) Organisation The experience of the York C.P.A.G. indicated that a. long term program, where the stall was located in the same place on a regular basis, was the most affective method of disseminating welfare rights information. However due to the short duration of the placement it was decided that the assignment would be to test the feasibility of the stall's idea, thereby negating the possibility of a long term exercise. (iii) Materials The following materials were developed for use at the Unemployment Rights Information Stall. a) A trestle table approximately 8' x 2' b) Sign stating the name of the Service. c) A cartoon depicting the rights of unemployed people was commissioned at a cost of $30 (size 2' x 1'6") d) Three double sided displays depicting - The Concept that unemployed people have rights - How to apply for unemployment benefit. - Examples of the work performed by the Service - How to lodge an Appeal. , - The purpose of the stall - what people can expect. e) Set of literature for sale and distribution. f) Set of "Game" cards. -- /8

BUDGET

Item Cost. Cartoon display $20.00 Advertisement poster $26.00 Display materials (paper etc.) $14.56 Fablon covering $12.00

Total Cost$72.56

This outlay enabled the development of a street stall complete with signs and displays. As it is this unit is suitable for most venues, further development of the Stalls program may incur additional expenditure in various forms. a) As the stall may not be under cover at some venues, the cost of providing a temporary or permanent canopy could be investigated. b) In the event of involving other groups in the operating of these stalls, there may be the need to develop more displays, or to give financial assistance for group's to produce displays for the stalls iv) DESCRIPTION OF THE STALLS a) Carringbush Library/ Richmond. Wednesday 26th September 9 am - 3 pm. The Service was invited to participate in a ’Leaving School' information day, by a teacher involved in its organisation. The Unemployment Rights Service Information Stall was set up in the corner of the Library's theatre where several other community groups also had displays. The local schools were requested to bring their leaving age students;.along to one of three lh hour sessions. The students showed considerable interest in the displays and were eager to play the game. The presence of the stall was therefore valuable in informing the students of the existance and function of the Service. The day could have been more valuable however, if many of the students had not been returning to school next year. The lack of immediate relevance of the displays to their lives was shown by their greater interest in socialising. This experience however was valuable to the Unemployment Rights Service staff as the necessity of providing • an activity, such as the game, to attract peoples attention to the Stall was emphasised!, Literature distribution - Unemployment Rights Service leaflets = 71 . . ./9

b) North Melbourne Town Hall Saturday 13th October 8.00am - 2.00 pm. The Service was contacted by the organisers of the fair and invited to participate. By negotiation the stall was set up in the middle of the main hall where all the goods were being sold. News releases were sent to 3DB, 3CR, 3RRR and the Melbourne Times newspaper two weeks prior to the fair, resulting in radio broad­ casts and a letter published in The Times. The displays created a lot of interest and there were a few enquiries although most of these were for information rather than personal queries. There was a good distribution of literature, yet people were more interested in purchasing goods than stopping to discuss issues or ask questions. Although many people were distracted from the stall by other stalls selling cakes etc., most noted the presence. It was important to learn however, that competition for people's attention was far preferable to the experience of the Health Information fair in the lower hall, which was extremely poorly attended during the day. Literature distribution. Guidebooks 5 sold U.W.U. - The Dole 4 sold U.W.U. Taxation 1 sold U.R.S. leaflets 39 distributed U.R.S. Broadsheet 6 distributed c) Victoria Market Sunday 14th October 7.00am - 4.00 pm. ' The Service contacted the Melbourne City Council regarding a stall site (cost $15.00) at the Sunday Market. The stall was situated near the end of a row of well patronised stalls, and close to a refreshment area. Publicity for the stall was included on the news releases for the North Melbourne fair. A very large numberof people passed by the stall, almost all noting it's presence and the Service's name. Although relatively few stopped to take leaflets, and even less asked questions, the stall appeared to be more relevant to the people here than at North Melbourne. The importance of being able to attract peoples attention by handing out leaflets and play­ ing a game, was emphasised by the fewer contacts made at the Market, where regulations forbade soliciting. This situation also showed the need to have a sign clearly outlining what people can expect from the stall. .../Io

Literature distribution. Guidebooks 4 sold U.R.S. leaflets 66 distributed U.R.S. Broadsheets 3 distributed Social Security 4 distributed d) Collingwood Shopping Centre Saturday 24th October 8.00 am - 12.00 am. Permission for the stall was requested and obtained from the Collingwood Council. The stall was set up on the steps of the Collingwood Post Office where partial cover was offered to the stall itself but not to passers by. Publicity involved sending news releases to 3CR, 3RRR and 3KZ two weeks prior to the event, and putting up advertising posters on shop windows and in Welfare and community agencies one week before the stall. Although the wet weather prevented most people from stopping at the stall, many noted the displays as they walked by, got off the tram or used the pedestrian crossing. There were many passers by and it was therefore decided to distribute leaflets up and down the street. The lack of cover for both the stall and people passing emphasised the need to either negotiate to set the stall up under cover or provide a canopy or verandah to cover the stall and surrounding area. Literature distribution. U.R.S. leaflets 53 distributed. e) Lygon Street,Festa. Saturday 10th November 9.00 am - 6.00 pm. Sunday 11th November 12.00 pm - 4.00 pm. The Service contacted the organisers of the festa having seen an article in the Melbourne Times. The stall was set up in the centreof Lygon Street, which was closed off, and near the Elgin Street end. A tent was hired as protection from the weather. However the wind rendered it useless and the stall had to beoperated from the back of a car. Publicity involved sending news releases to 3MP, 3AK, 3KZ, 3DB, 3AR, 3CR, and 3RRR, advertising in the 'Whats on’ column of'The Age Weekender"; sending an article and photograph of a previous stall to the Melbourne Times; and placing 25 posters around the area. Interest in the stall was consistently good, and many peoplemade enquiries of a predominantly personal nature. Prior, to the weekend it was arranged for Northcote Unemployed Resource Group (N.U.R.G) to do three performances of their Unemployment Street Theatre on Saturday afternoon. They attracted a great deal of .. ./II

attention and were well received by the crowd, many of whom stayed on to look at the stall. The windy weather on Saturday deterior­ ated to heavy rain on Sunday, again emphasing the need for available cover. Nevertheless, the positive response to the street theatre and resultant flow-on to the stall, are important indicators of the potential of such activities for drawing attention to the stall. Literature distribution. U.W.U. The Dole 2 sold U.W.U. Taxation 3 sold U.R.S. Broadsheets . 36 distributed U.R.S. Leaflets 69 distributed B.S.L. Dubious Empl. 19 distributed. Social Security U.B. 7 distributed Social Security Appeals 8 distributed. f) Northcote Shopping Centre. Friday 16th November 12.00 pm - 3.00 pm. The Service became aware that the Northcote Unemployed Resources group proposed to give Street Theatre performances outside the Coptic Church as part of an 'Unemployment Week' and requested permission to operate the stall in conjunction with these performances. The stall was set up just off the footpath, leaving an open area on one side for the street theatre. Publicity involved sending an article to the Northcote Leader 16 days prior to the event, sending news releases to 3DB, 3KZ, 3XY, 3CR, 3RRR two weeks beforehand, and putting up 20 posters a week prior to the stall. There were few passers by as the stall had no cover from the constant rain. As well as the usual literature, some new multilingual Social Security leaflets were offered. All the Greek leaflets were taken by passers by. Poor weather and subsequent poor attendence again indicates the necessity to provide cover for the stall and surrounds. The success of- the Greek leaflets also emphasises the need to provide multilingual literature and access to a multilingual service for a greater coverage of the population. Literature distribution. U.R.S. Leaflets 16 distributed U.R.S. Broadsheets 7 distributed Social Security (Greek)10 distributed (all these offered) 5. DISCUSSION On the whole the stalls were well received by most of those who approached us, and many gave solid support to the venture. . ../12

There were also several positive comments and remarks made about the Brotherhood of St. Laurence's attitude to Unemployment. The effectivenessof the stalls program may be investigated by referring back to our three initial aims and evaluating the results in a comparative way to determine the degree to which they have been fulfilled. The first aim was to publicise the existance and function of the service. At each of the venues the stall received a lot of attention, even if it was in many cases brief, or superficial. The displays were eyecatching and the number of U.R.S. advertising leaflets distributed indicated that the service and its functions have been well attended to by those at the stall venues. Also the combination of news releases to press and radio and the advertising posters has given the Service a wide range of publicity. The second aim was to provide an information service on unemployment rights. This aim has been less satisfactorily fulfilled as people appeared to be reticent about approaching the stall. There were more approaches made when we displayed a sign stating the purpose of the stall, however the response was still less than we expected. Although we distributed a good number of leaflets informing people about the Service we received on the whole relatively few inquiries. The best response we had was at the Lygon Street festa. The only significant difference between this and the other stall venues, was that at the shopping centres, the Victoria Market,and the North Melbourne fair there was some degree of pressure to buy the things that were needed or wanted which were predominantly items of necessity as food and groceries etc. or sale items. At the festa however, there was a great variety of fast foods for immediate consumption, and stalls which sold artifacts rather than*household products. People at the festa therefore wandered at a more leisurely pace aiming to enjoy the entertainment and foods available. They were under no pressure to achieve something, and were able to concentrate on the individual stalls displays of wares or information. The third aim was to provide access to an advocacy service by referrals to the B.S.L's Fitzroy Office. As there were fewer enquiries at the stalls than expected we were not optimistic about fulfilling this aim even partially. None of the enquiries indicated .../13 immediate advocacy action. It seemed more realistic to hope that through the stalls presence at these venues and the leaflets distributed, as well as the associated advertising of the stalls, the service would receive more office contacts. This is proving to be the case. The Service keeps records of each clients method of referral to the office and an increasing number of clients have heard the advertisements.over the radio, or saw the stall at the Lygon Street festa, which seems to have been the only venue responsible for later contacts. The stalls program has therefore had a delayed response which is fulfilling its third aim. 6. CONCLUSIONS As a result of the experience of operating information stalls in a variety of situations, information has been gathered which would be of value in setting up other stalls programs. In relation to the choice of venue and times for the stall’s operation it would seem that situating the stall in shopping centres or- at markets where there will be a large volume of people passing by is an effective way of making the service known to a wide variety of people. However it is also usually at a time when people's main objective is to purchase various items they need or want and many may have neither the time nor the inclination to stop and ask questions at a stall. The selection of venues and times for the stall to operate must therefore be consistent with the aims. Physical location and size also influences the effectiveness of the displays. If, as with some of our displays, there is quite a bit of writing, people must be able to get close enough to read them. Also it is important, as we found, to state clearly the purpose of the stall so that people passing by can quickly glean what they might expect from the stall. Further, the stall is more attractive if there is some activity. This was made very clear by the success of the N.U.R.G street theatre at the Lygon Street festa, which attracted a large number of people to the stall area, many of whom stayed after the theatre to look at the stall and displays. Our own Unemployment game, which we devised for the purpose of attracting people to the stall was not very successful, not so much because of its format, but -more due to poor weather or our inadequate publicity of its purpose. We borrowed a spinning jenny for the Lygon Street festa which attracted quite a lot of attention. Although the wind rendered .. ,/14 it almost useless, the idea seemed effective and could perhaps be made more so, with a more stable wheel and greater publicity of the game. This brings us firstly to a brief mention of the importance of providing adequate protection from the weather for both the stand and those passing by. We hoped to test the value of a portable cover in the form of the tent we hired at the Lygon Street festa. However the tent's construction made it dangerous in the weather, and emphasised the necessity of looking more carefully at venues for stalls and the possibility of arranging portable cover in the form of a canopy or verandah arrangement. While the stalls themselves may have not directlyhave significantly increased this Service's office clientele, the attendant publicity, in the form of community service announcements especially over 3DB, has contributed to many of our recent client contacts. This serves to reinforce the wide coverage of this type of publicity, as emphasised by such programs as Medibank, and. Bloodbank etc. We are still left with an awareness of people's reticence to approach the stall directly and ask questions. In view of the short duration of this project and the subsequent decision to place stalls in a variety of locations, the amount of information by us or 'clients' gained has been considerable. As a result, however, it seems that a more effective way of increasing client contact at the stalls, may be to locate the stall in one place over a period of time, as was recommended by the York C.P.A.G and suggested by our greater success at the Lygon Street festa. In this way people's familiarity with the stall's regular operation may reduce their reticence enough for them to make contact with the staff present. Also by operating at a regular venue, commercial stalls may not divert attention, as a person cduld come back again when they wern't so pressed for time. The C.P.A.G. stated that the stall should be a continuous and long-term committment, and initiated an eighteen month program, which they concluded had successfully fulfilled their aims. We concur with the C.P.A.G. that a continuous system of advice and information is required, which is designed to break away from the confines of a centralised office. However, rather than embark on an eighteen month committment to one venue, our aims may be more effectively fulfilled by developing a program which locates the stall at one venue for- a particular length of time and t

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then moves on to another area. By incorporating the design of the Medibank and C.A.E. Art train programs, a period of 4 to 7 days spent at one locale, may overcome some of the problems of reticence and busyness encountered by our one day stalls and still allow for the stall to move from one area to another covering a wide population range. A program of this nature, may not necessarily be continuous,. but could perhaps operate one week in four or six. It would be important not to separate the stalls too much in time, in order to reinforce and promote the overall concept of the value of the stalls program in providing a non-traditional office based service. The operation of the stalls themselves necessarily involves at least two people to set up and man the stall, either together or on rotation. An alternative to employing two staff members may be to organise a volunteer force of unemployed people to either operate the stall in conjunction with a staff member, or with more extensive training to operate the stalls on their own. In this format, volunteers may be equipped to answer straight forward enquiries and need to pass difficult situations back to the office. The development of a week long project in each area may also give scope for the use of street theatre or other activities to help publicise the stall's stay m an area.