Citizens Advice: How we are making our universal credit helpline more accessible (with BSL)

At Citizens Advice, we give people the knowledge and confidence they need to find their way forward – whoever they are, and whatever their problem. Last year, we had to change how we work because of the Covid 19 restrictions, switching to phone or online instead of face to face.

One of our really important services, which can help you to claim universal credit for the first time, is called Help to Claim.

To make sure this is fully accessible, we have a new live BSL video relay service (VRS) which connects you to a Citizens Advice specialist advisor through a BSL interpreter.

Watch the video in BSL here, or continue down the page to continue in English:

We worked with SignVideo and a Deaf User Researcher, Laura Goldberg, to develop this service. We asked Laura to share her experience with the project.

“My role as User Researcher involved recruiting and carrying out research with Deaf BSL users in England and Wales, with the aim to understand more about the user experience of contacting Citizens Advice via VRS, and to offer guidance on implementation of the service. The research consisted of interviewing and usability testing, where participants tested out the service by making a live call to Citizens Advice Help to Claim advisor, and gave feedback on their experience.

Since the research was conducted remotely due to COVID restrictions, it made for an interesting logistical challenge where participants needed to join two video calls on two separate devices at the same time – one to communicate with me, and another one to make their VRS call to Citizens Advice. All participants also shared their screen while making their test call, so that I could observe and take notes on their experience throughout.

The feedback from participants was positive overall, with the concept of contacting Citizens Advice via BSL being well received;

“VRS makes my life so much easier, I can use my language (BSL)- it makes communication smoother and there’s no stress!”
-BSL user

Where participants had any difficulties or barriers during their test calls, this was recorded and offered as guidance for future roll-out of the service at Citizens Advice, to ensure that the user experience is smooth and accessible.

I personally very much enjoyed the experience of working with Citizens Advice and Deaf BSL users to support improving accessibility of a vital service, and hope that VRS continues to grow as a recognised way to contact a variety of services and businesses across the UK.”

If you need to claim universal credit for the first time, our advisors can make sure you are eligible, help you fill out your application and check your first payment is correct.

To use the Deaf BSL VRS service, visit our Help to Claim page and scroll down to the link. Advisers are usually available between 8am and 4pm, Monday to Friday.

More about Citizens Advice and Help to Claim

We’re a network of independent charities at the heart of our local communities,offering free, confidential and impartial advice on everything from benefits to debt, housing to work. Our dedicated Help to Claim advisors can help you fill out your first universal credit application, prepare for your first Jobcentre appointment, and check that your first payment is correct. We’re here for everyone – whoever you are, whatever your problem.