Page 82 - Part B

Information, Advice or Guidance

A definition of empowerment is providing an individual with the authority, power or
motivation to do something. In your case, empowering a client to take control of
their own situation would revolve around giving the client the skills, resources and
motivation to deal with their own situation.

If this is done successfully and in the right way, the client becomes empowered to
solve their own issues. This normally results in a significantly improved outcome, when
compared to the advisor solving their problem for them.

There are a number of steps that would need to be gone through before a client can
feel empowered to take control of their situation, as mentioned above:

• Provide the resources

Often, clients are willing to tackle the problem themselves but just don’t
know the right place to start or who to speak with. By providing the client
with the correct resources, such as the contact details of an individual or
organisation, or physical resources (such as access to technology), this will
be a step towards the client taking control of their situation.

• Provide the relevant skills and knowledge, where possible.

Clients may lack skills in certain areas, which could create a barrier which
prevents them from being able to resolve their issue. For example, they may
lack skills in technology which makes it hard for them to access advice,
information and guidance in specific forms, such as online.

! STOP AND THINK!

What situations could influence a client to be empowered to
take action? Make notes in the space below.

80