Lindsey Poole

Lindsey Poole is attending the CSLS on a sabbatical from the Advice Services Alliance (ASA) the umbrella body for not-for-profit social welfare advice services, where she was the Director for over 10 years. Prior to this, she held interim posts in other charities mainly within the advice, pro bono and community safety sectors. She has a Masters in Applied Social Research and worked as a Government Social Researcher in both the Home Office and the Cabinet Office, as well as an evaluation specialist for the Probation Service during the ‘What Works’ era. During her time at the ASA, she has worked to improve the quantity and quality of research within the advice sector, setting up an annual meeting of research-friendly practitioners and academics, and has led a challenge to the 'outcomes' methods applied to social-welfare advice practice. The ASA is a research partner in a project, funded by the Nuffield Foundation under the ‘Understanding Communities’ programme and due to complete in the summer of 2024. She is a Trustee of the Access to Justice Foundation, represents the advice sector on the Administrative Justice Council and on the Ministry of Justice Legal Support Advisory Group and has recently joined the advisory committee for ‘Bar in the Community', a project linking barristers with voluntary organisations needing legal advice.