MoJ-backed programme supported 110,000 clients across welfare, housing, family and domestic abuse matters
A government-funded legal support programme has helped vulnerable clients resolve problems earlier and avoid court proceedings, according to an interim evaluation of the Improving Outcomes Through Legal Support (IOTLS) Grant.
The Ministry of Justice-backed scheme, delivered with the Access to Justice Foundation, supported around 110,000 clients dealing with more than 163,000 legal issues between October 2023 and March 2025. Welfare benefits, housing, family and domestic abuse matters accounted for the largest share of cases.
Researchers found that around seven in 10 clients receiving early legal support were able to avoid unnecessary court proceedings, while those whose matters did progress were often better equipped to manage hearings and legal processes.
The programme, launched in 2023, distributed funding to 59 organisations across England and Wales delivering legal and advice services across civil, family and tribunal matters. The evaluation found the funding enabled providers to expand capacity, strengthen referral and triage systems, improve collaboration and invest in staffing and service delivery.
The client base reflected high levels of vulnerability. Among those for whom demographic information was available, 62% were women and 55% reported a disability, with many clients presenting multiple and interconnected legal, financial or social problems.
Alongside the quantitative findings, the report includes anonymised case studies illustrating the impact of early legal intervention on individual clients. The examples describe people facing combinations of housing insecurity, debt, welfare and health difficulties who, with legal support, secured financial entitlements, stabilised their circumstances and avoided further escalation of disputes.
One case study highlighted a client struggling with ill health, financial hardship and problems accessing support payments who, after receiving specialist advice, secured welfare benefits and reduced household costs, resulting in a substantial increase in annual income and removing the need for further challenge or appeal action.
The evaluation suggests early legal support can generate wider public value beyond individual case outcomes, including reducing risks of homelessness, alleviating debt pressures, supporting employment and easing demand on other public services.
However, the report also identifies continuing pressures across the legal support sector, including rising demand, recruitment and retention difficulties, and uncertainty around long-term funding arrangements.
The interim review concludes that flexible grant funding remains important to sustaining legal support provision, while highlighting lessons for future programmes on implementation, data collection, communication and funding certainty.
Originally scheduled to conclude in March 2025, the IOTLS programme has since been extended first to March 2026 and then to September 2026 with additional government funding.