The Citizens Advice service helps people resolve their legal, money and other problems by providing free, independent and confidential advice, and by influencing policymakers.
Every Citizens Advice Bureau is a registered charity reliant on trained volunteers and funds to provide these vital services for local communities.
The Citizens Advice Access programme for 2008 and beyond comprises a number of associated projects and three key initiatives:
Collectively they will enable us to meet the overall aim of the programme:
“To ensure that the CAB service is able to help more people and that those in greatest need receive the most appropriate service”.
We have introduced a new model of service delivery, the gateway assessment approach. The model has three distinct stages:
Bureaux that have adopted this approach have seen, on average, a 50% increase in client numbers and a similar reduction in waiting times.
We are in the process of establishing a single telephone number for the CAB service that will enable those needing help to establish initial contact with the service quickly and efficiently and to receive further advice where required.
The approach is in the process of being piloted and assuming that the pilots are successful we hope to have a fully operational service available in Wales in 2009 and in England during 2010.
At the current time we offer only a limited email service and are working to develop different aspects of electronic advice, including interactive services.
We already have a number of very productive partnerships, but would like to hear from you if you are interested in working with us generally or to improve access in particular. Please email John Gillies.
