Questions
- Who should I contact in the press office and how?
- Can you provide comment and do you have national spokespeople you can put up on a range of subjects?
- Do you have ‘experts’ or lawyers you can put me in touch with?
- Do you have people available who can provide on-air advice?
- Can you provide advice columns for me to use?
- I’d like to write a top tips series - debt, consumer rights etc. Where can I get hold of these?
- Do you have spokespeople around the country I can interview?
- Can you provide CAB clients for us to interview?
- Do you have an ISDN line?
- Do you have regional press officers?
- How can I get hold of images showing the Citizens Advice Bureaux at work?
- How can I get the CAB logo to use in a publication or online?
- Can you check journalistic copy for accuracy?
Answers
1. Who should I contact in the press office and how?
The best way to contact us (media enquiries only) is by telephone:
You can also email Citizens Advice press office setting out the nature of your media inquiry and we will try to respond as soon as possible.
2. Can you provide comment and do you have national spokespeople you can put up on a range of subjects?
Yes, on the main issues Citizens Advice Bureaux deal with.
3. Do you have ‘experts’ or lawyers you can put me in touch with?
We have experts on some of the main issues dealt with by bureaux such as welfare benefits and debt and it may be possible to put you in touch direct with one of these, depending on the nature of your query. We don’t have lawyers, though many lawyers give their services free to do pro-bono work for local bureaux.
4. Do you have people available who can provide on-air advice?
Yes, on some of the main issues bureaux deal with such as debt and welfare benefits, we can often help with on-air advice.
5. Can you provide advice columns for me to use?
Yes, we regularly write advice columns for use in local and national media. Contact us and we can send you the latest version. We can occasionally provide tailor-made ones, depending on the circumstances and timescale. We can also offer up some of our experts from time to time to deal with real reader problems.
6. I’d like to write a top tips series - debt, consumer rights etc. Where can I get hold of these?
We regularly produce easy-to-understand bullet points of suggestions on how to deal with a range of issues. Here are the most commonly requested top tips. However, if you are writing about a subject not covered here, get in touch and we will try to provide you with some top tips if we can. Otherwise we will send you as much up-to-date and relevant information on the subject about which you are writing as we can.
7. Do you have spokespeople around the country I can interview?
We recognise the importance of getting a local spokesperson. There are hundreds of Citizens Advice Bureaux across the country and many have managers and advisors who are media trained and happy to talk to journalists. Contact us and we will put you in touch with your nearest one.
8. Can you provide CAB clients for us to interview?
Yes, often we can provide you with “case studies” to give a human interest to your story, if it’s a subject of particular concern to us and our clients. You will need to tell us the sort of scenario you are interested in and it helps if you give us as much notice as possible as it can be quite a time consuming process. We will then contact relevant bureaux to see if they have had any clients that fit the bill. However, it is entirely up to the client to decide if they want to talk to you. We will not put you in touch with a client without their express permission – their welfare has to be our primary concern. They may agree to talk to you only on condition that they remain anonymous. Bear in mind that some types of case studies are more difficult to find than others – for example, many people are reluctant to talk about their debt problems. If we are able to identify a client willing to be interviewed by you, we will usually expect a voice in the piece as well. Print journalists: If we are unable to put you in touch directly with a client, we may be able to provide anonymised real-life case studies on paper instead.
9. Do you have an ISDN line?
Yes, the number is 020 7713 8059. Contact one of us to arrange an interview using this line.
10. Do you have regional press officers?
Unfortunately not. Contact one of us in the main national press office if you are looking for a regional view or spokesperson in the regions or in Wales.
11. How can I get hold of images showing the Citizens Advice Bureaux at work?
Email lisa.nichols@citizensadvice.org.uk with your request. Include the image you need, your deadline and where it will be published. All our images are Copyright Citizens Advice.
12. How can I get the CAB logo to use in a publication or online?
The CAB logo can be used alongside text about our services, to promote our website www.adviceguide.org.uk or our volunteer hotline 08451 264 264. Contact lisa.nichols@citizensadvice.org.uk with your request. Please include details about where you wish to use our logo and the format you require.
13. Can you check journalistic copy for accuracy?
No, we don’t provide this service as a matter of course. However, we do strive to provide you with as much up-to-date and relevant information on the subject about which you are writing as we can. You will find a lot of useful, regularly updated information on a wide range of issues on our public information and advice website  www.adviceguide.org.uk, including frequently asked questions in seven languages and factsheets to download.
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