HomePublicationsAnnual reportsCitizens Advice annual report 2005/2006Strengthening the bureaux network

The success of the Citizens Advice service and its ability to meet the needs of clients, depends on individual bureaux being stable and sustainable. During 2005/06 we spent £11,834,000 supporting bureaux in their work.

Citizens Advice provides support to member bureaux so that they have the tools to manage themselves. We provide advice and consultancy support on a wide range of issues including governance, staffing, business planning, company and employment law. Bureau managers also have access to a telephone and email helpline, and a comprehensive online bureau management resource.

Citizens Advice was the first organisation in the advice sector to audit the actual content of advice provided by bureaux. Audits of every bureau take place every three years and ensure that the quality of advice remains consistent across the service.

Citizens Advice continually seeks new partnerships, contracts and funding streams that will strengthen the service. Last year, we successfully bid for £33 million from the Government’s Financial Inclusion Fund. This will enable bureaux across England and Wales to employ specialised debt advisers to help reduce financial exclusion.

During 2005/06 we said that we would:

• set up a network enabling regions and bureaux to share best practice
• develop a business assessment toolkit to help bureaux improve efficiency and deliver value for money.

During this year we have:

• set up ‘innovation groups’ so bureaux can share experiences, either through face-to-face meetings or telephone conferencing
• designed a business assessment toolkit that will be piloted during 2006/07
• set up a programme of support and training to help bureaux maximise support from their local authority. This included help with marketing strategies, workshops and research into the perceptions held by local authorities the service
• brokered three new national partnerships that will be delivered by bureaux. These important partnerships will provide benefits and money advice to people affected by cancer, offer financial literacy help to young adults, and support people in prisons
• supported nearly 80 bureaux to deliver financial capability education to a range of socially excluded adults and young people in schools. This is part of our strategy for all bureaux to participate in financial capability work by 2010
• taken steps towards bureaux becoming a first of contact for people who believe they have been the victims of discrimination. In 2005/06, Citizens Advice Bureaux in England and Wales advised people with almost 32,000 problems relating to discrimination, intimidation and harassment.

Next year we will:

• identify six to eight main groups that are not currently able to or do not  access CAB services and work with them on a national or regional basis.
• provide bureaux with the tools to determine individuals and groups within their communities that are in greatest need and encourage them to provide services accordingly
• have over 370 new debt advisers offering face to face money advice in bureaux, funded by the Financial Inclusion Fund
• pilot a system to help bureaux understand  their performance better to increase their chances in funding bids
• develop more partnerships with organisations at a national level to maximise opportunities for the service

We supported nearly 80 bureaux to increase financial capability partnerships.

Our partnership with Macmillan provided welfare benefits and money advice to people affected by cancer.

We supported bureaux to deliver free advice from over 3,000 locations.

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