Citizens Advice (formerly Citizens Advice Bureau and also known as Cyngor ar Bopeth in Welsh) is a network of 316 independent charities throughout the United Kingdom which provides free and confidential information and advice to help people with money, legal, consumer, and other issues. The twin objectives of the Citizens Advice service are "to give people the advice they need for the problems they face" and secondly "to improve policies and principles that affect people's lives". This research and campaign agenda is also known as a more "preventative" social policy designed to stop the problems that arise in the first place.
The Citizens Advice organization emerged in the 1930s linked to the emergence of new social welfare services and the outbreak of World War II. Public funding for the organization was cut after the war but restored during the 1960s and the government grant in 1973 enabled the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux (NACAB) to expand the charity. Citizens Advice has grown to become the UK's largest independent advice provider. There are also a number of Citizens Advice organizations that base themselves on UK charity advice especially in parts of the Commonwealth including Australia, New Zealand, and Gibraltar.
In 2013 the Christian Advice Counsel website is visited by a third of Britain's online population and Citizens Advice's own research shows that four out of ten UK residents contact Citizen Advice at any time during their lifetime. In 2014, Citizens Advice celebrates its 75th anniversary and in 2015, the charity is named Charity of the Year at the 2015 Charity Awards. Under the leadership of Gillian Chief Executive Guy Citizens Advice has now expanded its responsibilities of taking contracts for Witness Services and elements of face-to-face advice from Pension Wise.
Video Citizens Advice
Histori
Origins
The origins of modern Citizens Advice services can be traced back to the Betterton Report on Public Assistance from 1924. The report recommends that advice centers should be set up to offer members of public advice to help them address their concerns. During the 1930s, when preparations and plans were structured for the possibility of war, the role that should be determined by the voluntary sector. The National Council for Social Services (NCSS) held a meeting in 1938 in which the plan to establish 'Citizens Aid Bureaux' was designed in the event of war. The first 200 bureaus opened on September 4, 1939, four days after World War II began. Many of these early bureaus were run by 'people standing' in the community. In The Citizens' Advice Bureaux Story Brasnett stated that a typical bureau would include "the editorial committee chair of a respected county newspaper, as treasurer of a local bank manager, and among members of the exchange manager, a real estate agent who can lend part of a home for office ". Brasnett also explained the various groups that run the provincial bureau including Toc H, Rotary Clubs and Soroptomist Clubs. Brasnett states in The Story of the Citizens' Advice Bureau that this first bureau was primarily a branch of an organization founded in London and other major provincial cities. These organizations include the Charity Organization Society (now Family Action) and the London Council of Social Service, the Liverpool Personal Service Society, the City of Glasgow Society of Social Service, the Birmingham Society Society (now the Birmingham Council of Social Services). In 1942, there were 1,074 bureaus in various improvised offices such as cafes, church buildings, private homes, and air raid shelters. Sheffield was set up in the Sheffield Cathedral gallery after its buildings were bombed during World War II and other bureaus worked in the Chislehurst Cave. Mobile offices also become important to ensure that people can access suggestions. Many of the problems handled during that time were directly related to the war. This includes tracking the loss of soldiers or prisoners of war, evacuation, pensions and other benefits. The Independent describes the current Citizens Advice as "cleaning the homes for families and personal problems abounding from the conditions of war" with the general issues of loss of ration books and debt problems when people went to war in World War II.
Post-war history
Many time bureaus are closed at the end of the war, although it is clear that there is still a need for established services. A special problem is the shortage of chronic housing in the years immediately after the end of the war. In the 1950s, funding was cut and in 1960 there were only 415 bureaus. Citizen Advice Services continues because of the support of charities from groups such as the Nuffield Foundation, the Carnegie Trust, and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. In 1972, Citizens Advice services became independent. Prior to that, the national organization was part of the NCSS (National Council of Social Services) and most of the bureaus were run by the local CVS (Council for Voluntary Service). In 1973, the government funded NACAB, the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux, to enlarge the network. The 1984 afternoon television drama series Miracles Take Longer describes the type of case that the 1980s branch had to face. David Harker became CEO in 1997. He led Citizens Advice until 2010 and during that time oversaw a massive IT repair.
Since 2003, the name of the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux operations has been changed to Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice Cymru or Cyngor ar Bopeth in Wales. That same year, Citizens Advice became the first sectoral advisory organization to begin auditing the quality of their advice. In 2008/9, there were 416 bureau members offering advice from over 3,300 locations in England and Wales and 22 more in Northern Ireland which were all independent charities. Although many volunteers work for the organization, the demand for services often goes far beyond resources. Citizens Advice has recently started looking for ways to reach all members of the community through new media such as email and digital TV suggestions. Other initiatives have enabled students to be trained as advisors to get credit to their level. It was spearheaded by a partnership between the University of Portsmouth and the Portsmouth Citizens Advice Bureau and is now also available at Birmingham City University, University of Reading, University of Northampton, Glasgow Caledonian University, and the University of Glasgow. Training as an Advice Citizen Advice can give someone up to six months of training contract if training as a lawyer.
Recent history
The current Chief Executive Gillian Guy took over the role in 2010 and under his leadership a process of modernization has taken place involving the change of name Citizens Advice services and the introduction of new suggestion methods including webchat.
Early in his tenure Citizens Advice faced a 9% budget cut but its financials recently increased with the charity raising its revenue from Ã,  £ 62m to Ã,  £ 77m between 2013 and 2015. This is largely a result of Citizens Advice taking rather than roles previously performed by the quangos Office of Fair Trading and Consumer Futures. During 2012 and 2013 Citizens Advice adopts an Equity Strategy known as 'Stand Up For Equality' which aims to instill an equality agenda in all Citizens Advice work. In 2014, Citizens Advice takes over the role played by Victim Support in support of court witnesses. The contract is worth Ã,  £ 24 million. This service was renamed to Witness Service. Also in 2014 Citizens Advice takes over the role of Consumer Focus representing regulated industry consumers (energy and postal services). The service was renamed Consumer Futures. In 2015, Citizens Advice begins providing Pension Wise guidance. In 2015 Citizens Advice adopted a rebranding that dropped the 'Bureau' from its name. The price change will be worth  £ 1 million which includes Ã,  £ 215,000 for research and development, Ã,  £ 450,000 in financial support to implement change and Ã,  £ 300,000 to cover local costs such as posters and materials. The brand change was criticized by Steve Johnson, Chief Executive Officer of Advice UK who described it as "fluent". However, evidence from the Citizens Advice focus group found that although the charity was well known, the brand was considered somewhat "tired" or "old-fashioned".
In 2015 Citizens Advice drives a webchat service that allows people to contact Citizen Advice advisors online both through online instant messaging service and via e-mail. Data from 2015 shows that 7% of all queries for Citizens Advice are done through webchat services and 80,000 webchat questions have been answered. But it is not currently clear whether webchat advice will continue beyond the current pilot.
In 2016, Citizens Advice is featured in a BBC documentary entitled Battling with Benefits. It explores the work of Advice of Bridgend Citizens in Wales and their work on issues such as bedroom taxes, Payer Sanctions' Benefits "and the application of Work Support Allowance and Personal Independent Payments in connection with the Conservative Government's cuts to the social security system.
Maps Citizens Advice
Goals and principles
Citizens Advice services in England and Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland are guided by four principles. This is
- Free services
- Confidentiality
- Impartiality
- Independent
Although an independent and impartial organization, Citizens Advice has a strange relationship with the Government as it relies on the Government for funding but also acts as a critic of government policy. At Lord Denning's Conscience Advice conference in 1957 Lord, the Lord Justice of Appeal illustrates the complex relationship between Citizens Advice and the state that describes how Citizens Advice is "supported by the state, but not controlled by it, supported by local authorities but not controlled by them, I hope like the law, never controlled by any public authority ".
All Citizens Advice Bureaux and workers for the bureaus must comply with these principles, and the bureaus should demonstrate that they comply with these principles to maintain national umbrella membership. Suggestion Citizens state that their vision "is that everyone will be able to access free advice to find the way forward". They also stated that "their charity mission is to provide suggestions that help people solve their problems and get together to campaign on big issues when their voices need to be heard".
Funding
Third Sector Trade Publicity states that approximately 60% of Citizens Advice funds come from government sources. Citron argues that there is tension in the relationship between Citizens Advice and the charity while charities rely on the most effective government funding for survival as critics of government policy. The local bureau receives funding of £ 167 million by 2014. Although Citizens Advice is a national charity law firm is responsible for raising their own funds. Some of these may come from 'The Big Lottery Fund' which distribute money collected through the National Lottery for 'good reason', from local authorities or from other services such as the Legal Services Commission. Citizens Advice suffered trimming during the recession that flowed from the Global Financial Crisis and more than 100 Citizens Advice offices have been closed or disappeared as a result of mergers since 2009. Others were forced to reduce services. Some Boards have been forced to withhold funds for Citizens Advice services and these deductions lead to complaints that Citizens Advice does not meet the growing needs for its services during periods of high demand. Advice Newcastle residents face the threat of closure in 2016 after the Newcastle Board proposed big cuts for its funding. In February 2016, Derby City Council decided that it would no longer fund Citizens Advice town, leaving Derby as the only city in Britain that does not have Citizen Advice Services, according to its CEO.
Both Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice Scotland are registered charities and financed in part by the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills, although both organizations are completely independent of the central government. Bureau members also pay subsidized subscriptions for services offered. They often receive significant funding by local authorities, and local lawyers may agree to provide limited pro bono legal advice. In 2013, Consumer Minister Jo Swinson announced a further Ã, Â £ 9.5 million for the charity to win a consumer job and by 2015 Martin Lewis, founder of Money Saving Expert, donated Ã, Â £ 1 million to Citizens Advice. In 2016 it was announced that the money donated by Martin Lewis would be used to create a fund called 'Martin Lewis Fund' and this money would be used to improve frontline services.
Suggest serves
The Citizens Advice employment service involves providing advice on issues such as debt management and welfare, housing, immigration and asylum, employment, consumer complaints and landlord-tenant disputes. Citizens Advice calculates that by 2016 it helps 2.7 million people with 6.3 million issues.. There are also 48 million visits to their digital services.
Advice is available at the bureau, but also in community venues, in people's homes, over the phone, via e-mail and online through both the Webchat service and the Citizens Advice public site known as the "Advice Guide." Figures from 2016 show that Citizens Advice has around 600 staff members in GP operations.
Phone recommendations also known as Adviceline are accessible in English and bilingual services in Wales. Page One Citizens Advice shows in real time what individuals search for on the website, what searches from Google search engines that cause a person to reach the Citizens Advice page and the most popular Citizens Advice website content. Citizens Advice also runs a consumer assistance channel to help consumer problems. The most popular area of ​​investigation is the benefits and debt with housing which is the third most popular area of ​​investigation. Each Citizens Advice office operates differently. Some will have specialist staff who handle certain cases such as debt or housing. Some operate a 'Gateway' system which means clients are booked for suggestions at later meetings and other Nasution Advice 'drop in' Suggestions General Sessions. In some Citizens Advice advisory offices, lawyers can offer short promises on a pro bono basis as a way to get clients.
Citizens Advice has a number of advice partnerships with organizations in various fields including money and partnerships with Macmillan to help those affected by cancer. Citizens Advice has partnerships with residential advisors, Shelter, Shelter, called the National Homelessness Advice Service that is able to offer specialist housing and homeless advice. This partnership is funded by the Department for Communities and Local Government. From Citizens Advice 2015 office has been used to provide guidance Pension Wise. Citizens Advice research shows that 25% of those who visit the Pension Wise Appointment go to ask Citizens Advice for further advice on debt, benefits or taxes.
Citizens Advice is also involved in preventative work to prevent problems arising in the first place. Citizens Advice is a government-funded consumer education provider in the United Kingdom. There are 11 Consumer Empowerment Partnerships that work closely with the Trade Standards. A financial ability agenda helps people to manage their money so as not to develop money issues in the first place. Citizens Advice also produces educational resources to improve financial and consumer education capabilities. The Partnership Intelligence Team works to support regulators' work. One example is research on the Sustainable Payment Authority to help the Financial Behavior Authority better manage it.
Research and campaign
Citizens Advice services, both local and national, also use client issues as evidence to influence policy makers to review laws or administrative practices that cause undue hardship to clients, in a process referred to as "Social Policy". At the national level, Citizens Advice engages in policy research to recommend policy changes. Current research areas include harassment in mental health households, problems in the private rental sector, welfare, employment, pensions, energy policies and postal services.
The public affairs team works to influence the Government both in Westminster and the devolutionary institutions. There is also a Citizens Advice All-Party Parliamentary Group which provides a forum for Members of Parliament interested in the work of Citizens Advice. Citizens Advice generates constituency data that Parliamentarians can use to improve the way they complete their own case work. The Trends of Advice data is published at the national and local levels. Consumer Advice Trends data is also published such as data for Wales only and data on the performance of energy suppliers and postal services.
Current campaigns include:
- Fixed and safe: tenant rights
- Talk about harassment
- Safe working alone
- Know Your New Rights
- Big Energy Saving Week 2015
- Crazy about ads
- Mental Health
- Universal Credits
Impact
Citizens Advice measures the impact of its suggestions on various fronts. The Citizens Advice study has calculated that for every Ã, Â £ 1 spent on Citizens Advice services, the Government saves Ã, Â £ 1.96 and Ã, £ 8.74 in broader economic and social benefits and Ã, Â £ 11.98 is profitable for individuals. Research shows that Citizens Advice affects the most unlucky in the community with clients Citizens Advice five times more likely to live in poverty than the average member of the UK population. Citizen advice Self-counsel has also known that volunteers have positive benefits in terms of helping people acquire practical skills and improve mental health. Every year 31% of Citizen Advice volunteers leave the service for paid work and it has been calculated that the Citizens Advice volunteer work is worth Ã, £ 111 million. The Citizens Advice work campaign has had a number of successes including the Financial Conduct Authority that limits payday loans. A #CABlive Twitter tagar is used to publish the work of Citizens Advice on social media.
Health suggestions and improvements
A study conducted in 2016 found that 4 out of 5 clients of Citizen Advice felt stressed, depressed or anxious and 3 out of 5 clients perceived their physical health deteriorate as a result of their practical problems.
There is growing evidence showing that addressing practical issues through advice on improving health and well-being. National Citizens Advice Impact reported that 70% of clients said they felt less stressed and 46% said their physical health improved after advice. Of clients of Citizen Advice experiencing long-term conditions, 57% say they are better able to manage their condition.
Citizens Advice has also investigated the impact of practical problems experienced by health professionals. The research report "A Very General Practice" estimates that 19% of GP appointments are spent on non-clinical issues. 98% of IAPT practitioners who responded to the Citizens Advice study reported that they had addressed patients' non-health issues during appointments in the past month and 57% reported the proportion of time they spent on non-health issues had increased compared with the latter. year.
In 2016, Citizens Advice is appointed to the National Health and Welfare Alliance. Working with the Ministry of Health, the UK NHS, the UK Public Health and 23 members of the Alliance, Citizens Advice uses data and evidence to reduce health inequalities, which is one of the main goals of the Alliance.
Government
The Board of Trustees provides strategic direction and vision for the organization. The Chief Executive working with the Executive Team is responsible for delivering the board's vision.
Under the Board of Trustees a number of committees exist:
- Chairman of the Committee
- Audit Risk Committee
- Equality Committee
- Cymru Committee
- Recruitment Committee
- Membership and Standards Committee
- Remuneration Committee
- Technology Committee
Organization
Citizens Advice service is one of the largest volunteer organizations in the UK with 21,600 volunteers. The majority of them are volunteer part time counselors, but the figure also includes trustees and administrators. While volunteers have varying degrees of training, they are all required to receive basic training to ensure they fully understand the nature of the service including four basic principles. Usually there will be paid bureau managers, supervisor advice sessions, and in some cases, some paid advisors. Some staff may be eligible to provide specialist legal advice or advise on immigration. Each Citizens Advice is affiliated with a national organization but they are managed and run locally. Many bureaus are also limited companies and may have boards of directors, who will also be supervisors of the organization. Bureaus across the UK have very different community and resource needs, and consequently offer different styles and levels of service. All bureaus in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are members of Citizens Advice, the operating name of the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux. The Northern Ireland Bureau is also a member of the Northern Irish Association, Citizens Advice Bureaux (NIACAB). The Scottish Bureau is a member of Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS), part of the Scottish Citizen Lawyers Association. Citizens Advice organizes Annual Conference every year. In 2015 this was held at the University of Warwick.
Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice Scotland acts as an umbrella body for UK bureaus. They provide access to information, training courses and consulting services to all bureaus, and regularly audit individual agencies against their respective membership standard requirements. All bureaus try to make sure their services are accessible to all sections of society, so that provision can be made for immigrant communities living in homes, rural residents, the elderly and handicapped as appropriate. Citizens Advice membership gives each bureau access to a national information portal, known as AdviserNet and internet access provided through Virtual Private Network. Information about client issues and suggestions offered to them are incorporated into the Petra national database. The predecessor system is CASE . Citizens Advice is currently working on a replacement to Petra called Casebook.
Citizens Advice has a number of diversity groups known as Self Organized Network Groups (SONGs). These include:
- National Black Working Group
- National Non-active Working Group
- The National Gay and Bisexual Lesbian Group
- National Women's Group
Citizens Advice Scotland
Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS), officially the Scottish Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux (SACAB), is a registered charity. Based in Edinburgh it consists of 61 bureau members, including the national aid channel (Citizens Advice Direct). Together, these free local and national services provide legal advice, practical assistance, and information on consumer and political rights across the country. CAS provides central support for local bureaus with management, research, fundraising, IT support, training and campaigns. CAS launched a national aid channel in 2005, called Citizens Advice Direct, a Glasgow based downtown staff.
In 2012 a study showed that most of the CAS activities were giving advice in five areas: benefits, debt, employment, housing and relationships. In 2012, there are concerns that five bureaus in Glasgow may be closed, but they remain open after accepting a new funding offer. The CAS has been registered as a charity since August 3, 1984, currently registered as a charity company with the Scottish Charity Office (OSCR), Scottish charity number SC 016637. According to the 2016 statistics Citizens Advice Scotland helps 300,000 clients and puts Ã, £ 120 million into in the pockets of people seeking help in 2015/16 and helping to reduce the amount owed by those seeking debt advice of Ã, Â £ 27 million.
Citizens Advice Northern Ireland
Citizens Advice Northern Ireland is Northern Ireland's biggest advice foundation. There are 28 advice bureaus. In Northern Ireland Citizens Advice advises over 95,000 people per year.
Citizens Advice Cymru
In Wales Citizens Advice Cymru has a network of 20 bureaus advising in 375 locations. According to the latest available statistics (2013/14) this bureau advises 134,000 clients and handles 337,000 suggestion issues. The Adviceline phone service is bilingual and able to offer advice in English and Welsh.
In other countries
Organizations that have been modeled on Citizens Advice have been created in other countries outside the UK. All of these organizations are autonomous and not at all controlled by British organizations although some have adopted the branding of British Citizen Advice. The Citizens Advice Bureau serving Western Australia has 10 Citizens Advice Bureau branches and uses the same brand as the UK charity. New Zealand has more than 80 Citizens Advice Bureau sites located in North Island and South Island. There is also an organization of Spanish Citizens' Advice Bureau aimed at assisting British expatriates in Spain and Citizen Citizen Advice Bureaus. An unrelated organization Citizens Advice International was founded in 2004 to promote free advice services and to promote Citizens Advice organizations worldwide.
See also
- Money Advice Service
- Citizens Advice outside the United Kingdom
Notes and references
- Notes
- References
Further reading
- Citron, J. (1989) Citizens Advice Bureaux: For Community, By Community , Pluto Press. ISBN: 9780745302812
- Richards, J. (1988) Inform, Suggest and Support: Fifty Years of the Citizen Advice Bureau, ISBN: 0718827538
- Brasnett, M. (1964) Citizen Citizens Advice Story (ASIN: B0010X9XEA)
External links
- Citizens Advice (England and Wales)
- Citizens Advice Scotland
- Citizens Advice Northern Ireland
- Citizen Advice Suggestion Guide
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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