Generalist Webchat project to start soon

Generalist webchat

Following a successful joint bid with Cardiff and Vale, Caerphilly, and Merthyr CABx a generalist webchat service will begin at Torfaen in the next few weeks. Located next to our Adviceline telephone desk in the Cwmbran bureau the service will be led by a jointly employed member of staff who over the next 14 months will deliver on the project targets whilst recruiting and training new volunteers to continue a sustainable service beyond the end of the initial funding. Torfaen will be expected to conduct 22 webchats a week. The service will link in to telephone advice through our other projects as well as other telephone and bureau services in much the same was as adviceline does currently.

Private sector rented housing survey

If you rent your house from a private landlord can you please help Citizens Advice with this research by completing this short questionnaire https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PRSext

Lee Chesterman from Newport

The week we welcomed Lee from Newport Bureau who will be delivering Debt Advice from our Cwmbran Bureau as part of Newport CAB's Frontline Debt Advice project

Save the Children Christmas Jumper Day

I am pleased to report that the Bureau has received a certificate from Save the Children thanking us for the donation of £70 that we raised at the Christmas Party. Bob led on this so a big well done to him and thanks to all who contributed.

Proceeds of crime fund

Some of you may have noticed that the Gwent Police Proceeds of Crime Fund is re-opening. This fund offers small grants to community organisations for projects that will reduce offending behavior, including alcohol and drug dependency. Unfortunately the fund will not cover staff costs and cannot be used to purchase capital items. I would welcome any ideas you may have about how TCAB could get involved with this.

Bureau closure

The Bureau will next be closed for Easter on Good Friday 3^rd April, Easter Monday 6^th April and Tuesday 7^th April.

Feedback

I always welcome feedback from staff and volunteers, you can ring me up on 01633 876128 send me an email at mal.edgson@torfaencab.org.uk, write me a letter, comment on this blog, place your comment or suggestion in the comments box in the Cwmbran meeting room or come and see me.

This Blog is prepared for the staff and volunteers of Torfaen Citizens Advice Bureau

Cold with Wintery Showers

Bad weather contingency plans

When wintery showers fall on parts of Torfaen they can cause some travel chaos. Last Wednesday areas of Blaenavon and Garnsychan we not passable and there are likely to be more such days before winter is through. This inevitably leads to problems for staff and volunteers trying to get to work.

Please don't travel if it is not safe to do so. If it is safe, please make your way to your nearest bureau if it is not possible to get to your normal place of work, please leave a voice message on 01633 876121 option 3 to let us know if this is the case. Paid staff should also text Mal or Lynne so we can arrange cover, notify staff and clients, and alert the public via facebook and twitter.

Paid staff staff should also make provision to allow for work to be done at home when disruption is expected.

There are good links on this page for information about travel and gritting.

http://www.torfaen.gov.uk/en/TransportStreets/RoadsAndPavements/Roadsandhighways-gritting/Winter-Maintenance.aspx 

New starters

This week we welcome Matthew Chambers, Lesley Turner and Debra Lunt to the bureau. Welcome aboard we look forward to working with you

Admin - victim of its own success

Please bear with us this month as we have had an unprecedented migration of admin volunteers from our team. Five of our most prolific volunteers left us for better things recently and there is quite a hole behind them. Adam has taken a job with the Citizens Advice Consumer Advice call center, Sam has left to go full time in Brantano shoe shop. Helen left us for a new job with a Monmouthshire housing association, Hannah has been taken on by TVA as an administrator as well as her college work, and Matthew has been away to concentrate on job searches. We done to all of them for their respective successes, please try not to do it with such synchronicity in future!

Lisa is currently interviewing new volunteers and we hope to have reception cover fully up and running again soon.

The NEW way of making sure our advice is top notch.

TCAB is coming to the end of the first month of our new advice quality audit regime and we have already learnt a few things. Firstly, our advice is of high quality and has scored well so far giving us a GREEN light on our first monthly scoreboard. Secondly, we have been able to focus on how to improve. Over the next few weeks we will be holding briefings with advisers on the techniques of recognising a wider range of peripheral and consequential client issues once the presenting issues have been dealt with and making sure these are well referenced in the client notes. Please look out for these opportunities.

Benefit Sanctions

Radio 4 File on 4, this coming Tue 21st Jan at 8pm,will focus on benefit sanctions and asks if disabled people are being set up to fail. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04yk7h6

Bureau closure

The Bureau will next be closed for Easter on Good Friday 3^rd April, Easter Monday 6^th April and Tuesday 7^th April.

Feedback

I always welcome feedback from staff and volunteers, you can ring me up on 01633 876128 send me an email at mal.edgson@torfaencab.org.uk, write me a letter, comment on this blog, place your comment or suggestion in the comments box in the Cwmbran meeting room or come and see me.

This Blog is prepared for the staff and volunteers of Torfaen Citizens Advice Bureau

Happy New Year

A Happy New Year to all At Torfaen CAB

Communities First project

We are very pleased to announce that this project has been funded for an additional year. The projects provides funds for 2 caseworkers to address debt and benefits issues at outreach locations in collaboration with Torfaen Communities First. The project began in Oct 2013.

The Advice Session Supervisor – The NEW ‘Go To’ person for everything.

You have told us very clearly that you think communication needs to be improved in the Bureau. A number of volunteers report that they don’t know who to go to when there is a problem.

We would like to make it clear that ALL problems should be fed through the On Duty Advice Session Supervisor. The Duty ASS will then raise an action with the member of the management team responsible. This will ensure that the ASS is always aware of problems that arise during an advice session and can make compensating arrangements to offset the problem if possible as well as making it easy to remember for everyone else.

The duty ASS is listed on the office diary which can be accessed from any bureau PC and at Cwmbran is also written on the lower office door.

The story of James and the Eviction

Client, a single divorced man living in Bron Afon property had been claiming ESA but stopped doing so because of emotional problems he suffered following a family bereavement. His failure to claim ESA affected his housing benefit and by the time the client started claiming ESA again he was in rent arrears of around £1700. While the client had agreed a repayment plan in November 2014 no payments were made because the client did not receive the payment card Bron Afon had agreed to send to him. Consequently Bron Afon commenced possession proceedings and the client was evicted on 9th December. The client attended the Gateway session in Cwmbran on 10th December the day following the eviction. James telephoned Bron Afon on the clients behalf and they agreed that the client could return to the property if he cleared the arrears. The client was able to clear the arrears the following day and was allowed back into the property.

This case is unusual in that the client was able to find £1700 to pay off the arrears in full but nevertheless shows that even after a tenant has been evicted all is not necessarily lost.

We done James, great result

TAX Help for Older People

TOPS are resuming their monthly clinics in bureau. The next one will take place on Friday 16^th January, 10am to 12 noon.

Advice on wills, probate and powers of attorney

Solicitors Everett and Tomlin have asked if we would like another one of their solicitors to come to the bureau periodically (probably fortnightly) to give advice on wills, probate and powers of attorney. David is currently arranging this and it should be finalised shortly.

New volunteers

This week we are pleased to welcome Abigail Jones, John Hodgetts, David Roberts- Lloyd, Kelly Thompson to our team.

Frontline Debt Advisor from Newport CAB starts soon

As part of the Front line Advice project Lee a Debt caseworker from Newport will be offering Debt advice alongside our team 2days a week starting shortly. This mirrors the arrangement where Andrew provides Benefits casework out of Newport CAB. We will be organising appointments for Lee but he will be supervised out of Newport CAB. I am sure you will make him feel very welcome at Torfaen.

Adviceline style Webchat advice

Following a successful collaborative bid between Torfaen, Cardiff & The Vale, Caerphilly and Merthyr CAB’s we will shortly have an adviser and project manager one day a week to offer webchat general advice and gradually develop a volunteer team to fully operate the service by the end of the 14 month period of start-up funding. This project will be located next to the Advice line desk at Cwmbran.

Team meeting

The next team meeting will take place on Wed 25^th February 1pm – 4pm and will focus on Citizens Advice campaign work with guest speaker from the Cymru campaigns team. All Bureau services will be closed that afternoon so that everyone can attend although the Shelter session will continue as normal.

Bureau closure

The Bureau will next be closed for Easter on Good Friday 3^rd April, Easter Monday 6^th April and Tuesday 7^th April.

Feedback

I always welcome feedback from staff and volunteers, you can ring me up on 01633 876128 send me an email at mal.edgson@torfaencab.org.uk, write me a letter, comment on this blog, place your comment or suggestion in the comments box in the Cwmbran meeting room or come and see me.

This Blog is prepared for the staff and volunteers of Torfaen Citizens Advice Bureau