The Advisers are coming

Helping Most People in a single visit

We are working towards helping as many people as possible with their problems in a single visit.

in the last two years we have been stretching the old concept of  The Gateway Interview to include quick advice, simple form filling and so on.

Part of creating a service capable of solving more problems on the first visit is about providing the training to support our volunteers to go further with the help they can provide for people.

3 months ago we took the decision to train all new volunteer advisers to Adviser level. The initial results are very encouraging.

10 volunteer advisers have qualified in recent months and join the experienced advisers Hazel Waters, John Sharratt and Tony Pursell.

A big hand for our new generation of Advisers: Lynda Evans, Jill Martin, Francesca Breet, Jade Ngai, Justine George, Lesley Turner, Sophie Hall, Sue Roberts, Cynthia King and Martha Smith-Higgins.

This complements our team of Gateway Assessors: Alyson Vorres, David Taylor-Williams, Emma Taylor, James Johnson, John Hodgetts, Madeline Newhook, Martin Mills, Pauline Prichard and Sandra Harris.

There will always be a place for the short triage interview but we are delighted to have some many fantastic volunteers who can go further with the help they can give the people of Torfaen.

Bureau Christmas Dinner

All staff and volunteers are invited to our Christmas dinner. Following a vote we will be trying to secure the Little Crown in Wainfelin. the Little Crown came a narrow second in our poll but unfortunately the winner (Greenhouse, Lantarnum) cannot do the numbers.

If you want to come to our Christmas Dinner (its free) please sign up here by Monday 2nd Nov if possible
http://doodle.com/poll/khwwdsi7huywrdws 

Other Dates

Next Bureau Team Meeting - correction: Thu 21st January 2015 at 1 - 4pm All staff and volunteers are welcome.

Christmas Closure 2015: The Bureau will be closed from 12.30pm on Thu 24th Dec and will reopen on Mon 4th Jan 2016. There will be no outreach sessions on Thu 24th. Bureau staff will need to take annual leave on the following days. 24th (half day), 30th, 31st Dec.

Feedback

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

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

Citizens Advice Torfaen - Great Value for Society

Citizens Advice Torfaen - Great Value for Society

Citizens Advice have published data on the value of each local Citizens Advice to its local community. Using the Treasury's own social value model we can confidently say that every £1 invested in Citizens Advice Torfaen yields at least £2.42 in savings to Government, £12.66 in public value and wider social benefits and an impressive £24.68 in benefits to individuals.

That is a staggering

• £1.4m reduction in health service demand, local authority homelessness services and out of work benefits for clients and volunteers.
• £7.3m in wider economic and social benefits, improvements in participation and productivity fore clients and volunteers.
• £14.4m in benefits to individuals and volunteers of income gained through benefits, debts written off and consumer problems solved.
• On top of this there is a further £5.5m of debts rescheduled which otherwise might not have been repaid.
• and £235,000 in the direct value of volunteering.

That totals out at nearly £29m annually of savings and benefits into our local communities, helping individuals cope and public services manage.

Welcome Aboard Sam

Samantha Greenland started last week as our new Operations Manager. Sam comes to us with a background in Trading Standards and recent experience working for the Welsh Local Government Association on their Academy project. Sam will gradually be taking over many of the aspects of the operational running of the Bureau and is part of an initiative to strengthen the Bureau and help us grow in the future. Sam will normally work Wed, Thu and Fridays in Cwmbran. Please make her feel welcome.

Volunteering their way into work

A number of our volunteers have found their way into work recently. Sue and Sophie as our own paid advisers, and in the last year.

Emma -  Cardiff University, immigration adviser.

Kirsty - McMillan Cancer Care

Wveronika - Air hostess training

Catherine - Poundland

Mathew - Bristol University

Courtney - ITEC

Samantha - Brantano 

Sammie – Mind as a Volunteer

David - Gwalia

Tony, Matthew and Sarah - Citizens Advice Consumer Centre in Cwmbran

Nathan - Pupillage in London Barristers Chambers

Its great to see them doing so well.

Energy Contracts

We are delighted to announce that Citizens Advice Torfaen have successfully secured a 4th round of energy advice contracts under the Energy Best Deal programme. Having just successfully completed the last contract we are now funded to run 8 group sessions and 100 individual sessions between 1st October and 31 March. These are in addition to the Energy Efficiency (advice on grants) programme that Natalie will be delivering between now and 31 March 2016.

Over the next few days we will be making arrangements to recruit part time support to cover the additional clients required for these projects.

Dates

Next Bureau Team meeting - correction: Thu 21st January 2015 at 1 - 4pm All staff and volunteers are welcome.

Christmas Closure 2015: The Bureau will be closed from 12.30pm on Thu 24th Dec and will reopen on Mon 4th Jan 2016. There will be no outreach sessions on Thu 24th. Bureau staff will need to take annual leave on the following days. 24th (half day), 30th, 31st Dec.

Feedback

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

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