The Value of Advice - North Somerset Citizens Advice Bureau

The Value of Advice
The Work of the Citizens Advice Bureau
in North Somerset 2013/2014
Contents
Welcome to North Somerset Citizens Advice Bureau
2
Introduction from the Chair 3
Working in Partnership 4
Our Impact in 2013/2014 5
Where to go for CAB advice?
6
Welfare Benefits Overview 7
Welfare Benefits Case Study 8
Debt - Overview 9
Debt - Case Study
10
Housing Law
11
Armed Forces Advice and Support Service
12
Working with Partners to Stand Up for Equality
13
The Value of Volunteering
14
The Team
15
Our Supporters
16
1
Welcome to North Somerset
Citizens Advice Bureau
North Somerset Citizens Advice Bureau is a member of Citizens Advice,
providing free, confidential, independent and impartial advice to everyone on
their rights and responsibilities.
We value diversity, promote equality and challenge discrimination.
We are a local charity and receive no direct central government funding
Our funds are raised locally to provide services to the public in North Somerset
All our advisers and caseworkers are fully trained. 80% of them are volunteers
All aspects of our service including the quality of advice are independently audited
Our Aims
To provide the advice people need for the problems they face
To improve the policies and practices that affect people’s lives
2
Introduction
from the Chair
2014 is the 75th anniversary of the Citizens Advice Service. Our records show that the first
CAB in Weston-super-Mare was set up in 1942.
Right from the start and during the Second
World War volunteers ran the service working
from public buildings and private houses dealing
with problems such as the loss of ration books,
homelessness and evacuation. Debt quickly
became a key issue. After the war issues of
housing and then benefits quickly grew. These
and debt are still the main issues now in 2014.
We use interpreters and have specialist advice,
for example people and their families affected
by cancer and other long term illnesses. We are
piloting a service for the armed forces and we are
working with other agencies to develop an advice
network across North Somerset.
We are lucky in the North Somerset CAB to
have a great number of very experienced and
dedicated staff who are always doing that little bit
extra.
Fundamental to the way the CAB works is the
advice we give. We give people the best possible
advice that they need to deal with the problems
they face - so we give people, whoever they are,
the tools and information they can use to improve
their own and their families’ lives. We do this in
complete confidence without making judgments
and independently of government.
None of this would work however without our
volunteers- we have over 60 excellent, well trained
and hardworking volunteers who are skilled in
listening to different people with various problems
and then giving the most appropriate advice. They
mean that even though times are tough and the
demand on the service keeps growing we can still
see people quickly and give them the help they
need.
Indeed we advise the government regularly on
policies and practices that affect people’s lives.
So for example we tell them how changes in the
benefit system have affected people here in North
Somerset.
The staff and the volunteers are always thinking
through more effective ways we can run the
service and I would like to take this opportunity
on behalf of the CAB Board to give our enormous
thanks to all the staff and volunteers at the
bureau.
This only works if we reach all the people in our
community who need our help- so we now have
services all over North Somerset; so people can
get advice face to face, on the phone or on the
web, whatever works for different individuals.
Dr Susan O’Connor
3
Working
Our Impact
in Partnership
in 2013/2014
In response to the “perfect storm” of welfare reform and the drastic cuts to civil Legal Aid,
The Cabinet Office with the Big Lottery set up a £60m fund nationally for advice agencies to
look at ways that they could work more closely together locally to provide improved access
to advice.
We helped 8,984 people who hadn’t been to see us before.
92% were “completely satisfied” with the service they received
96% said they would “recommend us to friends and family”
Here in North Somerset the Advice North Somerset project is led by North Somerset CAB and has
responded to this by:
• Contacting over 200 agencies that provide either information or advice services
• Creating a new website providing details of sources of advice www.advicenorthsomerset.org.uk
• Developing local training opportunities for advice and information workers
We dealt with 24,139 individual problems
• 44% of these problems were about welfare benefits
• 30% were people asking for help with their debt problems
• Commissioning an Advice Needs Analysis for North Somerset
• Holding a conference attended by over 60 delegates to look at how we could work better together
We won £3.2million in increased and new benefits for people in North Somerset
• Setting a timetable for future advice forums
• Starting work developing a common referral system between partner agencies, CAB, Age UK, Alliance
Homes and the BME Network
The project has another year to run and much still to do. To build on this impressive start, we want Advice
North Somerset to be the first place people think of looking when they
need advice either for themselves or for the communities they work
with.
4
We helped 2,190 people in North Somerset manage more than £8million of debt
We represented 140 people in the County Court facing repossession of their homes
5
Where to go
Welfare Benefits
for CAB advice?
Overview
We have 4 main outlets in North Somerset, in addition we see people in another 12
locations across the district.
Once again we have seen the impact of welfare reform on the lives of people seeking
advice from the CAB. Unacceptable delays by the DWP and the imposition of sanctions on
benefits have had a huge impact.
Some of these Sessions are for particular client groups for example Addaction for people in recovery from
drug and alcohol issues and Weston General Hospital for benefits advice for people affected by cancer.
Other locations are to serve particular communities—Pill Resource Centre or The Information Station on the
Bournville Estate.
These are two of the main reasons given for people asking for Food Bank vouchers. The CAB has issued
almost 400 in 2013/14.
We have been inundated at times by the numbers of people who have asked for help appealing faulty
decisions made by the DWP. We have assisted 375 people with appeal proceedings with an 87% success
rate. Often this poor decision making coincides with a change in the client’s circumstances perhaps illhealth, adding unwelcome anxiety at an already difficult time.
More details can be found on our website: www.nscab.org.uk
We also offer advice via Advice Line: 03444 111 444
and email: [email protected]
The Under-Occupancy Penalty (Bedroom Tax), and people having to pay Council Tax for the first time have
been the other major issues leading people to ask for advice.
75% of those who use the
CAB in North Somerset
come to the Badger Centre
in Weston-super-Mare
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Badger
Centre
Clevedon
Office
Nailsea
Office
Portishead
Office
All Other
Locations
6
Thank you for all your
help with my appeal. It
was lovely to feel I had
someone on my side and
I know I couldn’t have
done it on my own.
Sarah
7
Welfare Benefits
Debt
Case Study
Overview
Carole, age 48 and mother of two had a diagnosis of breast cancer which meant lengthy
treatment including a mastectomy and rounds of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
It has been much reported in the local and national media that there has been a 43% rise in
personal insolvency in Weston-super-Mare. The CAB has certainly seen the effect of this...
She had no choice but to give up the job she had held for 18 years
and which she loved. After a few months she began to struggle
financially and her 22 year old son moved back in with her to help
with her care and with the bills.
The CAB rarely sees people who have been reckless in their borrowing, far more common is that people are
struggling month on month to make ends meet. They may have lost a job or had hours reduced or be on
zero hours contracts, there may have been a relationship breakdown or a prolonged illness.
Benefits
STATISTICS
She made her first application for a Personal Independence
Payment (PIP) in June 2013. These forms were sent to the DWP,
who lost them!
She reapplied in August 2013 to be told that her health assessment
would take 7 months. On the day of the appointment in March 2014
the ATOS representative failed to turn up. She was finally assessed
in May 2014.
Sadly this is not an isolated case. The CAB knew that Macmillan
Cancer Support, who fund the CAB Welfare Benefits Service for
people affected by cancer, were looking to highlight this issue and
with Carole’s agreement went to the national press, who contacted
the DWP and were told that the client was eligible for a payment…
This meant that Carole would be almost £400 per week better off:
PIP £102.85, ESA £184.70, Housing Benefit £90.25, Council Tax
Reduction £16.43.
Pension
Credit
434
Attendance
Allowance
454
DLA - Mobility
Component
475
Jobseekers
Allowance
606
Council Tax
Local Support
652
DLA - Care
Component
660
PIP
797
Working/Child
Tax Credits
845
She also received backdated payments of almost £6,000 plus a
Macmillan Grant of £300.
The happy ending to this story is that her son has been able to
move out and is now back living with his girlfriend and everyone is
able to look to the future.
8
DLA
PIP
ESA
Housing
Benefit
1339
ESA
2197
Access to credit is more difficult and people are resorting to pay-day loans for essential expenditure such as
Council Tax and Utility bills are common examples. Whilst we are delighted that the FCA have tightened the
regulations for pay-day loans, it is a concern where people will now go to access short term credit.
We help people to get their finances back under control, and more and more we are assisting with
bankruptcy and Debt Relief Orders as the only viable solutions to assist people to be debt free. We helped
110 clients successfully complete Debt Relief Orders and 30 file for bankruptcy.
Our debt caseworkers are each carrying a caseload of at least 60 open cases at any one time.
Disability Living Allowance
Personal Independence Payment
Employment & Support Allowance
9
Debt
Housing Law
Employment Law
Case Study
Case Study
Case Study
Miss P was living in a “dry house” having completed a rehab programme. She had been
alcohol dependent and her drinking had escalated when she was left to pay a mortgage
after her partner had left. The property had been repossessed and she was left with a
mortgage shortfall debt.
Mr and Mrs J, a couple, in their 80s, were
in financial difficulties.
Diana was employed as a Nursery Nurse
for 11years.
In 2008 they had decided to sell their home to a
sale and rent back company in the belief that they
could continue to live there for the rest of their
lives.
She had been dismissed for gross misconduct
having allegedly left 2 children unattended for a
matter of seconds.
Drinking was her way to wipe out her problems but meant that she
accumulated more debt. She was forced to give up her job, she
could no longer function properly and stopped repaying her debts.
Debt
STATISTICS
Mortgage &
Secured Loan
142
Rent Arrears
(Social Housing)
203
Catalogue &
Mail Order
206
Telephone &
Broadband
299
Bank &
Building Society
316
Water Supply
& Sewerage
Credit, Store
& Charge Card
Council Tax
Unsecured
Personal Loan
However, she was on ESA and couldn't afford the fees.
Miss P used to work in the Prison Service and with the CAB’s
help applied to the Civil Service Benevolent fund for help with the
bankruptcy fees.
272
Fuel Debts
After successfully completing rehab, she felt able to tackle her
debt problems. Her debts were now over £76,000 and, after
discussion with the debt adviser; Miss P felt her best option would
be bankruptcy.
Miss P is now able to put her financial issues behind her and
concentrate on recovering from her alcohol dependency—debt free.
733
873
988
1142
I found your service second to
none, I didn’t feel embarrassed
having to talk about my debt
problem. I can’t tell you what
a relief it was, I actually feel
I have a plan now. Thank you
for this brilliant service.
John
10
She had since applied for another post and saw
that her reference stated that she was dismissed
because of a “safeguarding issue”. The employer
stated that the matter had been referred to Ofsted
and to the Disclosure and Barring Service. On
investigation this turned out to be untrue. Both
agencies are now investigating the actions of Diana’s
former employer.
On completion they received around £30,000
equity and used this to pay off their debts.
In 2013 they came to the CAB having received
letters threatening possession proceedings for
unpaid mortgage instalments. We found that
although initial letters mention a lifelong tenancy
the agreement that they signed was only for a
6 month assured shorthold tenancy and that
the company who bought their home had not
paid the mortgage. In these circumstances the
repossession would go ahead.
Diana was advised that if she wanted to challenge
the dismissal she needed to appeal the decision with
her employer. She was advised that if she wished to
pursue a claim for unfair dismissal at an Employment
Tribunal she would not be entitled to a full fee
remission and that her claim +/-£5,000 would cost
her £1,200 in fees. She felt that she could afford this
and wished to proceed.
We then helped the clients to gain social housing a roof over their heads.
Action against the company and the solicitors
involved in the sale and rent back is ongoing,
but it is unlikely that the clients will gain much in
financial recompense and they have lost the home
where they had hoped to spend their remaining
years together.
She was assisted by the CAB with completing the
ET1 and applying for fee remission. She was helped
to prepare her case for the Tribunal including witness
statements. Since then Diana has received two
offers of settlement via ACAS, neither of which were
acceptable falling well below the “Schedule of Loss”.
The case will proceed to a tribunal hearing.
11
Armed Forces
Working with Partners
Advice and Support Service
to Stand Up for Equality
This service is part of the community’s commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant
ensuring that service personnel current and veterans have the same access to services
as everyone else. This is an acknowledgment of the debt society owes to all service
personnel.
At North Somerset CAB we are fully committed to the national Citizens Advice “Stand Up
for Equality” campaign. This requires us to challenge discrimination wherever it occurs, but
in particular in the following areas:- Gender Violence, Hate Crime, British Sign Language
(BSL) users, and Gypsies & Travellers.
The CAB in partnership with North Somerset Council was funded by the Libor Fund for 12 months to
provide a “one stop” access to information and advice about support and services available in North
Somerset.
We do this by working with partners such as SARI (Stand Against Racism and Inequality), EACH
(Educational Action Challenging Homophobia), Victim Support, North Somerset Council, Avon & Somerset
Police, Weston College, and Weston General Hospital.
The project team have:
• Recruited and trained a small team of volunteers
The first step is to raise awareness across the wider North Somerset community of the problems that
people face in everyday life. We have participated in Deaf Awareness Week, Domestic Abuse Awareness
Week, Hate Crime Awareness Week, and Gypsy Roma Traveller History Month.
• Set up open access points in the Town Hall and at the CAB offices in Clevedon
Only by raising awareness will we start to remove discrimination.
• Widely publicised the service attending a number of events
The launch of Hate Crime Awareness Week
The second step is to provide tailored services for these groups, and
to publicise these across our partner networks, to ensure vulnerable
people get access to the right advice and support.
To contact this service telephone: 01275 888 875
or email: [email protected].
For example, for clients who are profoundly deaf, we can arrange for
a BSL interpreter to attend the appointment with the adviser, and we
have a number of videos in BSL on our website www.nscab.org.uk.
12
13
The Value
We couldn’t have done it without
THE TEAM
of Volunteering
It’s good for you!
That’s the message from recent research carried out by Citizens Advice. It can improve
health and wellbeing, new skills can be acquired, people can feel less socially isolated and
feel more engaged with their local communities and with local issues.
There are lots of volunteering opportunities at the CAB, from admin to advisers.
Everyone gets training and support to do their job and works as an equal member of our team of just over
100 people, 80% of whom are volunteers. Volunteers also have monetary value - last year the time given by
North Somerset CAB volunteers equated to almost £300,000.
You can find more information from our website www.nscab.org.uk.
Volunteers
John Atherton, Bob Beale, Cresten Boase, Judy Body, Maureen Brace, Ed Bridge, Philip Britton, Sue Brown,
Andy Burton, Jacqui Charlton, Bridie Collier, Magda Dabrowska, Jane Delom, Peter Dixon, Linda Dixon, John
Duffy, Laura Elliot, David Folds, Anna Foster, Margaret Fraser, Tony French, Dorota Furmaniak, Vesile Halil, Kay
Hardy, Jane Hart, Eilish Hastie, Karin Haverson, John Haycock, John Hayter, Paul Hemming, Anne Hogarty, Jean
Hook, Bob Jackson, Steve James, Catherine James, Kay James, Kate Knight, Frances Laing, Chris Laney, Daniel
Langley, Rhys Leece, Jean Lewis, Mike Lynham, Gillian MacKenzie, Con Mahoney, David Martin, Les Masters, Ian
McPhee, Lisa Miller, Celia Newson, Frances Northcott, Catherine Ogborne, Carolyn Parsons, Sarah Pope, Carolyn
Powell, Nick Purchase, Graham Rain, Janet Sampson, Duncan Sanders, Vicki Sellers, Catherine Spalding, Ann
Sykes, Viv Tomkinson, Penny Town, Dave Townsend, Phil Wade, Zoe Wallington, Shane Wareham, Jane Warren,
Stephen Watters, Richard Whittaker, David Wood.
Trustees
Adam Barnes, Dr Simon Britten, Dr Susan O’Connor, Cllr. David Pasley, John Peake, Tim Penning, David
Sheridan, Andy Weeks, Fiona Wills. Assisted by Chris Hole, Citizens Advice National Development Manager and
Sim Ilyas, consultant.
Paid Staff
Sheila Bacchus, Kasia Badon, Gill Barringer, Liz Beaton, Charlotte Bradford, Katherine Clark, Tori Crandon, David
Dixon, Annie Duncan, Jack Easton, Amanda Farrance, Judith Howell, David Hunt, Sara Leeroth, Jo Lewis, Annabel
Loring, Michael McCrea-Steele, Richard Muff, Diana Nicoll, Trish Nicholls, Suzanne O’Neil, Graham Oldfield, John
Peake, Rosina Pennington, Laura Raffill, Anne Richards, Lynda Sloane, Karen Smith, Lisa Tomlinson, Joanna
Turek, Sally Wadsworth, Beth Wadsworth, Anne Williams, Alisa Winder.
These people were with us for some of the year
14
15
Our Supporters
North Somerset Council
Clevedon Town Council
Portishead Town Council
Nailsea Town Council
Pill Resource Centre
Legal Aid Agency
Money Advice Service
Macmillan Cancer Support
Alliance Homes
Knightstone Housing
The Big Lottery
The Libor Fund
Many Parish Councils
16
Advice Line
03444 111 444
[email protected]
Websitewww.nscab.org.uk
North Somerset Citizens Advice Bureau
3-6 Wadham Street
Weston-super-Mare
BS23 1JY
Registered Charity Number 1052967
Registered Company Number 2906303
VAT Registration Number 752795494