The CAB Team
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Uttlesford Citizens Advice Bureau 2012–13 www.uttlesfordcab.org.uk “Poverty and hardship exist in our area and with extra funds we can reach out and make a real difference.” Uttlesford Citizens Advice Bureau is a charity that works in and around Saffron Walden, Great Dunmow, Thaxted and Stansted Mountfitchet. We provide free, independent, confidential and impartial advice to everyone on their rights and responsibilities. We value diversity, promote equality and challenge discrimination. Our aims are to provide the advice people need for the problems they face, and to improve the policies and practices that affect people’s lives. Looking to the future As a volunteer-based charity, we see the amazing work that can be done by the community. However, legislative changes in the Localism Act around housing, the Welfare Reform Act and cuts in legal aid, will affect local residents. Uttlesford is a wonderful place to live, but if you don’t have much money the absence of a job centre, scarce public transport and the lack of affordable housing is a huge problem. We work hard to help our community deal with the complexities of these changes, as well as tackling the everyday challenges faced by those who use our service. We focus on supporting the most vulnerable members of society, whilst empowering people to help themselves where they can. Uttlesford has a strong sense of community and we are incredibly grateful to our many supporters KATE ROBSON, MANAGER and volunteers. But funding still remains uncertain every year and Uttlesford CAB can only continue to offer its vital service with continued support. “If you don’t have much money the absence of a job centre, scarce public transport and the lack of affordable housing is a huge problem.” “A recent survey showed that 99% of our clients were happy or very happy with the quality of information and advice they received.” Who we help A bailiff calls A woman called in a state of real distress saying that a bailiff was on her doorstep demanding the keys to her car. As she had to have the car in order to get to work, we contacted the people she owed money to and asked them to accept affordable re-payments rather than taking the car away. The creditors agreed and our client was able to remain in employment and pay off her debts. Unemployed and homeless A young man of 19 came to us as he had lost both his job and his home. His employers, who had provided him with accommodation, were closing the business. After checking he hadn’t been unfairly dismissed, we discussed his options in terms of unemployment benefit and his lack of priority housing need. Initially, the young man was reluctant to consider leaving the area and moving Fear of the future back in with his parents. However, after gaining A client with Multiple Sclerosis was referred to advice, he decided that it would be in his best us by her GP, needing to discuss her anxiety over interests to return home to his parents and apply being forced to give up work. She was unsure of to a local college for training. He concluded that her legal rights and what monies she could live on he could return to Uttlesford in the future, either when she stopped working. by transferring his college course or by finding a new job. We helped her fill in forms to identify what pension she would be likely to receive in the future and helped her apply for Employment Support Allowance to partly cover her lost income. Our home visitor also helped her complete the Disability Living Allowance claim form. She is now starting to adapt to her changing circumstances Please note: Some details on these pages have been changed to protect client confidentiality. with fewer worries. KEY FACTS ● This year we handled 11,333 visits and calls from local people or people with connections to the area ● Our debt team helped 99 families and individuals in serious debt who were facing serious stress and anxiety ● The service could not exist without our volunteers whose time is valued at over £386,000 a year ● Local charities and donations helped us supply £480 of food vouchers to individuals Hungry and isolated and families who had no money to buy food A woman with mental health problems was living ● in total isolation in a farm building. She urgently We worked in partnership with other needed help as she had no food. We visited her charities to provide over £6,300 to immediately and arranged for food vouchers to help local people in desperate situations support her in the short-term, as well as for her gas ● 65% of our clients were new to Uttlesford bottle to be replaced so she could cook. We then CAB in 2011–12 helped her complete Employment Support Allowance and Disability Living Allowance ● An audit in summer 2012 showed we are applications. Her situation is now vastly improved providing the highest grade of advice to and she is now receiving the correct financial support our clients and has been signposted to local Mind services. At his wits’ end A desperate father came to us with rent arrears because his housing benefit had been reduced. After discussing the problem, we identified that his 16-year-old son was out of education, employment Active enquiries and training. We explained that he had lost his by main category housing benefit and would lose his entitlement to in 2011–2012 child tax credits if his son was not in education. We advised him on suitable education courses for his son and helped him take the necessary steps to successfully manage his rent arrears. Benefits 30% Legal 7% Debt 13% Finance 4% Housing 11% Consumer 4% “I was sick with worry but Employment 11% Other 11% now I can see a way out.” Relationships 9% Reaching further Carver Barracks We were asked by the Welfare Officer at Carver Barracks to offer an outreach service to the soldiers and their families. In a short trial of advice sessions we helped many soldiers and their families with long-standing issues including debt, money management, disability issues, retirement planning and redundancy. Uttlesford District Council’s Jubilee Fund has agreed to fund a fortnightly outreach for six months to ensure this work continues, whilst we look for longer Warm homes, healthy people term funding. In a cold, snowy February staff and volunteers donned gloves and boots to knock on 2,251 doors GP referral pilot in parts of the district where we felt we could In the summer we ran a pilot referral service for make a difference. We gave 304 households patients at Thaxted Surgery. Research has shown advice on a range of issues including keeping that patients who regularly visit the doctor often warm, saving money on heating costs, benefit have debt, employment and relationship issues, entitlements and managing debt. The project, which cause anxiety. In addition, people with funded by the Department of Health, reached disabilities who regularly visit the doctor are more many older people at home and was warmly likely to have low incomes. Working with the received. We hope to run this successful service surgery, we were able to offer a joined up service again, if funding permits. tackling both the patients’ medical and social issues. In the future we would like to expand this Disability homevisit team service to work with more surgeries across the This year our staff and volunteers helped local district, where funding is available. people successfully complete the complicated disability benefit forms through a project that Youth volunteer project offers a home visit service to people unable to To improve our service and reach out to young come into the Bureau. We supported 167 local people across the district, we have recruited a people with serious disabilities to claim an number of local 15 and 16 year olds. They are now additional £622,000 in disability benefits. The building awareness of the CAB amongst local project has continued to receive funding from young people and helping us to understand their Essex County Council. specific needs and aspirations. “You can see some people visibly relax as soon as they realise help is at hand.” The CAB team PAID STAFF Uttlesford CAB has 86 volunteers and Kate Robson Manager Sarah Philbrook Advice Services Manager nine part-time members of paid staff. Alison Jiggins Training Supervisor Kellie Dorrington Senior Session Supervisor Caroline Halfacre Debt Specialist Advisers Disability Pebble Padfield Disability Benefit Specialist Sally Arkwright Benefit Team Carol Mooney Admin (Debt) Dodie Brooks Judith Hasler Joanna Hancock Admin (Office) Nicola Baxter Patricia Awbery-Maskell Jo Snares Cleaning Sarah Brock June Baker Peter Clarke Dodie Brooks Trustee board members Christine Crookes Sue Kinmonth Robin Moser Chair Eileen Duck Roy Lowe Nicola Robert Vice Chair Zofia Everett Lorna Manser Roger Turner Treasurer Peter Gould Janice Rust John Clayton Company Secretary & H&S Chair Julie Haines Catherine Smith Emma Langbridge External Affairs Chair Rosalind Hembry Fiona Symonds David O'Brien Personnel Chair Liz Hunt Ginny Eley Diane Drury Fundraising Chair Peter Janke Jill Elms Trustee Alison Jiggins Gateway Assessors John Starr Trustee Deborah Kerchiss Carol Clarke Tricia Summers Trustee Jackie Kingdom Liz Crilley Helen Kirkham Sian Dorrington Other members of the team Margaret Legg Janet Elsey Jane Chetcuti External affairs committee Ian Mitchell John French Nicola Kearton External affairs committee Steven Mitchell Susan Griffith Marilyn Sayers Fundraising committee Sally Moser Gill Laws Robin Mitchell Social Policy Assistant Frances Murray Alison Levey Vijaya Prasad Social Policy Assistant Katy Rolph Mary Ann Matthews Brenda Powell Admin Support Eve Roberts Jane Morley Robin Morgan Chaperone David Rowland Jane Morris Luke Dorrington Youth Gateway Lesley Sibson Sean O'Sullivan Sean Dunwoody Youth Gateway Ann Smith Chris Phillips Jacob Maresca Youth Gateway Judy Thomson Fiona Symonds Michele Wacey Linda Walker Yvon Waddell Evelyn Wacey Barbara Wilcox Tricia Wilby Trainee advisers Rachael Hirst Susan Smith Harvey Steere Robert Ward Ann Wade Michael Watts Nigel Varnam With thanks to ..