Citizens Advice Tadley & District Annual Review 2017-2018 Citizens Advice Service Aims and Principles Citizens Advice Tadley & District, founded in 1985, is a local independent charity and a member of a national association – Citizens Advice. We provide free, confidential and independent advice to help people overcome their problems. We work to fix the underlying causes of these problems. We are a voice for people on the issues that matter to them. We value diversity, promote equality and challenge discrimination and harassment. We’re here for everyone. We hold the Simple Quality Protects Gold Standard. We also hold the Advice Quality Standard, the only sector-owned, independently audited standard that focuses on advice. 2 Citizens Advice Tadley and District Annual Review 2017-2018 Foreword from the Chair of Trustees This report is a spotlight on the work done over the past year and an opportunity to thank all who sup- port the work of our Charity. It highlights the breadth of our advice work and the many projects we run that benefit our local resi- dents. It includes the impressive financial outcomes that we achieve for our clients and case studies of real people who we have been able to help. While the financial outcomes are more easily measurable, the impact on the wellbeing of the community is more difficult to quantify. We seek feedback from our clients and we can see how our work has had a significant impact on many lives. We live in difficult times for many in the voluntary L to R: Linda Harvey, Sharon Dover, Rachel Campbell, Jo Slimin sector. With fewer funding sources available, we rely on the generosity of our many volunteers who Finally, there was a changing of the guard at Citi- give up their time to help others. They tell us that zens Advice Tadley in April 2018 when our Advice the satisfaction of being able to do this is the rea- Services Manager, Linda Harvey, retired after many son why they continue to volunteer for us. They do years of working with us in different roles. We not seek public recognition but I take this opportu- hope she is enjoying her retirement and we wish nity to recognise and thank all who have contribut- her well. We welcomed back Rachel Campbell, who ed in any way this year. This includes our paid staff used to be our Macmillan caseworker, and who and the Trustee Board who are also volunteers. was successful in being appointed as her replace- ment. Our picture (above) shows left to right Linda, The Trustee Board ensures that we meet the Sharon Dover, Rachel and myself at Linda’s leaving standards of our national body’s new membership event. scheme by demonstrating that we have the struc- ture, volunteers, quality of advice, policies, financial This report reflects just a small part of what our management and funding and business plans in service offers. I hope you will find it of interest and I place to deliver to the standards required. We also commend it to you. continue to collaborate with Citizens Advice Bas- ingstoke to offer a consistent service across the Jo Slimin, Chair of Trustees borough. Each local Citizens Advice is a charity in its own right and we are not funded by central government, so locally we have to find the funding to run and deliver the service. We could not do this without our many funders. The list of those who have sup- ported us financially can be found in this report. So whether that has been ongoing or one off funding we say thank you to all of them for the financial support given. Citizens Advice Tadley and District Annual Review 2017-2018 Our Service – an introduction Citizens Advice Tadley & District is a relatively small rural office and that brings with it some unique challenges – and benefits. Our rural location means that some clients can struggle to access other services and we become a vital link to other agencies and information, but the upside is that we know some of our clients very well and have the ability to act for them over a long period of time as different events impact their lives. I took over from Linda Harvey in April 2018 so was not personally responsible for the good work reflected in this annual report. However, I know full well – having volunteered and worked here from 2009 to 2017 - what an incredible team of people it takes to keep us running. It was great to return to see so many familiar faces with all their years of experience, but we also continue to recruit new volunteers to help deliver advice face to face, as Rachel Campbell, Advice Services Manager well as via our telephone service AdviceLine, email tions were made for the introduction of GDPR and and webchat. the full roll out of Universal Credit. It has been a year of great change and, I’m sure, A big thank you to everyone – staff and volunteers seemingly endless training as we became a Hate – for embracing the changes and continuing to Crime Reporting Centre, our new case manage- work so hard to improve the finances, health and ment system was introduced and then prepara- wellbeing of our community. Training Manager’s report This year we saw one new volunteer complete the usual 6 week Citizens Advice programme and an- other two volunteers spent an intensive fast-track week training to become assessors. All of our existing staff and volunteers have also had to complete a great deal of additional training. Everyone had to learn how to operate the new Case Record Management system which was success- fully introduced in September 2017. All assessors also completed additional AdviceLine training ready for the launch of the new platform later in 2018. Due to the roll out of Universal Credit, all advisers and assessors received a day’s specialist training course on this new streamlined benefit so they were fully informed of the changes to benefits that Di Lewis, Training Manager will impact our clients. We would like to thank The tre. We are also supporting the ASK programme, so Mayor’s Community Chest who provided a grant to that advisers can recognise and support victims of cover the costs of the training day. domestic violence. As usual, our volunteers and staff have respond- Training was also completed to allow Citizens Ad- ed incredibly positively to all of these learning vice Tadley to become a Hate Crime reporting Cen- challenges. Citizens Advice Tadley and District Annual Review 2017-2018 Our volunteers — the key to our success Our volunteers come from all walks of life and have Many of my classmates at University excellent local knowledge; they are what makes our volunteered at their local CA which inspired service unique. me to do the same after hearing of their good experiences. Working at CA Tadley has been We have volunteers in a number of roles at Citizens a challenging and fascinating experience Advice Tadley – from reception, admin, IT support, and allowed me to help others in the local fundraising, bookkeeping, research and campaigns, community. assessors and advisers as well as our entire Trustee Alice, Assessor Board. Some volunteers stay with us for a couple of years and then, having gained some valuable addi- tional skills, move on to other organisations; others stay with us for very many years. We are grateful to everyone that gives their time to us. Most of our advice is delivered by volunteers who Having been a volunteer for about 5 years follow an extensive Citizens Advice training pro- I continue to enjoy the work: it is always gramme. This training is regularly refreshed and interesting as every day brings new challenges updated so that we make sure we keep up to date and I never stop learning. I get great job with changes and our advice is current. satisfaction from helping and empowering people to solve their problems. Our recent internal survey showed that our volun- Angela, Adviser teers gain a great deal of satisfaction from help- ing others and feel happier themselves as a result of being involved in the wider well-being of the community. I love being a volunteer at Citizens Advice Tadley. It is teamwork at its finest. An amazing place to be. Ann, Reception & Fundraising volunteer since 2010 I started over 10 years ago. At that time I was looking for some structure to fill my days as I had been used to being busy at work. I’ve always enjoyed the company of the other people here as well as helping my community. Martin, Adviser Citizens Advice Tadley and District Annual Review 2017-2018 Our Team 2017-2018 Advice Services Manager Board Members Linda Harvey/Rachel Campbell Lorraine Bissell Michael Bound Joint Strategic Manager Alistair Cheyne Graham Hatcher Andrew Cobb Simone Friere Training Manager Janette Hewitt Di Lewis Anna Illingworth Eddie McGrath Office Managers Clare Hawkins Derek Mellor HCC representative Emma Mayoh Sharon Bolt Volunteer representative Linda Harvey/ Advice Session Supervisors Rachel Campbell Ex officio/ASM Hazel Baldock Martin Hart Ex officio/Citizens Advice Sharon Dover Janette Hewitt David Lister Richard Williams Caseworkers Rachel Campbell/Petra Luberdova - Macmillan Caroline Sutton - Community Care - Rotary Trustee Board Members of the board of Trustees are directors for the purpose of company law and trustees for the purpose of charity law. The members who served during the period 1st April 2017 to 31st March 2018 are set out below Members Jo Slimin Hon. Chair Kate Wright Vice - Chair Neil Deller-Merricks Hon. Treasurer Katherine Birkinshaw Co. Secretary Citizens Advice Tadley and District Annual Review 2017-2018 Invaluable Volunteers Advisers/Assessors IT Volunteer Angela Adams Ruth Porter Lesley Annable Hazel Baldock Admin/Reception Martin Bartlett Helen Angell Sharon Bolt Maria Barlow Zelda Carstens Jackie Cook Cheryl Cole Ann Lamacraft Jonathan Dance Susan Long Sarah Filsell Christy Gardner Research and Campaigns Fraser Gleave Christine McGarvie Chris Goss Janette Hewitt Fundraising group David Lister Anne Bone Pat Murphy Clare Hawkins Moira Oram Linda Harvey Jane Ostridge Jane Johnston Caroline Sutton Ann Lamacraft Kaylie Tang Juliet Turner Research and Campaigns group Anne Watson Julie Gibson Richard Williams David Lister Mike Wilson Christine McGarvie Jo Slimin Anne Watson We are always looking for volunteers for a variety of roles.