Citizens Advice Bureau - Annual Review 2024/25

FACTS FROM CORE SERVICES TOTAL DEBT MANAGED £5,020,721.69 TOTAL CLIENT FINANCIAL GAINS (where known) £1,301,295.85 New clients 8,864 Cases 10,655 Total Contacts 15,464 DEBT MANAGED 1. Signposting: 1.1% 2. Listening Ear: 1.8% 3. Information & Advice: 52.1% 4. Negotiations outside: 44.2% 5. Representation: 0.8% (Legal papers only) WORKLOAD MEASURES Number of issues new clients brought to the bureau and its outreaches broken down as Social Security Benefits: 7,483 Immigration, Nationality & Asylum: 875 Consumer Goods & Services: 141 Legal: 429 Debt: 1,036 Relationships: 224 Employment: 1,158 Tax: 697 Financial Products: 334 Utilities: 804 Housing: 1,653 Other (Health, Education & Travel) 650 Total 15,484 NEW AND ONGOING ISSUES Volunteering is the heart of this service. It is challenging, varied and rewarded by the satisfaction of making a difference to many people’s lives, reaching achievements, vast learning opportunities, training, gaining or improving confidence, use of systems and improving employability. Mostly volunteers engage to become general advisers but some prefer other duties such as reception, administration, IT and social policy. Prospective advisers, if accepted, follow a programme leading to advice giving or other preferences. In some cases qualifications can be awarded. Some go on to become tutors, team leaders or specialists in certain subjects or case checkers. Many past volunteers have succeeded to prominent positions in the city. For those who are retired or otherwise not seeking paid employment volunteering in the CAB provides an interest, comradeship, expansion of knowledge base, further insight into the diversity of life, amelioration of lifestyles and a great sense of purpose VOLUNTEERING ENGAGEMENT New clients 8,864 Cases 10,655 Total Contacts 19,519 With the ever increasing number of clients seeking immigration advice we have identified this as an area for further training for staff and to identify a more advanced way of supporting them. Also, with a redesign of funding coming from the Glasgow City Council staff in the bureau will be more than happy to adapt in any way as may be necessary. FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS