Improved system bidding to make advice easier to access for citizen’s
Wear Valley CAB is introducing a new and improved system to make access to its advice services easier.It will no longer be necessary to make an initial appointment to obtain information or seek assistance with a problem.
From Monday, June 2, the bureau will be operating a diagnostic or gateway interviewing system.
On Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, between 10am and 1pm, the bureau will be open to anyone, without the need to make an appointment. Clients who come into the bureau will be offered a 10-minute interview with a trained and experienced adviser, who will identify the precise nature of their problem.
It might be that a leaflet or a fact sheet from the bureau’s comprehensive information system will resolve the problem or enable the client to do so themselves.
If not, the client may be offered an appointment for a longer interview with a general adviser or one of the bureau’s specialist advisers in debt or welfare benefits, or may be signposted or referred directly to a solicitor or another agency, if they can provide the help the client needs more effectively.
Peter Singer, bureau manager, said: “As a bureau, we are constantly trying to improve the standard of the service that we offer to our clients.
“This new approach will provide a quick and simple gateway through which clients will be able to access the right kind of information and advice that will help them to sort out their problems.
“We see this as an exciting development for the bureau and a real improvement in accessibility for our clients. “It should speed up the whole process and make the experience of coming to the bureau as smooth as it can be.”
Details of opening times, outreach sessions and useful links are available on the bureau’s website www.wearvalleycab.org.uk Advice and information on a range of subjects is available by logging on to the Citizens Advice service website www.adviceguide.org.uk
