OUR SERVICES ARE FREE, INDEPENDENT AND CONFIDENTIAL
We Provide Advice
We provide advice services responding to clients needs via the telephone, on-line and face-to-face. Our aim is to empower clients to better help themselves. That’s why we are here – to provide additional support and advice as and when it is most needed.
The over-arching aims, values and principles of Citizens Advice
Provide the advice people need for the problems they face, and improve the policies and practices that affect peoples’ lives
How do we do this?
By providing information and advice to everyone on their rights and responsibilities;
Equipping our clients with the knowledge, skills and confidence to take control of their lives;
Enabling our clients to take informed decisions to address their problems; and
Focusing on our clients as individuals who may have a wide range of problems
We Build Trust
We embrace the following principles:
Build and foster trust with those we work closely with.
Embrace joint working and collaboration To meet individual needs, tackle wider strategic issues and maximise resources we need to work together, drawing on the diverse skills, knowledge and experience of the CAML team, our partners and those we work closely with.
Work flexibly We know the needs of individuals, families and communities change over time – in terms of changing demographics, and the challenges individuals and families face, and how they prefer to receive support.
Be supportive The challenges clients face are increasingly complex which can be immensely stressful for them, their families and those who support them. CAML are here for our clients and our team. We recognise that to best support clients we need to ensure those who work and volunteer with us are comprehensively supported.
Advice Based on Evidence
The design, delivery and evaluation of services must be evidence based. We need to ensure that evaluating and demonstrating impact, and delivering value for money, is embedded within what we do.
For every £1 invested in our services in 2016-2019, we generated:
£3.61: Savings to government and public services (fiscal benefits).
By helping to stop problems occurring or escalating, we reduce the need for public services (health, housing, out of work benefits)
£19.65: Wider economic and social benefits (public value).
By supporting and helping to solve residents problems improves lives and this means better well being, participation and productivity for residents, communities and the boroughs we serve.
£17.36: Financial value to the people we help.
Through our services and support we can increase people’ s income, help write off debt, we take up benefits and resolve consumer issues.
We Measure Economic and Financial Gains
For example, by pursuing benefits appeals and chasing down unjust money claims acan bve assessed through the Treasury-recognised econometric model within Citizens Advice.
In other cases, satisfaction is measured by the determining factors of the issues i.e. a home is retained, a debt managed, an employment issue resolved.
With national Citizens Advice, clients are invited to participate in feedback. Where the client agrees, a third party organisation contacts them to complete a survey (telephone or online) as to their experience with CAML.
Client Satisfaction Survey
During the year, we separately surveyed our Lambeth clients to evaluate the longer term impact of our advice and support. Clients reported that following our advice and support:
81%: Had a better understanding of the issues/challenges they were facing
92%: Reported their confidence had improved to encourage them to take further action or to seek additional support if required”
92%: Concerned about debt or financial challenges, were able to better manage finances/household budgets
95%: Said our advice and support were key to helping the improve their overall well being.
