Sarah has now retired from a career in law and finance and has spent the last 10 years volunteering for one day a week as an advisor at Leiston CAB. Before Sarah explained her role as a volunteer she gave a brief resume of the history and structure of the CAB.

Citizens Advice Bureaux were set up in 1939. Initially the 200 bureaux looked at how to meet the needs of a civilian population in war-time where the problems of lost ration books, homelessness and evacuation, missing persons and debt quickly became issues. When funding ceased after the war various charities stepped in including the Rowntree and Nuffield Foundations. Over the following decades the number of bureaus declined from 1074 to 416 until in 1973 there was a government grant to extend the national network.

Over the years the topics have expanded to include advice on consumer problems, employment rights, pensions and witness advice, covered now in several languages to reflect the ethnic diversity of the population.

The fundamental principles remain: that the advice should be free, impartial, independent and confidential and accessible to all citizens. The majority of those citizens are low wage earners who are statistically five times more likely to seek help. Advisors come from all backgrounds and receive extensive training of 3-12 months complete with study packs on topics such housing, benefits, relationship and money problems, before starting in the bureaux.

There are now CABS throughout the country in 3300 community locations with 22,000 volunteers and 6500 paid employees. They are co-ordinated through a central CA umbrella, which sets out strategy and provides information technology to the bureaux, training modules and a formidable database where advice is available on all topics accessible in any branch. If further specialist advice is required voluntary advisors can refer a client to the relevant paid CAB expert within its geographical area.

Sarah then explained how it works for a trained volunteer when a client comes into the bureau to seek help. Having had CAB permission, she logged onto the adviser information system and we produced various fictional scenarios. The database asked relevant questions or gave specific options to the adviser to break down each scenario into concise information about procedure, where to seek further help, and in benefit cases, exactly how much was eligible given the individual’s circumstances. The quality and breadth of the advice was remarkable as was the user friendly structure for an adviser. The labyrinthine bureaucracy of life’s difficulties made manageable and approachable for all!

Sarah’s description of her own time spent as an adviser illuminated what an invaluable national asset the CAB is for anyone in the community needing help and reassurance, as well as a worthwhile and challenging occupation for those wishing to volunteer.  (Summary: Kerstin Davey)