East Staffordshire CAB is located in the centre of a busy town, it has been experiencing increasing demand for its advice services, and space in the waiting room is at a premium.
Many visitors to the bureau believe that their query is  simple and should be answered quickly by the receptionist, and clients often do not wish to wait to see an adviser.
The bureau approached East Staffordshire Borough Council and the Consolidated Charities of Burton to assist with funding to address this problem; by purchasing an Advice Kiosk, placed in a prominent place with easy to use guides which allowing all visitors to the Voluntary Services Centre to gain information by using a self help electronic information service. The purchase of the kiosk is a one off cost which will have direct and immediate impact on service delivery and a valuable resource to all the visitors of the Voluntary Services Centre.
The kiosk has plenty of room in front of it to allow a client in a wheelchair to access the touch screen. There is enough room for someone to assist a client or for 2 people to use the kiosk together, but not enough for curious onlookers to see what a client is accessing.
The screen returns to the homepage after a set period of time so that even if a client wanders away from the kiosk, confidentiality is retained.
The kiosk allows access to information on benefits and relevant forms, to Adviceguide, ESBC website and other defined sites. There is a printer connected to the kiosk so that clients can take information away with them if they wish.
The key to its success is having enthusiastic and trained staff who can guide visitors to the centre to use the machine – all CAB staff and volunteers, and CASES receptionist will be trained over the next few weeks. Guides are available next to the kiosk in English, Urdu and Polish.
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