Who are the East Staffordshire Citizens Advice Bureau?
All Citizens Advice Bureaux have 2 main aims;
- To ensure individuals do not suffer through lack of knowledge of their rights and responsibilities and;
- To exercise a responsible influence on the development of social policies both locally and nationally.
We offer free, independent, impartial and confidential advice to those living and working within East Staffordshire on issues including:
*Employment* *Benefits*
*Consumer Rights**Legal Issues*
*Basic Immigration Issues**Housing and Homelessness*
Advice is delivered face to face, through our telephone advice service, via our advice email address and through the postal system.
The East Staffordshire Citizens Advice Bureau is a charity, staffed mainly by volunteers; it runs over 3 sites in East Staffordshire, 2 based in Burton upon Trent and 1 based in Uttoxeter. Volunteering Opportunities are available at all 3 sites.
What do volunteers do?
- Keep the service running! Without the time and outstanding commitment our volunteers give us our service would cease to exist. For all Bureau roles a commitment to our aims and principles is essential as all of the work provided by the bureau is confidential. There are many different volunteering roles within Bureau, including;
How to Volunteer
Volunteer Advisers
Administrative/Clerical Volunteers
Social Policy Volunteers/Campaigners
Receptionist Volunteers
Trustee Board Members
I.T Volunteers
Other Volunteering Opportunities
The
Current
Value
of our Volunteers
is:£140,317
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What do our volunteers say?
“I was looking for an opportunity to acquire new knowledge and maintain and develop skills in a community based situation but also have the time to enjoy the activities and hobbies much neglected while I was working. The flexibility and variety of a volunteer generalist adviser suits me perfectly.
It soon became clear that the volunteer role would meet the challenges I was looking for. I have very much enjoyed working with a helpful and encouraging team.
 I am now at the stage where I can hold my own interviews with clients. I am reassured in the knowledge that all advice will be checked by the Advice Session Supervisor before it is presented to the client.
I appreciate that this is only the start of a long training and development process but it has been very satisfying so far”
 “I have been interested in CAB since the 1960s when I was a teenager in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and a family friend was an adviser and used to talk about it. It sounded very interesting then and I can remember one case she talked about when a young girl came into the office and asked advice about a special cake she wanted to make! If only it was as simple as that these days......
I have always liked the idea of helping people and I enjoy finding out about things, but I have to say I was a bit naive in that I didn't ask many questions about the sort of advice I would need to give. Perhaps it was just as well I didn't as it might have putme off! So I went into it blindly and gradually realised how complex the advice we give these days is, especially if you have lived a fairly sheltered life as I have, not knowing anything about benefits, employment and housing law, to name a few.
However, I'm very pleased I persevered, and after 8 months of advising I am beginning to feel more confident, and I have learnt an enormous amount. The best thing about working for CAB as a volunteer is the enormous amount of support and encouragement we get, and the lovely staff at East Staffordshire do their best to make us feel valued. I would definitely recommend this voluntary work to anyone who is interested in meeting and helping people, and keeping the grey cells active!”
Volunteer Advisers
- Provide the front line advice that the Citizens Advice Bureau is most famous for. Advisers are fully supported by supervising and training staff throughout their training and beyond
- No formal qualifications are needed for this role, however, volunteers are expected to have good communication skills and a desire to learn. It takes approximately 3 months of training before a trainee sees their first client and can take a further 9 months for the trainee adviser to gain their Generalist Advice Work Certificate
- It usually requires a commitment of 9 and a half hours per week over 2 days, however this can be adjusted to a persons circumstances or other commitments.
Administrative/Clerical Volunteers
- Perform administrative tasks such as letter writing, filling, data inputting, photocopying, shredding and other clerical tasks
- No formal qualifications are needed for this role, a willingness to help and perform some menial tasks would be a necessity! Volunteers can give as much time as they are able, anywhere from 4 hours per week+.
Social Policy Volunteers/Campaigners
- Research into issues and common problems affecting the clients we see at a generalist and a specialist level
- Liaise with other Bureau and relevant agencies
- Get involved with media campaigns
- Some experience of producing research and written reports is required for this role.
Receptionists
- Greet and welcome the clients as they attend drop in sessions or for appointments
- Take messages for other volunteers and staff from clients or other agencies
- Previous experience in this role is not necessary but would be advantageous along with a friendly and professional manner.
Trustee Board Members
- Manage and plan the bureau's overall strategic direction
- Act as employer for paid staff
- Manage the bureau's finances
- Ensure the bureau complies with the law
- Are responsible for premises, insurance and equipment
- Trustee board members must live or work within the local community as the decisions made by the board has a direct affect on the tens of thousands of people accessing the service every year.
I.T Volunteers
- Support Bureau workers with their I.T based problems
- Troubleshooting and web design
- Provide training on I.T to Bureau workers if necessary
- Experience for this role is essential as well as a commitment to be available for a few hours per week.
Other Volunteering Opportunities
- General help - making tea/coffee, photocopying etc.
It’s not all work though!
 At East Staffordshire Citizens Advice Bureau all our volunteers are highly valued. They receive on going training and recognition for the hours they give freely to the bureau and its clients. So every now and then we like to treat our volunteers to let them know just how special and appreciated they are.
During December we held a celebration event for our volunteers. With all staff and volunteers invited as well as other organisations and people we rely on for the smooth running of the service. We all enjoyed good food, conversation and the volunteers all got a small gift as a token of our appreciation and a massive thank you.
We also feel that our volunteers should have a say in how our Bureau is run and how they would like it to develop over the coming years. As such they are actively encouraged to attend meetings, focus groups and our “Away Days”.
This year our away day took place at Blakenhall Business Park in Barton under Needwood, staff and volunteers enjoyed a nice lunch and a chance to socialise with each other outside of the bureau. Everyone was also given the chance to contribute to the Business and Development Plan.
“Some of our Volunteers Enjoying our Thank You Party 2008.”
How to Volunteer
It’s simple, call 01283 527987 for more information or an application pack!
“Our Volunteers and Staff on the Bureau Away Day 2009”
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