HomePublicationsAnnual reportsCitizens Advice annual report 2006/2007Making information available

In 2006/07, Citizens Advice spent £1,887,000 on producing and distributing accurate information for bureaux to use to advise clients and for the public to access directly.

Citizens Advice’s multi-awarding winning website, Adviceguide goes from strength to strength. The site allows the public to access our information directly to help them resolve their problems. Available 24 hours a day, Adviceguide has content in 12 languages.

CAB advisers rely on relevant, accessible and practical information to help 2 million clients a year with more than 5.7 million problems.

Trained advisers use AdviserNet, a unique, comprehensive internet-based information system that is kept up-to-date and published by 20 information officers at national Citizens Advice.

The following outlines performance against the objectives for 2006/07 as stated in the 2005/06 annual report:

During 2006/07 we have:

• increased visitors to our online advice website, Adviceguide by over 2 million to 6.2 million an increase of 44%

• worked with organisations like Shelter, Defra and Samaritans to reach specific client groups

• developed a ‘gateway’ assessment process to help identify clients in need of face-to-face in-depth advice

• supported bureaux in a campaign to raise awareness of tax credits, resulting in a £1.5 million take up in entitlement

• been awarded contracts to extend advice services to prisons in projects across Kent and the north of England

• formed a partnership with the Personal Finance Society to provide generic financial advice to CAB clients on a pro bono basis

• formed a partnership with Credit Unions to enable vulnerable people to access affordable finance.

During 2006/07 we were unable to:

• secure funding for a national telephone number. This will be a strategic objective for the next financial year.

Next year we will:

• aim to create a national phone and email service to increase the ways people can access advice

• encourage bureaux to use the ‘gateway’ assessment system so advice is streamlined more effectively

• work with partners to improve CAB services to ‘hard to reach’ groups.

14: The number of financial capability we have established to enable bureaux and their partners to exchange best practice.

2,726: Volunteers completed their training to become a CAB adviser.

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