Community Advice Banbridge

Public benefits

The Public Benefits of Banbridge & District Citizens Advice Bureau are: • to ensure the local community in Banbridge & District are informed of the Free, Confidential, Independent and Impartial service of CAB. • to ensure the Public are better informed of their rights and responsibilities. • to ensure the Public are better informed of budgeting

and money management. • to ensure the Public are aware of the facility for Money Management and support from Bureau. • to ensure the Public are aware of entitlement to Benefits and to maximise income. • to ensure the Public are aware of the service of form completion and advocacy on their behalf with other agencies. • to ensure the Public are aware of the availability of advocacy on their behalf with, Public agencies, Social Security agency and any other organisation or businesses. • to ensure the Public are aware of the availability of lobbying on their behalf with elected representatives and services. Feedback: We use CARMA, an electronic recording system for all case recording. This then provides statistics as required for our own records, for our funders including the Department of Social Development, Banbridge District Council and the Southern Health & Social Care Trust. Statistics from the Bureau are also included in material from the NI Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux. We also carry out an annual client satisfaction survey (usually around March each year) to source an indication of how clients feel that the Bureau has delivered a service to them directly. Harm: It is unlikely that there will be harm flowing from the carrying out of our primary functions. Clients are encouraged to come to their own decisions on actions; they are, as far as possible, empowered by the provision of independent, impartial and confidential advice, and clients are not encouraged to become dependent on the Bureau or any one particular adviser. Beneficiaries: The Bureau provides a service to all members of the community who seek generalist advice, it provides a service to the general public. Private Benefits: All advisers, both paid and voluntary undergo training through Citizens Advice. All advisers must be competent and have completed the Adviser Training Programme (or an equivalent) in order to provide accurate and appropriate advice to the public. Ongoing training will be delivered in order to keep up to date with changes in legislation which impact on, for example, benefits or other areas covered by advice. This training is essential to provide the service, and benefits to employees/volunteers are incidental.

What your organisation does

Banbridge CAB delivers a range of advice and information services directly to the public across the district through face to face interviews in the Bureau and at outreach venues, as well as through telephone, and email and online information. We also provide home visits where necessary, and provide information sessions to agencies where requested.