Citizens Advice Ashfield

Who we are

We are a registered charity providing advice and support to the residents of Ashfield, Nottinghamshire. Each year we help over 3000 local people deal with their problems. The main areas of support are around debt, benefits, housing and employment issues, but our work is extensive, enabling local residents to access free, confidential, impartial and independent specialist advice on a wide range issues.

We help people who are vulnerable and in crisis and have nowhere else to turn. The people we see are often suffering from anxiety, stress or depression because of the situation they find themselves in. As a result, this has a serious impact on their health and wellbeing, affecting their ability to cope and leading to a spiral of decline resulting in preventable health issues such as obesity, smoking and drinking related illnesses, severe depression and debilitating stress. Research has shown that ensuring the wellbeing of people leads to a much healthier person, both mentally and physically.

We provide help by working with a person to diagnose their problem, give information, explain options and identify what further action can be taken. The way we provide information and advice is tailored to the needs of the individual. This can range from simple signposting to full advice with a volunteer adviser or specialist caseworker. We can help with form filling, whether paper or online, draft letters and contact third parties to help resolve the problem. Our specialist caseworkers will work with a person over a number weeks or months, dealing with their complex debt or welfare benefits issues, explaining what is happening at each step and providing emotional and practical support as they work together to reach an acceptable outcome.

On average, a fully-trained volunteer adviser will provide support to over 410 people a year and typically will be instrumental in helping them to access £65,000 in unclaimed welfare benefits and manage £360,000 of debts. They will also help people access a wide array of additional services in areas such as homelessness prevention, employment, family services, drug and alcohol services, community transport, befriending schemes, domestic violence support, mental health, food banks, relationship and family mediation and health organisations.