Citizens Advice Chiltern

Who we are

A short profile of Citizens Advice Chiltern

The Chiltern office is a medium sized bureau operating across both Chiltern and South Bucks District Council areas in the south of Buckinghamshire. It serves both a rural and urban population. There are pockets of significant deprivation in Chesham, Burnham and Iver. The Charity is developing its range of services and is financially sound.

The Charity operates out of three offices in Chesham, Amersham and Iver and provides outreach services at four GP Surgeries (Burnham, Iver Heath, Denham and Prestwood) and in Chalfont St Peter and Holmer Green.  All offices and outreach centres offer face to face advice which continues to be the principle method of engaging with clients. The Charity fully participates in and supports the Buckinghamshire wide telephone service - Adviceline.  The Charity has been increasingly successful in delivering its Community Outreach programme through Children’s’ Centres and community locations.

The 2016-19 Business Plan includes the following objectives:

• Building excellent awareness of Chiltern CAB services in Chiltern and South Bucks.
• Improving access for under-represented groups, identified as 18-24 year olds, over 65 year olds and men
• Delivering our services where people want them, through seeking funding to maintain our current outreach network
• Using our Campaigns and Research strength to build our preventative work
• Developing our channels (face-to-face, telephone, email and webchat) and successfully introduce the national telephone service within the bureau
• Deepen and develop partnership working including the development of a county-wide money advice service
• Attract and retain high quality volunteers and paid members of staff

Advice services are provided through 43 volunteer advisers and trainee advisors, typically working 2 half days per week and 4-part time employed outreach advisers. The front line advisors are supported by 11 administrative volunteers. Volunteers are supported by a team of supervisors reporting to a very experienced Advice Services Manager. Advice is provided both at a general and increasingly at specialist level in employment, benefits and crucially debt where there is an experienced and growing team of money advisors and support workers.

CCAB helped over 5000 unique clients during the year 2015/16. This translated to over 17,000 individual problems many of which are complex debt issues.

The work done in partnership with Chiltern District Council and local housing providers in Chiltern and South Bucks has now been recognised through longer term commercial arrangements. This has offered certainty to the funding of our specialist activities e.g. money advice. Chiltern now runs the Bucks Money Advice Service in conjunction with other Bucks Citizens Advice offices and is funded by Paradigm Foundation Trust. Specialist money advice is provided in South Bucks for the tenants of L&Q Housing Association.

Other notable projects include our Children Centre work and National Citizens Advice Energy Best Deal funding providing energy advice both locally and in neighbouring areas.

A high priority is placed on our social policy work through our very active the Campaigns and Research Group to influence local and national decision makers.

The management team is supported by an active Trustee Board consisting of 10 volunteer Trustees with experience in finance, marketing, business development, HR, IT and operations