Top Marks for Dundee’s Citizens Advice Team
Dundee Citizens Advice Bureau is seeing record demand for its services, with a 29% increase in the number of clients over the past three years.
Last year, the Bureau supported over 4,600 people, mainly with welfare benefits, money and debt, and housing. Committed to providing free, confidential and impartial advice, the charity also helps people with employment, consumer rights, energy advice, NHS complaints, immigration and a range of other legal issues.
Over the past three years, the Bureau has resolved almost 30,000 individual issues and secured nearly £5.4 million in financial gains for clients.
Now, the growing number of people seeking support from Dundee Citizens Advice Bureau can be confident they are receiving advice that meets the highest national standards after the charity achieved top marks through a prestigious accreditation scheme.
The independent charity, based in the Wellgate with drop-in sessions across the city, including libraries, foodbanks and the University of Dundee, is the only organisation in Dundee to hold the highest level of accreditation across all three of its specialist advice services: housing, money and debt, and welfare benefits.
The Scottish National Standards for Information and Advice Providers (SNSIAP) accreditation, which organisations choose to undertake voluntarily, is managed by the Scottish Legal Aid Board on behalf of the Scottish Government. It confirms that an organisation’s advice is accurate, safe and tailored to clients’ needs, while recognising its commitment to delivering services to the highest professional standards. The accreditation gives clients confidence that the advice they receive is trustworthy and effective, including support through appeals and court proceedings where required.
As part of the assessment, Dundee Citizens Advice Bureau underwent expert peer reviews alongside a comprehensive organisational audit examining staff training, quality assurance, policies, procedures and governance. The Bureau achieved the highest possible outcome in the audit, with full compliance recorded across all indicators and no recommendations for improvement.
Claire Christie, Chief Executive Officer, said, “Whether they’re visiting us in the Wellgate or meeting our teams out in the community, our clients, many of whom are facing crisis situations, deserve the very best service, whatever the issue. Our team goes above and beyond to support every person who comes to us, and this accreditation recognises that. Every member of the team, from staff to volunteers, has played a part in achieving this. It’s a tremendous credit to the expertise and compassion they demonstrate every single day.”
For more information, visit www.dundeecab.cas.org.uk
