What to Expect from Your Visit

What we do for you…

You are welcome to drop in to our offices during opening hours in order to register your query, however, unless the matter is very urgent, we are unlikely to be able to offer you advice there and then. If your issue is relatively simple and you are able to access the Internet and other resources by yourself, our initial response will probably be via email. However, if you have a complex issue, and we believe that you would benefit from more in-depth advice, we will usually assess your situation over the phone. Then, if necessary, we will invite you into the office for a full advice appointment.

How we help…

Our advisers will research your options and look at the possible outcomes of different courses of action. They will not tell you what to do but encourage you to make your own decisions. They will help you to make informed decisions by advising on your specific needs and giving you the facts on which to base those decisions.

Our staff are trained to advise on virtually any issue, including:

•Energy bills
•Welfare benefits
•Housing
•Employment
•Family and personal matters
•Consumer issues
•Immigration and nationality

Our advisers use all the latest information, so that you are armed with the best and most accurate advice.

Appointments

Our service is in huge demand and largely provided by a team of dedicated and highly skilled volunteers. Where we feel an advice appointment is the most appropriate next step, we will explain to you any information you need to prepare or bring with you. We will also contact you by phone or text before the appointment to remind you about it. If you no longer need your appointment, please let us know as soon as possible so that it can be used by someone else. We know sometimes things happen, and we will always take that into account, but the more notice you can give us, the more likely we are to be able to get someone else in for that appointment. Even though we are a charity and our advisers are volunteers, there is a cost to the service for missed appointments, which is paid for from our donations.