In May, we attended free training by Citizens Advice in giving Advice First Aid. We were taught the many ways Citizens Advice can support people, and given our own online access to make direct referrals for people in need of their help. This has been an excellent tool for the office to be able to set the wheels in motion for practical help for people who come to us in difficult circumstances. We find many people come to us with a need for pastoral care and it is a privilege to be able to help them.

Thank you Marcia. It was lovely to meet you. Very enjoyable and extremely informative. Recognising emotions is huge, I have learnt that most recently. One of the best training courses I have been on. Thank you.

Thank you Marcia. It was lovely to meet you. Very enjoyable and extremely informative. Recognising emotions is huge, I have learnt that most recently. One of the best training courses I have been on. Thank you.

Thoroughly enjoyed the session thanks. I learned that pretty much most topics you can think of are fully answered on their website and in normal everyday language. It was impressive. Yes, I enjoyed it, good balance of information and a couple of tasks to do with a partner which were fun rather than being awkward. The tips on how to open people up and then pull out what they actually wanted help with, were great and it was good to be with people from other departments.

Although I do not really deal with Citizens Advice queries on the Housing Register, I did find the course extremely interesting and useful. It was good to get an overview of exactly what they deal with, and I have to say their website is amazing. The trainer was very knowledgeable and delivered the training well.

I thoroughly enjoyed the course. Marcia was an extremely lovely lady with loads of knowledge and experience, and it was fun to listen and engage with her and the other people on the course. There was lots of smiling, laughs and it was all very relaxed and inclusive. I learnt a lot of things I didn't know, and I am now aware of how to signpost to more organisations and also how it is an organisation open to everybody. I also managed to network and advise that Charlotte and I can also complete attendance allowance forms, PIP forms and blue badge forms amongst others.

I did enjoy the CAB training. I thought it was fun and interesting. We covered other topics such as communicating with people, behaviors' and personalities and barriers to successful communication which was very informative. I learned a great deal about the CAB website and how much advice and information is available in a wide range of different areas. I had never really explored the website myself and think I will now use it a lot more for information and advice. I enjoyed the interaction with others during the course when doing different exercises as its always good to hear other people's ideas and experiences. Overall, the course highlighted the wide range of help and advice that is available from the CAB and the different ways to access this.

Very enjoyable and very interesting. I learnt about their website and the vast amount of subjects they cover and how up to date it’s all kept. The highlight for me was the learning being both relaxed and informative, all learning made enjoyabIe by Marcia - she's an inspiring individual and although the information given was all new and interesting to me, I'm not sure this same course by anyone else would have been the same. She also touched on the human behaviour side of things with some really useful 'people's skills' thrown in for good measure. Thank you for the invite to this course as its been both informative and inspiring.

The trainer was a lovely lady; she was knowledgeable about the subject, passionate about the AFA project, engaged well with all attendees, and successfully tailored the training based on individual roles. It was also a nice-sized group for everyone to participate in conversations if they wished to. The training was informative, interesting, and engaging and showed the wide range of subjects on which people can obtain information on the Citizens Advice (CA) website. The website is very user-friendly, with all information relevant to a particular query/scenario grouped. It was also interesting to learn about CA's letter templates on their website. Promoting CA and their work/what information and advice they can offer via their website/advisers beyond the AFA project would be good. Also, many members of the public believe that CA only guides those who are vulnerable or in crisis. Still, a lot of information on their website would be helpful for everyone, so this could be promoted more to the public (via social media, etc.).

After going on the course, I know what is expected of me, where to look for help! Really engaging, practical, hands-on course. Great networking with other people.

There is so much detailed help on the website. We can refer people very easily to CA. I would employ Marcia to deliver all training courses everywhere forever! She’s great!

My eyes have been opened up to a whole new load of resources.

The templates on the website are fab!

Great reminder of questioning techniques, Good tips for dealing with agitated clients. Marcia was brilliant, engaging and informative.

The range of resources on the website and referral process are fab. A fantastic range of case studies, especially the one specific for working a school.

I learnt it is okay to refer and not try to solve problems. A very helpful course and advice on how to approach problems from the public in a civic role.

I learnt that support is always available. There is an amazing number of knowledgeable people offering this support. Thank you, Marcia, and thank you, Citizens Advice Hart! Marcia was amazing, enjoyed every minute of the course!

Good interactive training that suits all learning styles

Citizens Advice can help with virtually anything. It was wonderful to understand about an organisation you hear about but not necessarily know much about.

Citizens Advice (CA) is amazing! I didn’t know so many volunteers helped run CA. Everyone should attend this training.

I learnt that I can make a difference in someone’s life. The course was brilliant. Marcia was clear, concise, helpful and not demeaning. I also volunteer for MIND, and this course will crossover.