One of our principles is that we provide a free service. Many people can’t afford to pay for advice, for example from a solicitor. Without CABx, many people would not be able to find out about their “rights and responsibilities and the services available to them”.

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Although the bureau gets some of its funding from the local council, it is not part of the local council and is free to challenge their decisions on behalf of clients.
The bureau is also independent from central government and any local companies that give money to the bureau.

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People won’t come to the bureau with their problems if they think we’re going to gossip about them or pass on confidential information to other agencies. The principle of confidentiality goes beyond that as we will not even let anyone else know whether a client has visited the bureau, without their permission.

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Impartiality means that the bureau does everything it can to help every client, whoever they are. This is part of our aims – “to ensure that individuals do not suffer…” – not just people we like, or whose views are similar to our own, but all individuals.

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In England & Wales, we help people deal with over 5.5 million new problems every year, in bureaux, by phone and email, at outreach sessions in places like GP surgeries and courts – even in people’s homes.
Advice is available to everyone regardless of race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, age or nationality. Across England and Wales, Citizens Advice Bureaux can give advice in over 40 languages.

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The work of the Citizens Advice service impacts on people’s lives in thousands of different ways – through advice, campaigns, free skills training for volunteers, empowering individuals, increasing incomes and more.

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Every Citizens Advice Bureau has a trustee board of volunteer trustees responsible for the management of the bureau. Trustee members are representatives of the bureaus local community.

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There are a number of different ways that CAB advisers can help people to resolve a problem. Advisers don’t tell clients what to do, but explain their options and the possible outcomes of different courses of action.

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There are over 20,000 volunteers in the Citizens Advice service (England & Wales), acounting for 76% of all staff, and we could not provide our services without them.

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Clients are encouraged to make their own decisions and act on their own behalf. We enable clients to manage their own problems by focusing on their needs as individuals.

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An assisted information service provides standardised information using leaflets and websites, but also includes:
· Clarification of the information given,
· Identification of where a client needs further information or advice,
· Helping clients select an appropriate alternative service.

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Our common enquiry areas are debt, benefits, employment, and housing. However, thanks to an extensive information system, we can advise clients on almost any subject.

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