Citizens Advice seeks advisers as long-termers step away
A CAMPAIGN to recruit more advisers has been launched by Citizens Advice Guernsey because some of its long-standing volunteers are standing down.
It is looking for people to become trained general or money advisers.
Annie Ashmead was a volunteer with the charity until her recent appointment as deputy CEO.
‘Essentially, what we’re looking for is the sort of person who really wants to help others, no matter what their situation,’ she said.
‘We provide free, confidential and impartial advice to around 8% of islanders each year, so if you’d like to make a difference then we’d love to hear from you.’
Mrs Ashmead said that volunteers would train to fill one of two important roles.
‘Our most pressing need is for a money adviser, to join us as soon as possible,’ she said. ‘Money creates complex and worrying problems for some people, who become trapped in a spiral of debt that they can’t control or even face up to. Our money advisers can help them to make sense of their situation so that they get their lives back on track. It’s a critical part of our service, which can make a huge improvement to a client’s situation. That’s a lovely thing to be able to do.’
Citizens Advice Guernsey helps clients to manage debts totalling around £4.3m. per year.
Mrs Ashmead said the starting point was assessing a client’s situation, which highlights any debts that need urgent action.
‘It also aims to maximise income and draw up a budget based on the client’s income and expenses,’ she said.
‘The money adviser can then produce a financial statement setting out what the client can afford to offer creditors as debt repayment. This becomes a common reference point to negotiate repayments with individual creditors.’
Mrs Ashmead said that the key requirements for money advisers are good people skills and a willingness to negotiate with creditors.
Citizens Advice Guernsey is also seeking to recruit general advisers, to begin training in the new year.
‘Our general advisers are the public face of the charity,’ Mrs Ashmead said. ‘They perform a vital role, working directly with islanders on a wide range of issues.
‘This makes every day different as you never know who will walk through the door and what their enquiry will be, but you will be equipped to advise them on a wide range of issues.’
Citizens Advice Guernsey deals with more than 11,000 issues each year, covering such areas as housing, legal and family affairs, debt and employment, as well as consumer issues.
CEO Kerry Ciotti said that the charity relied on people giving their time to help.
‘We are open on weekdays so our volunteers are often either semi or fully retired,’ she said.
‘A few are now standing down after many years’ service, so we need to fill those gaps to maintain our level of service. We certainly don’t see demand for that falling any time soon.
‘We’d also love to hear from any companies that might wish to explore the possibility of releasing employees to become volunteer advisers, maybe as part of their corporate social responsibility programme. That could certainly have benefits both ways, as they would gain valuable people skills along with a good understanding of how the island functions.’
. To find out more contact Mrs Ciotti or Mrs Ashmead by calling 242734 or emailing volunteer@citizensadvice.org.gg.
