The need for free, independent, impartial and confidential advice and guidance has always been high within the City and Citizens Advice has led the way for over 80 years in providing that advice.
With the eviction ban lifted, the Job Retention Scheme coming to an end on 30th September and a withdrawal of the £20 per week ‘uplift’ in Universal Credit promised, a ‘perfect storm’ of demand for advice services is anticipated.
The charity has been making plans to change the way that people can access advice in anticipation of this predicted increase in demand by transitioning to a ‘telephone first’ model. This was first trialled in March 2020 when the first lockdown took place and advisors could not provide face to face advice; and found to be a great success.
Kate Algate, CEO said:
‘The pandemic made us change how we delivered our services overnight and we have found that we can help more people by asking clients to contact us through our telephone advice channel, Adviceline, first. We know that the advice we are giving is of equal quality to face to face advice, it takes less time for clients to reach an advisor, and that people prefer to call us from their home or place of work rather than travelling into the city and having to queue.’
Prior to the pandemic, the primary way of accessing advice services was to queue outside the charity’s office on Little Park Street in all weathers, and then to have a long wait to be seen by an advisor in a crowded waiting room with most days being ‘standing room only’.
Beverly Street, Core Service Manager, said that they have been looking to improve client contact processes since the pandemic began and believes the new system will benefit clients even more as pandemic restrictions are slowly left behind::
‘We used to offer full advice when someone called but we are changing to a triage system now where you will be asked what you require help with. We will either signpost or refer you to an appropriate agency if we can’t help, give support to accessing self-help if relevant, or book an appointment for matters which require more assistance. Appointments will primarily be over the telephone but face to face or virtual appointments via video calls can also be made if the telephone is not appropriate.’
Even with this change in the way the charity delivers its generalist advice, it is still anticipated that existing resources will struggle to meet expected demands .
Between April 2020 and March 2021, the charity helped over 4,212 people with 9,914 issues. However, this was only a fraction of demand and the charity continues to search for additional funding to help expand their pool of trained advisors.
If you are in need of advice and guidance you can contact Coventry Citizens Advice in the following ways:
Telephone: Adviceline 0800 144 8848
Lines are open between 9:00 and 16:00 Monday to Friday
Please note that if our phone lines are busy, you may get directed to the national Citizens Advice telephone advice servicee call centre.
If English is not your first language, an interpreter can be provided.
We also provide appointment-based services to support the deaf and ‘hard of hearing’.
Website: www.coventrycitizensadvice.org.uk
Please visit our website for more information. You can also submit an enquiry form online, via our ‘advicebuddy’ service which we aim to respond to within 3-5 working days.
For Debt Advice:
Telephone 02476 252 047
Email mas@coventrycab.org.uk .
For help claiming Universal Credit:
Telephone 0800 144 8444
Lines are open between 9:00 and 16:00 Monday to Friday.
Ends
