Running a Citizens Advice service during a crisis
I’m really proud to lead Citizens Advice Wokingham, a role I’ve had since I was 26.
I’m now 30, and the time of joining feels like a lifetime ago. Because since I joined, we’ve gone from crisis to crisis.
I think the work our services do across the county, and that original concept, are just brilliant. Essentially — if you don’t know where to turn, you’re trying to deal with issues — then go to Citizens Advice. Our advisers help people find a way forward with their problems, we mainly see issues around welfare benefits, debts, housing, employment law, relationship breakdowns and helping people to deal with the consequences of this.
That’s why I joined!
The COVID-19 pandemic turned everything upside down for everyone. And we had to adapt to a crisis that impacted the world swiftly. In our area, that meant things like helping to ensure people had access to the essentials — food and prescriptions because we went into lockdown. Advising many self-employed people on claiming benefits for the first time in their lives.
Wokingham Borough has consistently been one of the least deprived local authorities in England. And whilst poverty has always been present, and something we’ve supported our communities through since 1977, it has not been at the volume of need we see now.
Fast-forward to now, late 2022, and we’re still helping people access the essentials — food, clothing and warmth. But for a whole different set of reasons.
Let’s look back to September 2019 — we helped 410 clients to find a way forward with their problems, and this September 2022, we helped 1,030 people. That’s a 151% increase.
Looking at it in a different way, we helped nearly as many people in September 2022 with one of the ‘top-five’ cost of living issues than the total number of people we helped in September 2019.
The sad reality is that it’s no longer rare for us to see people coming to us in a desperate state. Pre-pandemic, the desperate state we saw at Citizens Advice Wokingham was bailiffs at the door. That was the urgent call, people asking what to do and then engaging in debt advice.
Now we see a totally different type of crisis. I wrote about this on our Facebook page at the end of August — when we had two individuals email us on a Saturday when we were closed — to say that they had no electricity and could we get straight on to this on Monday morning to help them access a fuel voucher. People waiting all weekend for support. And this was in August, the summer still…
In July, August and September 2019, we helped 19 people to access charitable support & food banks. In July, August and September 2022…. it was 570 people. And this doesn’t include counting the number of people in the household (children, partners, family)
At Citizens Advice, we do not just hand people a foodbank voucher, for example. We do an assessment, we look at income and expenditure — we look at a budget calculator to maximise income, we provide debt support — and see if there are issues with employment, housing, relationships and more. Every situation is multi-layered. It’s never just about access to food or clothing for their children.
We have a fantastic partnership built by our local authority, Wokingham Borough Council — with a small group of charities — called the Hardship Alliance. It was formed in late 2021 to co-produce a Tackling Poverty Strategy for the Borough. We meet fortnightly, now weekly, to look at what we’re all seeing, what the gaps are, and how we’re trying to put the strategy into place for reducing poverty in the borough.
Last week we decided to do a bit of a ‘temperature check’ on how people across our community are feeling about the cost of living crisis. Within just 7 days, we had 640 responses. The stories were harrowing to read.
“Trying to keep my head above water without having to request benefits but not sure how long I can manage this”
“I have worked all my life. I thought when I got to 60 it would be easier. It is harder.”
“I put the hot water on twice a week. I boil the kettle to wash up. I rarely meet friends for a coffee. I can’t afford my dance class anymore. My pension doesn’t go far and am unable to claim pension credit.”
“Catastrophic. Turned off boiler in July. Washing in cold water only. Only use gas oven every other day, but standing charges alone are still £20 a month. Reduced amount of food I buy so eating just once a day and avoid fresh veg and the like as its more expensive.”
It told us that:
- 20% are regularly using credit/borrowing for essentials, such as food or rent
- 17% have taken loans from banks, friends or family to pay for rising costs
- 78% have said this has negatively impacted their mental health and wellbeing
Clients are always our priority at Citizens Advice Wokingham — we’re here to help them find a way forward with their problems.
But as the charities leader and a passionate advocate and campaigner on mental health — I care for our colleagues' wellbeing too. That’s why, as well as regular catch-ups, team meetings, social events and away days (along with over a third of our 80 colleagues trained as Mental Health First Aiders) — we do a six-monthly stress indicator survey.
Regularly dealing with other people's hardships, whilst living through those concerns ourselves can be really challenging.
I’m pleased that our team report low-stress risks in all categories, something we continue to monitor. And in our annual people management survey in September, 100% of our staff and volunteers said they would recommend this as a place to work or volunteer, and 95% agree or strongly agree (with 3 neutral) that our organisation cares about their wellbeing.
I was proud to read the following comments in response to the survey from our colleagues:
“My managers and my team support my wellbeing and I hope that I try to support theirs”
“Supervisors are very supportive when I have had a difficult call. I feel able to make suggestions and know I will be listened to.”
“I have been working from home since the pandemic. Supervisors, managers and the CEO have all at some point followed up to check that all’s going well for me, or to provide (positive) feedback. We are often reminded to take care of our mental, physical and emotional health. I can always get the support I need from someone on the mgt chain or wider team”
“There is always someone you can reach out to to have a discussion or advise of your difficulties.”
“The leadership, especially the CEO , encourages you to be you.”
Funding is often an issue for charities, and the instability of income — sustainability of our services when we’re often running off short-term grant agreements can be difficult in both managing and maintaining a service.
I don’t want to make this blog about funds for the charity — there are other opportunities for that. But in a blog post about running our services, it’s important to mention that funds and support is critical to enable charities to support their communities.
So with the huge levels of demand we’re seeing and the pressure our services are under — it’s heartwarming for us all to see the regular feedback we get — here are some from the last few months:
“Helpful staff, nothing felt like too much trouble. A lot of detail was taken.”
“I found that the people who contacted me were very sympathetic and gave me alternative contact numbers for agencies who could give me specialist legal advice.”
“I like the staff are good to listen and think of different ways to help me. They really take any problem or concern seriously.”
“I really appreciate the way everyone listens to my concerns and do their best to help.”
Listening is really important — our job is to help people find a way forward by providing advice, information and support relating to their needs. We equip them with the tools they need to make decisions on the next steps.
Concerns around mental health and well-being are growing — we are seeing people more often struggling with their mental health. This is why we heavily invest in training, particularly around mental health first aid and suicide awareness.
In October and November 2020, I was trained by MHFA England to become an independent instructor in Mental Health First Aid (MHFA). So that we could more effectively support our clients not only with their advice needs but in getting support for their mental health too.
I’ve trained 589 people in MHFA so far, 375 of them work within the Citizens Advice service across England and Wales — putting their skills, knowledge and confidence into supporting our clients and their colleagues.
So whilst it’s regularly a challenge, it’s hugely rewarding. The difference our colleagues make to the lives of others inspires me every day. The ripple effect of a positive, empathetic and empowering service (and approach) has on the lives of others. And all of that whilst people are under the weight of pressure in the growing number of people facing hardship.
Be part of the difference — and support your local charities in some way — if you can.
You can find out more information about Citizens Advice Wokingham on our website — www.cawokingham.org.uk
Jake Morrison
Chief Executive
Citizens Advice Wokingham
jake.morrison@cawokingham.org.uk
