This Bulletin Board contains information about job opportunities and forthcoming Bureau closures/events

Big Energy Week 2012

Rising fuel bills are stretching household finances and people are looking for ways to save money on their energy bills – and we are here to help.

We will have a a stand in the Royals Shopping Centre on Monday 16^th January 2012 from 11.30am to 2.30pm.  to give practical advice as part of Big Energy Week, which runs from 16-21 January 2012, to help people cut their fuel bills and get all the financial support they are entitled to.

We will also be at the Civic Centre, Victoria Avenue on Friday 20th January 2012 from 9am to 3pm, staff from Southend Council and South Essex Homes will join us. 

You can also pick up a leaflet with tips and advice on cutting your fuel bills from our offices during our weekday opening hours.

Southend District Business Awards 2011

We are delighted to have been chosen as a winner in the 'Be Seen to Travel Green' Category of the above awards.

We received the award at the presentation dinner dance on Friday 7th October 2011 at the Cliffs Pavilion.

Telephone service

Please telephone 0844 477 0808 for an initial assessment during normal opening hours, Monday to Friday, 10am. to 4pm. At other times, this telephone number will give automated information, which might be of use to you. Alternatively, you can access the Citizens Advice information website, Adviceguide, which covers many subjects, to access this, log on to www.adviceguide.org.uk

Gateway Assessments

We operate a triage system of dealing with client enquiries, which is called ‘Gateway Assessment’. 

With this system, when a client arrives at the Bureau with a new enquiry, providing the Bureau is adequately staffed, they will be greeted by the Receptionist and invited to wait and see a Gateway Assessor.  The Gateway Assessor will see the client for a short interview in order to assess the problem.   Sometimes it will be possible to deal fully with the problem in that interview; sometimes an appointment will be made for the client to see a General Adviser or Specialist Adviser at the Bureau at another time, or, the client may be referred to another agency who can deal with the problem better than we can.  For some services, such as changes of name, statutory declarations, making a simple will, or if clients just want a leaflet, a telephone number, directions to somewhere in the area, the Receptionist will deal with this straight away.  Our opening hours remain Monday to Friday 10am to 4pm, gateway assessments are undertaken between 10am and 2.30pm.  Should we be short staffed, we may have to put a hold on the number of assessments that day and clients would be asked to come back the following day but we hope this will be a rare event.  You can telephone 0844 477 0808 for an initial assessment during normal opening hours, Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm. At other times, this telephone number will give automated information, which might be of use to you. Alternatively, you can access the Citizens Advice information website, Adviceguide, which gives advice on many subjects, to access this, log on to 'www.adviceguide.org.uk'

Southend Guild of Help and Citizens Advice Bureau - registered charity no 1090600

‘Please help us to continue to help others’

Southend CAB is an independent charity and has no guaranteed sources of funding, information that surprises many people, whether they have used our services or not.  We provide a service that is free to our clients but our services are not free to deliver and our costs are increasing beyond our ability to finance them from existing resources and sources of funding.  We want to be able to continue to serve the community and to do this we need to raise additional funds.  You can help us by becoming a member of Southend CAB (requires an annual subscription of a minimum of £10 for individual membership) or by making a one-off donation.

To become a member or to make a donation, please call the Bureau Manager, Trish Carpenter on 0844 993 6370 or write to Trish Carpenter, Southend CAB, 1 Church Road, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, SS1 2AL or email us at cab@southendcab.demon.co.uk.  Cheques should be made payable to 'Southend CAB'.