Citizens Advice South Somerset is an independent advice charity providing free, confidential and impartial information, support and advice for anyone who needs it.
Our Impact, Vision and Mission are as follows:
Impact
View our latest Annual Reports; 2021/22 Citizens Advice South Somerset Annual Report 2022
2020/21 Citizens Advice South Somerset Trustees Annual Report 2020 2021
Vision
Delivering excellence in prevention and advice services – helping clients prepare for, and manage through, key life events and change – improving clients’ independence, prosperity and well being.
Mission
We will provide high quality, seamless and responsive services that meet our clients’ needs enabling them to act early to avoid problems escalating and providing advice to achieve resolution of their problems.
A summary of our 2021 – 2024 Business Plan is available here: CASS Business Plan Summary 2021 2024
We are a volunteer involving organisation governed by a Board of Trustees. There is a mixed team of paid staff and volunteers with over 30 people volunteering weekly.
We provide regular training programmes that enable people from the local community to develop their knowledge and skills and join our team delivering information and advice to their local community.
Our services benefit the whole community and our goal is to reduce poverty, disadvantage and discrimination by helping people to resolve their problems and improve their life chances. We evaluate our services and measure the outcomes (benefits) to clients.
You can read our evaluation reports here: Assist Advice Pathway Annual Evaluation Report 2019
Money Minded Evaluation Citizens Advice South Somerset
We provide information, and advice on any issue a client presents including;
debt
benefits
employment
housing
relationship matters
discrimination
consumer matters and other issues
For clients with multiple or complex problems we offer intensive casework support.
Our services are delivered with flexibility to make them available to everyone.
The general advice service we provide offers open access to information, advice and casework by phone, email or through face to face services at one of our drop-in sessions.
We provide services Monday – Friday across the South Somerset area and have outreach provision in Yeovil, Chard, Wincanton and Crewkerne.
The main point of contact for those seeking advice is via our free phone Adviceline or email advice service.
In addition to the general service we develop and deliver specialist projects and programmes including:
Welfare Benefits Advice and Casework for people affected by cancer
Debt advice and casework for people in financial difficulties
Financial capability and personal budgeting support
Community learning programmes such as financial education
Energy and household related information and advice to assist householders to maintain a warm and affordable home environment and manage their bills
Local Assistance administering crisis grants and food parcels for people facing serious emergencies and crisis
Partnerships and collaborative projects that benefit the community
Training and support to local community groups enabling them to provide information assistance within their community of interest
Research and campaigning to raise awareness and influence change in respect of policies that have a detrimental impact on people’s lives
Volunteering opportunities in advice giving, campaigning and administration.
Working in close collaboration with the other Somerset advice agencies allows us to research and identify advice or development needs for the communities of Somerset. We work together to promote access to information and advice and to research and campaign on matters in order to improve services for local people.
We participate in joint strategic and developmental programmes including the formation and implementation of the Somerset Advice Network and Somerset Advice Strategy 2015-2018.
And we’re grateful to our partners and funders for their continued support.
