TORFAEN CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU ANNUAL REPORT 2011-12

CONTENTS

Page 3: Chairs Report

Page 6 Chief Officers Report

Page 8 Governance Page 9-11 Finance Report

Pages 12-18: Bureau Services

General advice Specialist Advice: Welfare Rights, Debt and Money, Health, Out-reach
THE CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU SERVICE IN TORFAEN Registered Charity Number: 1113724 Company limited by guarantee No: 5083197 Registered Office: 43a, 44 & 45 Gwent Square, Cwmbran NP44 1PL Tel: 01633 876121 Fax: 01633 869936 As part of the network of 382 bureaux operating across England and Wales, we are committed to: Providing quality information and advice on a range of issues Improving the policies and practices that effect peoples lives Promoting equality and diversity and challenging discrimination Systematic and comprehensive audits of the quality of the advice and services we deliver to the public

CHAIRS REPORT
I am pleased to introduce, on behalf of the Trustees of Torfaen Citizens Advice Bureau, our Annual Report and summary of the audited financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2012. The report details the important work CAB undertakes in Torfaen by delivering advice and information to help people address their changing financial, domestic and employment situations and, through this, improve their general health and wellbeing. The number of
individuals requiring this help has continued to grow and, despite a small reduction in their number, our staff continue to meet even more clients.. There was sadness this year in that we said goodbye to Sheila HendricksonBrown who has moved on to be Chief Officer of Cardiff Third Sector Council. Torfaen CAB was fortunate to have had Sheila s services for 8 years during which she brought us through some difficult times. We are in a far more healthy state, both financially and in the quality of our delivery service, than when she arrived and we are grateful to her for the expert and loyal The recruitment process found an excellent new Chief Officer in Mal Edgson who has a background in being Chief Executive of Student Unions where advice to students is one of their major tasks. He is, therefore, well placed to manage Torfaen CAB and in a short time is already making his mark. Wee wish him well in his new job with us. We seem to have been a long time in our new premises in the centre of Cwmbran yet it was only January 2011 that we moved there. Its excellent situation in the bus terminus suits people well and this is reflected in the number of clients we are seeing. The changes to people s lives are described in detail in this report and yet again the numbers improve, both in terms of how many we see and the improvements to their financial situation. This is not the only way in which their lives improve and they see significant benefits to their health and housing situations through taking the first big step though our door Our Paid and voluntary staff have continued to deliver advice at a high quality and

Our paid and voluntary staff continue to deliver advice to a high quality standard.

Regularly receive plaudits from our clients for the changes they have helped to make to their lives. We regularly bring in new volunteers, many of whom stay with us while others use the experience gained with TCAB to get paid work. This helping hand into work is an often hidden benefit of our staffs work. At all levels, they can be seen to deliver their work because they believe in the benefits to peoples lives from their advice and information. Our Trustees continue to work hard in the background to ensure that TCAB is well cared for through overseeing its finance, personnel and service quality. 2012-2013 will see the resignation of here trustees who have given great service. Councillor Mary Barnett, who was Chair of Trustees and Councillor Lewis Jones who has supported Torfaen CAB over many years, will make way for two new Torfaen Council nominees. We thank them for their work. Neither will mind if I make special mention of Peter Squire who has devoted many hours, most of them during the most difficult times our organisation has had to face, scrutinising our financial situation and particularly leading on very difficult personnel issues. I am very grateful for all their work and support , most of which goes unnoticed. There continue to be changes in the way that Citizens Advice goes about its business and Wales Innovation Group leads on making those changes work best for Wales. Our trustees strongly support this initiative as it seeks to avoid areas of duplication and offer opportunities for joined up Bureau improvement. Trustees continued to work together without a dedicated treasurer and the joint responsibility taken by them all has continued to improve our situation. Our reserves, which were in a dangerously low situation three years ago, continue to climb and while they do not yet meet the recommended level of either Citizens Advice or the Charity Commission, they are much improved and no longer dangerous . The changes being enforced on the role of Citizens Advice at UK national level, some of which are passed on to the Welsh Government, continue to concern us. We are grateful for active support from our AM, Lynne Neagle and MP Paul Murphy, who continue to stay in touch with us so that they can take these matters up at the Senedd and in Parliament.

our Trustees continue to work hard in the background to ensure TCAB is well cared for through overseeing its finance, personnel and service quality.

Thanks go to our funders...for their continued support and their recognition and appreciation of our increasingly necessary work.

Our gratitude goes again to our funders. Public service funding has come under severe attack over the past few years, affecting the money available to Borough and Community Councils alike. They have had to make difficult decisions about what they will continue to fund and we are glad that they show such respect for the high quality advice we offer by continuing to fund us with no reduction.

John Killick, Chair, Torfaen CAB

96% of our clients tell us they are very satisfied with the help they received
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CHIEF OFFICERS REPORT

With this in the September of 2012 there is a real sense of how the last financial year has been the precursor to the perfect storm anticipated when the Welfare Reform Act comes fully into force in April 2013. These will be the biggest cuts to the welfare benefits system since its inception. In 2011/2012 Torfaen Citizens Advice Bureau saved our clients 12.8 Million in renegotiated debt and new benefit claims. It is estimated that the benefit changes will take more than 24 million out of the local economy of Torfaen over the next 5 years. The austerity of the last 2 years and a series of changes to the welfare benefits system have been a powerful influence on the issues clients bring to the bureau. Changes to Disability Living Allowance, the Work Capability Assessment and the pilot of Housing Benefit Direct Payments in Torfaen, have been some of the specific changes, but it is the general financial pressure on individuals and households that cause clients to come to the Bureau looking for help to contain financial problems and lift the burden of indebtedness. In 2011-2012 more than 4,000 people came to our offices in Cwmbran, in Pontypool and the many outreach clinics across the district, presenting with more than 10,000 distinct issues. We helped some of the poorest in the Borough claim a total of 1.1million in welfare benefits, and renegotiate debts of more than 11.8 million. Torfaen Citizens Advice Bureau is part of the Citizens Advice Service for England And Wales. The partnership between our experienced staff and volunteers and the Citizens Advice information system, training and quality audit ensures that the advice we give is of the highest quality. We continually measure our client satisfaction and 96% of those who come to us tell us they are very satisfied with the help we have given them. During the spring and summer of 2012 we have seen the number of clients in our Bureau increase by 36% and through 2013 we can predict an even sharper increase in 6

as the transaction from the current to the new system complicates before its simplifies. At the same time the vast majority will see their incomes fall as they are hit by multiple Changes to the benefit system.

At the very same time as the demand for our services will be increasing we will find our income severely depleted by changes to the system of Legal Aid which has funds much of our debt and benefits services. We are now working hard to build our team of skilled volunteer advisors in anticipation of the increased demand ahead of us and to build our relationships with other support networks in the district so that the excellent service we offer to the people of Torfaen can be maintained despite the financial pressures we will experience.

Mal Edgson Chief Officer

Where our clients come from in Torfaen

GOVERNANCE
The bureau is governed by the Trustee Board. The members are individuals drawn from the local community who are interested in furthering the work of the Charity. The
trustees are also directors of the Charity for the purposes of Company Law and are collectively responsible for

Agreeing corporate strategy and monitoring activity against strategic objectives Overall financial control and making decisions about the use of finances Agreeing the policy framework for services and the management of staff and resources Ensuring the bureau complies with the Citizens Advice Membership Scheme, charity legislation and

company law Torfaen CAB is a member of the national Citizens Advice service. Membership of Citizens Advice is maintained by complying with the requirements of the membership scheme, including ensuring quality of advice and services, which in turn gives the bureau and its trustees access to a range of services and information, training, insurance, management consultancy and legal advice for the benefit of the bureau s clients, staff and services. The review of governance arrangements led by the Trustee Board has continued with the aim of developing and improving the Board s engagement with the Charity and the diversity and skill base of its members. The membership of the Trustees Board for the year ended 31 March 2012 is set out below: Mr John Killick Cllr Mary Barnett Mr Terry Irons Cllr Cath Coombe Mr Philip Champness Mr Adrian Claughan resigned Nov 11 Cllr Margaret Howell Cllr Peter Squire Cllr Lewis Jones Mr Steve Whitehouse elected Nov 11 Chair

FINANCE
The Trustees and Chief Officer have endeavoured to discharge their responsibilities as required by law in preparing annual financial statements that give a true and fair view of Torfaen Citizens Advice Bureau and of the surplus or deficit of funds for that period. In preparing these financial statements in line with requirements, the trustees and Chief Executive: Select appropriate accounting policies and apply them consistently Make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent State whether applicable accounting standards have been followed or, if relevant, state why they have not been followed, and Use a going concern basis for reporting unless it is inappropriate to presume the charitable company will continue. A statement of financial activities for the year to 31 March 2012 is detailed below. The Accounts have been completed in the format stipulated by the Charity Commission and comply with the new Statement of Recommended Practice ( S ORP ) . During the past year, decisions were taken to create a more sustainable structure whilst ensuring the bureau finances were adequately safeguarded: The bureau trustees, the Chief Officer and the Finance Officer, have taken collective responsibility for the control and management of the bureau finances; detailed Financial Reports are considered monthly by the Executive Committee and bi-monthly by the Trustee Board Systems have been established to identify and manage the risks that the bureau faces, which are periodically reviewed and updated by the Trustees and the Chief Officer and mitigating actions agreed. Whilst the bureau s operations with its reliance on grant aid expose the Charity to a number of financial risks, this is mitigated by remaining debt free, achieving a positive cash-flow with no exposure to equity securities or other price risks. It holds no significant investments Steps to accrue a suitable level of unrestricted reserves to protect the Charity from the impact of shortfalls in forecast income or unforeseen expenditure and allow the flexibility to commit to one-off or short-term expenditure which the bureau would like to commit to in the delivery of its charitable objectives. The resolution to re-appoint Watts Gregory as auditors pending agreement at the AGM

The financial statements reflect the decisions that were taken over this period and have resulted with the bureau commencing this year in a more viable position, and this progress will be further supported by the implementation of a comprehensive finance strategy. We offer sincere thanks to our funders, partners, staff and volunteers without whose support we would not have reached this position . Funding remains a continual cause of concern and is likely to become more so in these times of uncertainty and pressure on public finances.

STATEMENT OF FINANCIL ACTIVITIES FOR YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2012 Unrestricted funds
INCOMING RESOURCES Incoming resources from generated funds

Restricted funds

2012 Total funds

2011 Total funds

Voluntary income Investment income

Incoming resources from charitable activities

85 ,111 21

85,111 21

84,800 18

General
Total incoming resources

114,676

229,629

344,305

355,406

199,808

229,629

429,437

440,224

RESOURCES EXPENDED Charitable activities

General
Governance costs

167,211 3,270

229,629 -

396,470 3,270

418,152 3,272

Total resources expended

170,481

229,629

399,740

421,424

NET INCOME for the year

2 9,327

370

29,697

18,800

RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS Total funds brought forward

57,074

21,691

78,765

59,965

TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD

86,401

22,061

108,462

78,765

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BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31 MARCH 2012 2011 2 Unrestricted funds

FIXED ASSETS

2011 Total funds

Restricted funds

Total funds

Tangible assets
CURRENT ASSETS

40,447

40,,447

42,,850

Debtors: amounts falling due within one year Cash at bank

27,241 53,519 80,760

3,164 18,897 22,,061

30,405 72,416 102,821

17,031 74,063 91,094

CREDITORS

Amounts falling due within one year

(14,806)

(14,806)

(35,179)

NET CURRENT ASSETS/ (LIABILITIES)

65,954

22,061

88,015

55,915

TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES CREDITORS Amounts falling Due after more than one year NET ASSETS

106,401

22,061

128,462)

98,765

(20,000)

(20,000)

(20,000)

86,401

22,061

108,462

78,765

FUNDS

Unrestricted funds Restricted funds

86,401 22,061

57,074 21,691

TOTAL FUNDS

108,462

78,765

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BUREAU SERVICES
Volunteer Advice & Support
At any point over half of our staff team are made up of volunteers who generously give their time and skills in a range of roles - Advisers, Receptionists,
Administrators, Trustee Board members, IT Support, Campaigning . Our ability to deliver, manage and support the CAB would therefore be seriously compromised without their welcome contribution. However, our volunteers do more than just assist with our capacity to deliver servicesvolunteering is increasingly recognised as a route to paid work or further education, improved wellbeing, increased personal satisfaction and stronger communities. And because our volunteers reflect the local community our clients know they will be treated with understanding, empathy and respect. In the last year we have extended the number of volunteer roles and provided experience for work placementsboth law students and by working in partnership with organisations such as Careers Wales and I.Tec. As a result, we have offered training support to more volunteers, and many have gone on to take up opportunities such as paid employment as a result of the skills and confidence they have gained. We are grateful to all of our volunteer and support team for their valued contribution. The current team are

Volunteer Advisers:
Lynne Guy David Roberts Tony Purcell John Sharratt Hazel Waters

Trainee advisers & Gateway Assessors

Martin Mills Alistair Collins Andrea Edwards Pauline Pritchard James Phelps Chris Russell Andrew Tucker

Voluntary Administration/Reception/ IT Support:

Jayne Ashman Joan Lang Sharon Richards Pauline Clark Adam Rawlings Jade Clark Barbara Jackson Doreen Villars Ian Morgan Karen Oates Cynthia Snook Finance Officer

Admin and Support Team:

Kayleigh Davies Lisa Oates

Office cleaners: Jean Tam and Callum Roynon

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BUREAU SERVICES
Money Advice
Debt and money advice made up nearly half of all new enquiries dealt with by the bureau in 2011-12 as we saw the country trying to recover from the impact of the recession. Total UK personal debt at the end of March 2012 stood at 1,458bn; the
twelve-month growth rate increased by 0.7bn on 2011 Within the bureau we have responded to the problem of indebtedness by providing general and specialist help for people to deal with their debt problems and equip them with the information and skills needed to take control of their finances. In addition we have developed plans to train volunteers to deliver financial capability training to individuals and frontline workers in order to help people develop the confidence to budget, save and avoid unmanageable debt. Everyday in the UK

314 people will be declared insolvent or bankrupt. 1,473 Consumer County Court Judgements ( CCJs ) are issued; with an average 93 properties are repossessed 104 new people became unemployed for more than 12 months 190 became redundant

judgement amount of 2,949.

Locally the Community Legal Service Debt Advice Project, funded by the Legal Services Commission is delivered by three of the most experienced case workers in Torfaen CAB Lynne Roynon, Andrea Thomas and Allison Whitehouse . For the period 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012 the CLS Debt Advisors saw a total of 456 new clients renegotiated 3.9m of personal debt, an average debt of 8534 per client.

The Citizens Advice service provides free, confidential and impartial advice to help people resolve their problems. We use evidence from client cases to continue to campaign for policy changes that benefit the population and challenge practices that are unfair. We solve problems, we change lives.

Budgets are completed for every client seen using the Common Financial Statement ( C FS ) as guidance; this prioritises expenditure for housekeeping, clothing etc over and above debt repayments which means that clients will have nothing left with which to offer a repayment plan to their creditors other than a token payment, however it is the first step into putting them back in control of their finances and learning to budget more effectively

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BUREAU SERVICES
Money Advice
The Torfaen Community Money Advice Project, funded by the Welsh Government, is deliv-

ered by Allison Whitehouse .

The projects offer a holistic approach if the client s ability to meet all of

their financial obligations is not dealt with, alongside their priority debts, then they are more likely to find themselves in the same difficulties in the future. Thus clients are supported to maximise their income by ensuring that they receive all of the benefits to which they are entitled, other debt issues are dealt with along with their rent or mortgage arrears. and affordable repayments are negotiated with their creditors. This enables people to regain control of their finances.. Referrals are received from various partner agencies including the Income Section of Bron Afon Community Housing, the Revenues and Benefits section of Torfaen County Borough Council and Support Workers from Tai Hafen , Gwalia and MIND. In 2011-12 150 people were provided with assistance aimed at preventing them from becoming homeless 96 people were actively prevented from losing their homes Over 240,780 in rent/mortgage arrears were renegotiated and 7,233 in benefits gained

CASE STUDY: Mir D approached the bureau for assistance after being found fit for work at a Work Capability
Assessment. His Employment and Support Allowance ceased for a period which had an impact on his Housing Benefit award resulting in his landlord applying to enforce the possession order ( t hat they had previously been granted ) by applying to the Court Baliff to issue an eviction date. The rent arrears stood at over 2000.00 because MR D has severe mental health issues and was unable to comply with requests for information. It took a considerable amount of time for him to decide whether or not he wished to apply to avoid the eviction going ahead. In the meantime a benefit tribunal overturned the fit for work decision ( resulting in Mr D being awarded 51 points and being placed in Support Group ) and we used this to argue his case. MR D now has the support in place to sustain his tenancy and, as the landlord is now aware of his issues, they are working closely with him..

This service is valuable and without it people like me will be stuck. thank you. Bureau clientJune 2011

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BUREAU SERVICES
Money Advice
The Financial Inclusion Fund (FIF) is a project developed by BIS to increase the level of access people have to money advice. Anybody can use the project but there is a preference for financially excluded
clients. The projectwhich deals with all aspects of money and debt advice at caseworker level and carries out in-depth work on behalf of clients is delivered by a casework teamPeter Day, Natalie Hopkins and Aneta

BHatti both in-bureau and at a range of outreaches.

In 2011-12: 630 clients were assisted 2,174 debts were renegotiated The total value of the debts renegotiated exceeded 6.9m

I cannot thank CAB enough for the help they gave me.. Bureau clientJanuary 2012

CASE STUDY: A client had 6000 of unsecured debt and lived with her partner in jointly owned
property, there were no suitable insolvency options for her but she was eligible for a Debt Management Plan via Consumer Credit Counselling Service due to her disposable income. We referred the client to Consumer Credit Counselling Service who set up a Debt Management Plan for her very quickly. The Client was very pleased with this outcome which enabled her to reduce her debt by affordable monthly payments.

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BUREAU SERVICES
Welfare Benefits Advice
Welfare benefits advice accounts for nearly one third of all new enquiries dealt with by the bureau and is the second biggest category of demand for the service. In response, the bureau has developed a range of specialist projects to supplement the general advice which is available. The specialist projects deal with the more complex areas of benefits advice and represent clients at Social Security Tribunals. Appointments are available in the bureau offices and at separately funded
outreach services throughout Torfaen The Community Legal Service Welfare Benefits project funds case work support for clients who qualify for Legal Help ( formerly legal aid. ) The teamStuart Hales, Lesley Cave and Natalie Hopkins. - dealt with a range of issues in the past year, frequently arising from people struggling to deal with the complexities of the system, which has been added to by recent changes n the legislation: Changes regarding the medical examination for Employment and Support Allowance. In May 2011 a large number of claimants who have quite serious disabilities or illnesses have been had to claim Job Seekers Allowance. There are also moves afoot to bring in even harsher rules. People have been badly advised by jobcentre staff, with some being told they have no right to appeal benefit decisions or there is no point in appealing, and others have been advised to claim the wrong benefit, whilst others have received inadequate advice regarding benefit claims or appeals from other advice agencies In 2011-12 the team dealt with: 305 new clients were dealt with The gains for our clients were 932,697 141 people were represented at appeals, 69% of which were successful

And demand is set to increase as other planned changes to the system are implemented.

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BUREAU SERVICES
Welfare Benefits Advice & Outreaches
The bureau has a range of strategies in place increasing access to appropriate advice at the most appropriate time. One of the key strategies is the delivery of advice services in local community venues for the benefit of local people:

Vulnerable clients are assisted by the Generalist Outreach Project delivered by Natalie Hopkins. Based in different venues in TorfaenCommunities First areas, St Dials, Torfaen Women s Aid which offers people with information and advice in accessible and familiar settings

Ill and disabled clients are able to access the Better Advice, Better Health project for support from Angela Knowles, the project case worker, thus helping them to deal with problemssuch as debts or benefitsin health setting which often underpin the reason for their poor health; in 2011 2012 279 clients were assisted to gain over 820,845 in benefits

Young people are assisted by the Torfaen Young Peoples Support Service Outreach Project. Clients who are supported by the project case workerLesley Caveare mainly care leavers or young people who are still in foster care by working in partnership with a range of other support services . In 2011-2012 106 young people were supported and over 141,603 gained n benefits.

CASE STUDY: Client is currently in receipt of Employment Support Allowance with the support group, this was awarded without her attending a medical. The bureau assisted the client with the paperwork. After an assessment it was felt that she may meet the criteria for as claim for Disability Living Allowance, the client has psychotic tendencies. The client was given assistance to complete the application. The Bureau was contacted by a decision maker for a supporting statement as the client has no diagnosis and no registered GP. The client was awarded the higher rate of the care component and the lower rate of the mobility component. This award passported the client though other benefit entitlement in regards to a severe disability premium. The assistance received from the Bureau has meant the client receives a weekly income of 262.35..

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As a charity, Torfaen CAB relies on funding from a variety of sources. In 2011-12 funding was received from:
Donations: Torfaen County Borough Council core funding Cwmbran Community Council Pontypool Community Council Croesyceiliog and Llanyravon Community Council Ponthir Community Council Resources from Charitable Activities: Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) - Financial Inclusion Fund Project Legal Services Commission - CLS contract Welsh Assembly Government - Community Money Advice and Better Advice: Better Health projects Torfaen County Borough Council - Torfaen Young People Support Service Outreach Project Citizens AdviceAdditional Hours of Advice and Adviceline Cymru

.Our thanks for their valued support How to contact us:

Cwmbran Office 43a, 44 & 45 Gwent Square, Cwmbran, Torfaen NP44 1PL Tel: 01633 876121 (Office) or Tel: 08444 77 2020 (Advice line Cymru for advice) Pontypool Office Castle Mews, George Street, Pontypool Torfaen NP4 6BU Tel/Fax 01495 759814 (Office) or Tel: 08444 77 2020 (Advice line Cymru for advice) Visit www.adviceguide.org.uk Or e-mail: [email protected]
Office hours: Mon-Thurs 9.00am-5.00pm Fri 9.00am-4.30pm If you are interested in volunteering, please get in touch

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