Citizens Advice Rural Cambs (CARC) is a local charity based across the Huntingdonshire and Fenland areas of Cambridgeshire. We provide free independent, confidential and impartial advice to help people solve the problems they face (including debt, benefits, housing, and employment) and improve the policies and practices that affect peoples’ lives. In 2019-2020, we helped over 10,000 local people with over 45,000 issues, an overall outcome for our clients being an income gain in the region of £4,257,000 and debts written off in the region of £1,529,700.
Our service gives people the knowledge and confidence they need to find their way forward, whoever they are and whatever their problems. In order to do this we deliver this information and advice to our clients through multiple channels including email, telephone, face to face and web chat.
Our offices in Huntingdon, St Neots, Wisbech and outreach services in Eastrea, St Ives, Wimblington and Whittlesey, are run by our dedicated paid staff and volunteers, providing face-to-face drop in sessions and appointments. We have a dedicated Digital Contact Centre providing access to our service through telephone, email and webchat. Advice is also available via our bespoke website and the National Citizens Advice public website.
We have a rigorous and quality assured training programme in place for our volunteer assessors/advisers. Citizens Advice has a comprehensive in-house adviser training system that is recognised as the gold-standard for training lay advisers, and recently recognised by the Open College Network.
Through specific project funding we are also able provide specialist advice and support to our clients e.g Debt, Universal Credit Help to Claim via our face-to-face and telephone service. Staff employed through these projects all work to individually tailored continual professional development plans covering core requirements for their job, training needs, feedback and areas for development.
