The Citizens Advice service provides free, independent, confidential and impartial advice to everyone on their rights and responsibilities. It values diversity, promotes equality and challenges discrimination.
The service aims:
•To provide the advice people need for the problems they face
•To improve the policies and practices that affect people's lives.
But we're not just here for times of crisis - we also use clients' stories anonymously to campaign for policy changes that benefit the population as a whole. Collectively, local Citizens Advice offices across the country feed client evidence into a national database which is analysed by the national policy team, who are then able to bring problem areas to the attention of those who are - often inadvertently - causing them.
In 2018-19 Citizens Advice Tendring helped over 8000 clients with often multiple problems relating to issues including debt, welfare benefits, employment, housing and relationships. Our advisers helped clients to fill out forms, write letters, negotiate with creditors, and appeal benefits decisions.
We hold advice sessions at our main offices in Clacton on Sea and Harwich. In addition, we offer outreach appointments for advice in Brightlingsea, Frinton-on-Sea, Manningtree and Walton on the Naze. We have specialist debt and welfare benefits advisors to whom clients can be referred for more in-depth help. We offer telephone advice as part of Citizens Advice national Adviceline service.
We also run the award-winning Tendring Mental Health Hub in Clacton, offering support, advice and volunteering opportunities to people experiencing ill mental health.
Our work is led by our Board of Trustees who support the management team, paid staff and dedicated volunteers. We are all committed to providing the people of Tendring with a first class service which meets their advice needs.