About Us
Aims and Principles
- We aim to provide the advice people need for the problems they face and improve policies and practises that affect people’s lives
- We value diversity, champion equality and challenge discrimination and harassment
- We’re here for everyone
Our Organisation
The Citizens Advice Service was established in 1939 as an emergency war service and has developed to become the UK’s largest independent advice service. Citizens Advice is a membership organisation for over 250 Local Citizens Advice Services of which Citizens Advice Dudley and Wolverhampton is one.
We have been created by bringing together 2 innovative and highly successful registered Citizens Advice organisations, merging on 1st January 2021 to create our new registered charity. Last year with both organisations combined we provided information, advice and guidance to over 25,892 people, dealing with over 77,049 issues.
The opening of our first building in Stourbridge, Market Street, in 1962, now relocated on Stone Street, Dudley.
A Royal visit! Princess Anne’s visit to us in June 2010
For our City of Wolverhampton residents, our main office is here, Snow Hill, Wolverhampton WV2 4AD
For Dudley Borough residents, our main office is here, Stone Street, Dudley, DY1 1NP
Our Service
We offer information, advice, guidance and casework in 11 key areas:
Benefits, Employment, Debt and Money, Consumer, Relationships, Housing, Law and Rights, Discrimination, Tax, Healthcare, and Education.
We recognise that one problem can sometimes be the result of another so, rather than addressing a single issue at a time we look at a client’s whole situation. This way, other potential problems can be identified early which prevents them getting worse. If the situation has already escalated to crisis, then we are responsive and can utilise our robust network of connections to support or negotiate solutions.
We deliver our services across Dudley Borough and the City of Wolverhampton in a number of different ways:
- By telephone;
- By email;
- By webchat;
- Via digital face to face appointment;
- Via in person face to face appointment – Depending on your issue an appointment will be either made for you at our Stone Street, Dudley site, our Snow Hill, Wolverhampton site, or at one of our many community venues;
- Through our National Citizens Advice public website citizensadvice.org.uk
Our Staff
Alongside our 100 paid staff we are also a volunteering organisation proud of our diverse workforce and how we support people to learn new skills to help with personal or professional development. See our vacancies page for paid and volunteering opportunities.
Proving we are good at what we do
We have an exceptional reputation within our local communities from the organisations that fund our services to the clients who receive them. The quality of our advice and how we run our organisation has external, independent accreditation in the following ways:
- Excelling in the National Citizens Advice Performance Quality;
- We hold both the Advice Quality Standards accreditation for adviceand Advice Quality Standards accreditation for casework in Welfare benefits and Debt, and accreditation for our telephone Contact Centre which means clients and commissioners can be confident that the advice they receive or commission is excellent from a service that is reputable and effective delivered by highly skilled advisors and caseworkers;
- We are registered with the Financial Conduct Authority for our debt and money advice services and is externally audited through the Money and Pension Service and as such, you can guarantee the advice we deliver is of the highest quality;
- Our Housing advice is independently, externally audited through our Legal Aid Agency contract.
Our vision for 2022
You won’t ever struggle to get help from us
Our services will be available when you need them in a way that works for you
Our service will be joined up
You’ll be able to access advice quickly and easily through our different services and channels, without having to repeat yourself
We’ll help you find a way forward, whatever your problem
We have the resources, tools and expertise to solve your problem. If we can’t help directly, we’ll signpost you or make a smooth referral to a trusted partner
You’ll get the level of support you need
Whatever your situation, we’ll take extra steps to make sure you have the best support for your needs
You know that we’ll speak up for you
We’ll advocate for change in government policy and industry practices where they make life harder for you