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ADVISER
The Adviser's Role
Without trained volunteer Advisers we could not continue to meet the demands for the service. The Adviser has a very broad and varied role and is clearly crucial to the service which Citizens Advice Waverley provides.
As an Adviser you will need to:
- Interview clients in the bureau, over the telephone and at outreach sessions.
- Research information from our electronic information system and other sources.
- Provide advice, explanation and help with the choices and consequences that the client faces.
- Help clients negotiate with people such as creditors and service providers.
- Give practical help by writing letters, making telephone calls, completing forms, etc.
- Refer clients to other agencies where they are better placed to help.
- Keep records of all clients' cases.
- Prevent future problems for clients by identifying failing policies and poor services.
The Adviser's Skills
You don't need any particular qualifications or experience to train as an Adviser. All sorts of people become advisers, but you will need to:
- Be good at listening and being patient.
- Be able to work in a team.
- Be able to read and write English, and do basic maths.
- Be open-minded and non-judgemental.
- Enjoy helping people.
- Be supportive to clients and colleagues.
- Be confident with use of Information Technology.
Our Advisers don't need to know it all. We provide free formal and comprehensive accredited training. Our training is backed up by excellent support, supervision and guidance to help you achieve the skills you need to deliver a high quality service to our clients. If you are a law student, this can earn you up to six months towards your solicitor training contracts experience. Once you have qualified as a Generalist Adviser, you will have the opportunity to develop further skills and increase the depth and breadth of your knowledge.
Our advice service has become more reliant on Information Technology and we now have an up-to-the-minute electronic system containing most of the information you will need when advising clients.
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer and would like to find out more, why not use the feedback form to request a Volunteer Application Pack, or have us call you to arrange an informal visit to one of our bureau.
