We have been given the green light to continue to offer advice

The quality of advice and the commitment shown by Citizens Advice Caerphilly Blaenau Gwent (CACBG) to meet the needs of local communities has been given the green light by assessors.

The work being carried out by CACBG is scrutinised by independent Citizens Advice assessors on a three year cycle. They look at all areas of the organisation, including leadership, quality of advice and governance.

This year, despite the challenges posed by Covid-19, CACBG have retained our green rating for the Advice Quality Standard. All local Citizens Advice Services must receive at least a yellow rating to continue delivering advice.

Chief Executive Simon Ellington said the green rating recognises the services that go above and beyond what is required of them.

“Despite the challenges presented by Covid-19, we were able to maintain our services and in some areas exceed what is expected of a local Citizens Advice service,” he said. “We are the largest Citizens Advice Service in Wales and one of the largest in the network.

“The communities that we serve are diverse and have some common needs as well as issues specific to their area. The way in which we respond by adjusting our services or developing new ones was recognised by assessors. “

Partnership working across Caerphilly and Blaenau Gwent, through the pandemic and post-Covid, was also singled out for praise.

The assessment report said: “It is evident you work hard to meet the needs of your area and this includes adjusting and developing your service delivery model as required. 

“You are a large organisation and use your resources effectively to support your diverse community and you have an engaged, committed board and are taking a considered approach to trustee recruitment,

“There is an effective Management team with a strong operational focus, committed to ensuring a high quality advice service across all your projects and services; you are active in Research and Campaigns and work well in partnership with other organisations.

Simon Ellington said the green rating is testament to the dedication of the paid and unpaid workforce.

He said: “Along with many other providers of services, we found 2020/21 to be a challenging year to say the least. We are immensely proud of how well our volunteers, staff and trustees responded to the changing situation and of the fact that during all that change, our service was never interrupted, we were still there for our clients and our communities.”