Agenda item

The Area Development Manager (North) welcomed Angela Kerr, Chief Executive Officer of Citizens Advice South Somerset (CASS) to the meeting, who provided members with a presentation about the work and future development of CASS. The presentation included information about:

·         Aims, vision and principles of CASS

·         The type of help provided

·         Statistics about the number of clients helped, types of client issues, and how or where clients made their first contact with CASS

·         Recruitment and training of volunteers

·         Ambitions for the future

·         Re-branding of Citizens Advice nationally

In response to comments raised during a short discussion, the Chief Executive Officer of CASS clarified that:

·         There is no duplication of work with the SSDC Welfare Advice team. A referral system and protocol were in place to check if clients were already receiving, or had received advice from either organisation.

·         Money was set aside for investing in volunteers

·         It was recognised young people were under represented in their service, and they were looking to develop relationships with organisations that were trusted by young people.

Members thanked and congratulated the Chief Executive on the work of CASS, and commented it was an organisation that must be supported. The Chairman thanked the officer for her informative presentation.