As we approach the end of this year, there are sure to be many reflections on what we have lived through. We have already had the chance in our annual report and at the AGM to look back over 2020. We have seen that we have served many clients and played a vital role […]
Dee Conaghan, Trustee Board Chair, describes how Citizens Advice Westminster has responded to the challenges of maintaining service delivery in a virtual world. “This has been a period of intense change and challenge. As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, like so many organisations, charities and businesses, we ceased our face-to -face work, and by […]
Employment Adviser and Policy and Campaigns Coordinator, Brenda Smith describes what it has been like for her to gear up to deal with the influx of job-related enquiries arising from the Covid-19 crisis. “I was on leave in Colombia at the beginning of March so the first I heard about the coronavirus crisis was a […]
Sue Hillman, Policy and Campaigns volunteer, has had to work from home since the start of lockdown. She describes what it has been like to work as a virtual volunteer. “I started volunteering with Citizens Advice Westminster back in 2012 and generally I work with them around 8 months a year as I head to […]
The Licensing Advice Project at Westminster Citizens Advice, funded by Westminster City Council, is the only service of its kind in the country. During the Covid crisis it has had to switch to virtual hearings. Project Solicitor Richard Brown describes the challenges. The Westminster Licensing Project provides advice, assistance, information and representation to residents and […]
Liz Osborn, Mental Health Welfare Rights Caseworker, has had to find new ways of working with the local mental health support teams so that clients continue to receive the vital help they need. As Liz explains: “I have continued to work within the Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) offices during lockdown, as I felt that […]
Citizens Advice Westminster’s advice service for migrants living in Westminster for whom English is not their first language will now be delivered by Asylum Aid. Previously part of the Consonant service with the Migrants Resource Centre, Asylum Aid has been a leader in the provision of high-level legal support for over 30 years, ensuring the […]
Moving from a service based on meeting clients face-to-face has been a huge challenge for Citizens Advice Westminster. We started working from home on the 24th March, with a few of us sorting out the routing of adviceline to mobiles, and equipment for staff on the 23rd. As one staff member put it: “When my […]
When single parent and NHS key worker Anna (not real name) was issued with an eviction notice from her landlord she only had four weeks to find a new home for herself and her autistic daughter. She applied to Westminster Council’s homelessness service and in desperation also emailed a number of relevant agencies and local […]
#PuttingItRight Citizens Advice Westminster’s Putting it Right campaign has achieved significant success for three clients since the start of the year. The campaign takes on individual cases where someone has suffered from very poor and shoddy treatment by a public or statutory body and seeks compensation, an apology and, where appropriate, calls for change in […]
