Who we are
The 'staff'
The
bureau is staffed by a mix of volunteers and paid employees,
totalling 146 currently. Volunteers outnumber the paid staff by
a ratio of 6:1.
Take a look at our
organogram
for
details of the structure of Cambridge CAB.
Volunteers
Our advisers are mainly volunteers, who come from all walks of life. All advisers undergo extensive training and are required to reach a high level of competence before being allowed to deal with clients. They continue to be monitored throughout their CAB 'career'.
We are lucky to attract volunteers of high calibre. The value they bring to Cambridge CAB, and thus to the people living or working in and around Cambridge, is enormous. The bureau would not exist without them.
Not all of our volunteers are advisers. We also have receptionists, IT and admin support staff, social policy researchers and people who help with fundraising. Members of the Trustee Board are also volunteers.
If you think that you may be interested in volunteering take a look at our 'How to volunteer' page.
What do clients think about us?
Clients report a high level of satisfaction with the Cambridge CAB service. Our last client satisfaction survey revealed that ...
- 100% of clients found our advisers informative
- 99% felt that they had been treated fairly
- 99% found the information given by our advisers easy to understand
- 96% were very or fairly satisfied with our service
- 97% said they would recommend our services.
Take a look at the thank-yous.
How we started
- 1938 - the NCSS (National Council for Social Services) came up with a blueprint for an advice service. Nothing changes, they had no money so it was to be staffed entirely by volunteers!
- September 1939 - the first 200 Citizens Advice Bureaux opened, to cope with the coming disruption of war. Cambridge was one of them.
Further information on the history of the Citizens Advice service can be found in the following documents: