About us
CPCAB was established to support the local community of Castle Point, which consists of Benfleet, Canvey Island, Hadleigh and Thundersley. Currently a team of 36 supports a community of approximately 86,000; the team consists of a bureau manager, advisers, trainee advisers, trainee caseworkers, 1 caseworker, administrators, receptionists and trustees. Of the 36 staff, 33 are volunteers and 3 are paid staff.
At CPCAB we can give you free, confidential, impartial and independent advice and information on a wide range of subjects.
We can work with you to sort out any debt worries and claim all the benefits you may be entitled to. We can help with housing and employment problems, or deal with queries about consumer or tax issues. We can advise on legal matters and answer questions about immigration, and we have lots of experience on family and personal matters too.
We are a charity, dependent on a workforce of paid staff and trained volunteers. Our funding comes from Castle Point Borough Council, Essex County Council, sponsored projects, charity events and donations.
We speak up for change in social policies; from our clients' experiences we can see where services and policies are failing. We call this work "Campaigning for Change".
We are a member of the national Citizens Advice service, which provides the extensive information system we use to advise clients and sets standards for advice, training, equal opportunities and accessibility in the bureau.
You can find out more about the Citizens Advice service's aims and principles and the work of CPCAB in our annual report.
Every year we take part in the Citizens Advice service's Advice Week. See
our Advice Week section for more information
and how you can support our activities for the week.
Aims and principles
As a member of Citizens Advice, CPCAB believes in, is committed to and promotes the aims and principles of the service, which are:
The Citizens Advice Service provides free, independent, confidential and impartial advice to everyone on their rights and responsibilities. It values diversity, promotes equality and challenges discrimination.
The service aims:
To provide the advice people need for the problems they face.
To improve the policies and practices that affect people’s lives.
