Department for Work and Pensions
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Citizens Advice and Jobcentre plus forging a new partnership
Citizens Advice and Jobcentre Plus have today announced a new partnership agreement to improve links between them and deliver better advice and support to people in England and Wales.
This improved cooperation, both locally and nationally, will enable both organisations to give their clients and customers the best possible advice and support. It will also provide greater opportunities for Citizens Advice and other local partners to contribute to the development and delivery of further improved Jobcentre Plus services.
David Harker, Chief Executive for Citizens Advice said; "This partnership agreement is about putting vulnerable people at the heart of everything that both we and Jobcentre Plus do. Our staff are in regular contact with Jobcentre Plus staff and we want to improve the way people are given help, both through bureaux and in Jobcentre Plus offices. We believe that CAB staff will be able to make a valuable contribution to improvements and future developments on the Jobcentre Plus network and want to share our experience to facilitate this."
Lesley Strathie, Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus said; "I am delighted that Jobcentre Plus and Citizens Advice have signed up to improving the way we work together. We are committed to improving our services to customers, and this agreement represents a new phase in our relationship with Citizens Advice. CAB, and other partnerships organisations, make a valuable contribution to helping us meet our overall aim of work for those who can and support for those who cannot."
The partnership agreement is a result of joint working and discussion between the two organisations. Jobcentre Plus helps around 850,000 people each year into work, and pays benefits to 6.5 million people. It provides a range of services for individuals and employers, both directly and in partnership with other organisations.
Jobcentre Plus is modernising and improving the way its services are delivered with the aim of improving its customer service. As well as a national network of Jobcentres, it now operates a network of Contact Centres and Benefit Delivery Centres and every working day helps over 6,000 customers move into work.
Citizens Advice Bureaux advise over 2 million people each year on employment, benefits and tax credits. In the financial year 2006/07 the CAB service helped people deal with more then 5.7 million problems, the most common being debt and welfare benefits. Many clients that use a local CAB are also customers of Jobcentre Plus and many are amongst the poorest and most vulnerable members of society.
The two organisations intend to finalise a plan by the end of 2007 detailing the activity that will help facilitate good communication, regular meetings and updates and information sharing. The partnership agreement was announced at the CAB service's annual conference in York on 25th September 2007.
Jobcentre Plus is also working with Citizens Advice Scotland on a similar partnership agreement.
For more information on Citizens Advice contact:
Sarah Miller
020 7833 7178 or 07792 295083
sarah.miller@citizensadvice.org.uk
For further information on Jobcentre Plus:
For services that
Jobcentre Plus provides employers and people of working age visit
http://www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk
Website http://www.dwp.gov.uk
Notes to editors
Citizens Advice
1. The Citizens Advice service is a network of independent charities that helps people resolve their money, legal and other problems by providing information and advice and by influencing policymakers. For more information see http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk
2. The advice provided by the Citizens Advice service is free, independent, confidential, and impartial, and available to everyone regardless of race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, religion, age or nationality.
3. In the average month there are 600,000 visits to our award-winning advice and information site http://www.adviceguide.org.uk
4. Most Citizens Advice service staff are trained volunteers, working at around 3,400 service outlets across England and Wales.
5. To volunteer call the volunteer hotline on 08451 264264 (local rate)
6. Citizens Advice Handbook, over 600 pages of practical, independent CAB advice. An invaluable resource for any bookshelf - available from all good bookshops or via http://www.adviceguide.org.uk Citizens Advice Handbook; Penguin reference; Price £12; ISBN 0-141-01678-7.
Jobcentre Plus
Jobcentre Plus, part of the Department for Work and Pensions, brings together employment and benefit services for people of working age and is a key element in the Government's objectives to help people based on 'Work for those who can, support for those who cannot'. It provides a professional and modern service to meet the diverse needs of employers and those seeking work, including:
* Personal advisers to provide practical support and advice to help those in need find and keep work, including training provision and benefits guidance
* A dedicated service to support employers in filling their vacancies quickly and successfully, including the ability to place jobs online
* Ability to search for jobs both online and over the phone through Jobpoints in Jobcentre Plus offices, the Jobseeker Direct phone line and through the website
* Swift, secure and professional access to benefits for those entitled to them.
Customers can access Jobcentre Plus services through around 1,000 locations across Great Britain, including over 800 newly refurbished Jobcentre Plus offices. Touch-screen terminals and Customer Access Phones are also available in a further 120 sites such as libraries and local authority premises. Jobcentre Plus works with over 275,000 employers to place 17,000 people into work every week. Over 400,000 vacancies are listed each week on its website and more than 4m job search requests are received, making it the number one UK recruitment website.
