Name: Sol Gelsomino
College: Grey
Subject: Law
Year: 3rd
Hi Sol! Thanks so much for agreeing to talk to HC Durham about your work with Citizen’s Advice. First of all, could you tell us a bit about what Citizens Advice is and what they do as an organisation?
Hi! Thank you for asking me to talk to you about my work at CAB! Citizens Advice are an independent charity who help people resolve their problems. In the last year the organisation helped 2.1 million people and you’re likely to find a bureau in most neighbourhoods so they’re a pretty big deal! In my experience the most common issues that we assist with relate to Benefits, Employment, Housing and Debt. However, we welcome any issues people may have and try to help them to the best of our ability, referring people to other trusted organisations where we feel it is right to do so.
Most people associate Citizens Advice with their bureaus, and whilst that is a key part of the organisation, the students volunteer for their Adviceline. This is a relatively new service where you take client calls and try to record as much information as possible in order to give them the best possible advice. As a gateway service we are the first point of call. It is very exciting as you never know what to expect and every case is different!
So how did you initially get involved with CAB? How long have you been working with them?
Probably the same reason why most people start off, I was desperate for legal work experience! That may be why people start but that is certainly not why they stay. I started in my second year and have been volunteering ever since. Even though final year work load can really get on top of you, it has never once crossed my mind to give CAB up.
How much training is involved and what kinds of things do you learn about during the training?
The training is very important. Though you are not expected to have any legal knowledge there is so much that goes into taking a call. From understanding where to find the information to the tone you should adopt and the different services Citizens Advice offers. You don’t just learn about your role but you get a real insight into the organisation as a whole. It takes as long as you want it to take. If you are committed and come in once a week you can get it out of the way pretty quickly and everyone is keen to help you through it.
Who would you recommend working with CA to?
You don’t have to be a law student. Though it is currently attached to a pro-bono society they welcome students from any subject! In fact Citizens Advice go out of their way to promote diversity and equality so they welcome people from all ages and background. What is important is commitment and so I would recommend volunteering with Citizens Advice to anyone that can lend at least half a day a week and ideally not currently a finalist. Having said that, they are extremely flexible when it comes to summative and exam pressures so don’t let that put you off!
In what kind of situation should someone call CA for help?
Citizens Advice try to cater for most issues that you could encounter in your day to day life. If you take a look at their website they have a range of detailed information guides regarding benefits, employment, housing, consumer issues just to name a few. If you’re not sure give us a call and if we can’t help you we can do our best to direct you to the right people.
How can people get involved with CA?
I would really recommend students to volunteer with Citizens Advice. Not only is it very interesting but helping people, as cheesy as it may sound, is extremely rewarding. It is a great break from university life and takes you truly out of the Durham bubble.
Anyone interested should call or email Janine (details below). Alternatively you can contact myself or Sophie Broddle for more information. We hope to hear from you!
janine.elgie@cdcab.org.uk 07956587109
www.citizensadvice.org.uk/about-us/support-us/volunteering/
Thanks so much, Sol!