What We Do
We aim to support the residents of Staffordshire North with any issues that may arise.
We have outlined the services we offer below:
Benefits Team: Our Welfare Benefits team assist clients with complex benefit applications, Mandatory Reconsiderations and Appeals as well as Appeals to the Upper Tribunal – ensuring clients access their rights and helping to shape how legislation is interpreted.
Generalist Team: Offering full advice on Benefits, Employment, Housing options and disrepair, Consumer issues, Immigration (up to level one), disputed debts, family and relationship issues and legal options such as small claims & probate.
Housing Team: Our Specialist Housing Team offer legal advice and representation on issues such as evictions, repossession action, mortgage arrears, homelessness, relationship breakdown and landlord and tenant issues.
Immigration Team: Our immigration team is regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority to Level 3. We offer advice on a wide range of immigration and asylum issues.
You can contact us by calling our immigration advice line on 01782 407968. This is currently open on Tuesdays from 9.30am to 11.30am. The advice line is closed on the first Tuesday of each month
Refugee and Asylum Team (RAST): Our Refugee and asylum team support asylum seekers, refused asylum seekers and new refugees based in the North Staffordshire locality. They offer advice, assistance, and advocacy on a wide range of issues relating to their asylum support issues, e.g. non-payment of support, delays and refusals and accommodation problems. They assist new refugees with issues like benefits and housing.
Into Schools Project: This project helps asylum seeking children, newly arrived in Stoke-on-Trent to start school, college, or nursery places. We help with completing applications for school places, accessing school uniform and free school meals and other entitlements that give children a good start on their education. The project is funded by Children in Need.
Getting help
How we will support you
- When you first contact us we will ask you some questions during a fairly short initial assessment to find out what it is you need help with and whether or not we are the best place to help you, this will either be over the phone or face to face.
- We will give you some information or signpost you to another organisation, which we have agreed is what you need to be able to sort the problem out for yourself.
- We may give you some short, specific advice about your query, especially if it is a reasonably straightforward issue.
- We may need to refer you for a longer appointment with another adviser. This will depend on the urgency of your problem and the availability of an appointment.
- We may agree that there is another organisation who can provide the help you need better than we can. For example you may need to see a solicitor or a specialist we don’t have. There may be helplines, such as the Citizens Advice consumer adviceline, who are better placed to help.
- We may need to offer a casework service for certain issues. This will involve your case being passed to a specific caseworker who will be responsible for it and be the person who contacts you.
How can we help you?
If you need support around any issue please get in contact. We offer free, confidential advice and practical support.
Contact us
Contact us on: 0808 278 78 76
Our telephone lines are open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
Lines are closed on bank holidays.
Calls from mobiles and landlines are free.
For Immigration call 01782 407 968 (local rate)
Tuesday from 9.30 to 11.30am (closed 1st Tuesday of the month)
Thursday from 9.30 to 11.30am.
Consumer
Our consumer team consists of two departments; General Consumer and Energy. We are here to support you whether you are a business or private individual and can help with any issues you may face relating to goods, services or energy.
Debt
Our debt team provides advice to clients from across the whole of England. This is primarily done through a telephone service, but we also offer web chat and emails. Our team take inbound calls each day; giving some discreet one-off advice, as well as continuing with any ongoing casework needed for more complex cases.
Money Advice
We are a friendly, experienced team of debt advisors. All our advisors have been trained in line with the Money and Pensions Service’s requirements, so you can be sure that the advice you receive will be of high quality, impartial and tailored to your circumstances.
Outreach
We offer multiple outreach services to support you around Staffordshire North, to ensure wherever you are you can receive support.
“Since using your service, I have felt so much better in myself … I didn’t know where else to go, now my issue is totally resolved. It’s like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders.”
Service User
The guy I spoke to was called Chris he was very thorough and listened to my problems with empathy, he gave me some information immediately but said he would check out some further advice and call me back, he rang me back within the hour and took the time to convey the information and explained things very well.
Thank you.
Telephone User
“I am very happy with the outcome I have managed to get from the trader and wanted to thank all involved.”
Consumer User
“It’s really wonderful you have someone to turn to, as I wouldn’t pursue things without Citizens Advice help. Everything is difficult to do these days (forms/paperwork, especially). It is great to be seen by a friendly face and receive the help and information I need.”
Service User
“I found the whole process of seeking advice to be simple and stress-free. The staff were pleasant and informative.”