Objectives & Aims

The charity’s objects are to promote any charitable purpose for the benefit of the community in the Royal Borough of Kingston Upon Thames, by the advancement of education, the protection and preservation of health and the relief of poverty, sickness and distress.

Kingston Citizens Advice aims are to provide free, confidential, impartial and independent advice and information for the benefit of the local community, to exercise a responsible influence on the development of social policies and services and to ensure individuals do not suffer through a lack of knowledge or an inability to express their needs effectively

In addition to the continuing provision of high quality advisory services to the local community the primary objectives for the year were:

Good access to the service to best suit clients’ needs across the range of subjects.
Monitoring and assessing the service we provide to ensure and improve quality.
Increase provision of our service to 16 to 24 year olds - we have identified this as an under-represented group.
Provision of an efficient and streamlined staff structure to make best use of our resources.
Maintaining excellent external relations to ensure best outcomes for our clients and safeguard the future of our service.
Increasing funding to deliver our objectives.
Engaging more in campaigning for change in furtherance of Citizens Advice aims and objectives.
Maintaining external quality accreditation to provide evidence to our funders and clients that we use our resources effectively and offer a high quality service.

KCAB case examples:

Client (living in a HA property) stopped work as nurse and claimed HB. It was awarded and the officer who helped her expressed surprise that she had not claimed HB earlier (a conversational reference to client's age, we suspect). The officer also said (again conversationally) that client would never have to pay rent again (presumably because HB would cover it).

So, client's HB was paid into her bank account as arranged. The only problem was client did not pay her rent. She assumed it was being paid for her and that the payments into her account were some form of backdated payments due to her because she had not claimed earlier!

Rather large rent arrears arose - over £2000 - and the matter came to court.

At the hearing, we explained the roots of the client's error; she expressed embarrassment for her mistake and made it plain she would clear the arrears as soon as she could. Fortunately, client had not spent all the HB she received. The court believed her and no order for possession was made. Justice at its best.