“I wish I had found your service years ago.”
“I will never forget your help to support me in my time of need.”
“Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
People need advice services for a variety of reasons.
Unexpected events, such as relationship breakdown, job loss, illness or disability, or caring responsibilities can throw lives off course. Some people lack skills to cope with form filling and others need help to understand complex rules and regulations. Some are worn down by red tape, bureaucratic inefficiencies or intransigence and end up feeling that everything is stacked against them.*
The problems that people face have a significant cost. The Department for Constitutional Affairs estimated that “over a three and half year period….the cost [of problems] to individuals, health and other Public Services was at least £13billion”*
*Advice Services Alliance
The ability to access high quality and appropriate advice services has a significant impact on the wellbeing of individuals and society and has a positive impact on:
- Fairness and community cohesion
- Health
- Economic benefits and social inclusion
- Improving public services
“I wish I had found your service years ago.”
“I will never forget your help to support me in my time of need.”
“Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
Our services
Family Action Advice Services provide information, advice, support and representation to people concerning their rights and responsibilities. This includes advising people who are in debt, in employment, unemployed, those who have suffered discrimination and defending those threatened with homelessness.
Our services are available to individuals, families, couples, lone parents, older people, and black and minority ethnic communities.
They deal with a whole range of issues including benefits, tax credits, debts, housing and homelessness, fuel poverty, disability and community care issues, consumer issues, education, family issues, taxation, immigration and nationality, and domestic abuse.
We aim to work in a holistic way and will diagnose and help with related issues and not just the presenting one. We take a casework approach and will help people from the initial claim to checking the first decision, challenging unfavourable decisions and up to representation.
Our services hold the Advice Quality Standard in Advice Work and strive to continue to improve the quality of our services and consult with our users.
Our services offer a variety of different access points including centre based drop in sessions, women only sessions, outreach sessions at schools, GP surgeries and community venues. We also offer targeted support to BME women experiencing domestic abuse, older people, people with disabilities and their carers, central and eastern European communities.
Our advisors are representative of their local community and speak a number of languages including Urdu, Punjabi, Henko, Pushto, Gujarati and Hindi, we also have interpreting support available for Polish, Czech, Slovak and Roma speakers.
Family Action and specifically the Canterbury Advice Centre is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registration number 618904.
