What is Social Policy?

Social Policy is one of the twin aims of the Citizen Advice Bureaux organisation.

Local bureaux are in the unique position of having direct contact with consumers and users of businesses and organisations, and as such, are often the first to know if something goes wrong, or a service isn’t working.

I have a concern about an issue. What can I do about it? No-one will listen to me on my own, will they?

But they will listen if enough people have a concern with the issue. This bureau, like all others, can forward details of your individual case to the Citizens’ Advice head office.

Citizens’ Advice employ parliamentary liaison officers, who can take your concern direct to the Government minister involved

My concern is only local – I don’t want to bother anyone.

This is your local Bureau and we are involved in partnership working with many local agencies and organisations.

Our local contacts and knowledge may be able to help you to sort things out more quickly.

So how do I get involved with Social Policy?

When you visit the Bureau, tell the adviser you see that you may have a Social Policy issue.

Advisers may also suggest when giving advice that your issue is one that the Bureau would like to take up as a Social Policy issue – for example, the Bureau may have been asked to gather information about benefit payments going direct into bank accounts.

I thought advice at the CAB was confidential. Do I have to give personal details for these Social Policy issues?

If you don’t want to, absolutely not.

All advice, and even the fact that you have visited the Bureau, is completely confidential.

But it can help illustrate a particular case very effectively if a client is willing to give their details.

You may have seen reports on the news with CAB clients telling their story - of course, none of you details will be given to anyone without your explicit permission.

What sorts of issues are you looking for at the moment?

As far as national issues go, Bureaux are sent a list every month to ask advisers to look out for particular cases.

For example, for one month this year, these included issues such as Tax Credits, access to NHS dentistry, Direct Payment of benefits into accounts, and mental health and social exclusion.

Local issues include housing benefit delays, surveys of local banks, post office accounts and access to benefit claim forms.

My problem is not one of these, but is is still unfair. Can I still do something?

Of course.

Thinking ‘that’s not fair’ is a good sign that the problem may well be a social policy issue.

If organisation and companies don’t know that something isn’t working as it should, then they can’t so anything to change it.

This is all a bit negative – what about some good news stories?

Social policy is equally suited to good practice.

If you know of a company or organisation that is very good at what it does, or has in place ways of working that work really well, please tell us about it so that we can forward this evidence to Citizens’ Advice.

If this can be publicised, then other organisations may be able to work better.

You may want to look on the main Citizens’ Advice website for details of previous or existing campaigns, and for general information about Social Policy. Click here to go to the national social policy section of our site

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