Volunteer Advisers
Main duties and responsibilities may include:
- Interviewing clients, both face-to-face and on the telephone, letting the client explain their enquiry and helping the client to set priorities
- Finding, interpreting and communicating the relevant information and exploring options and implications to enable the client to come to a decision
- Acting, where necessary, on behalf of the client, negotiating drafting or writing letters or making appropriate referrals
- Completing clear and accurate case records
- Recognising the root causes of problems and participating in taking appropriate action
- Keeping up to date on important issues by attending the appropriate training and essential reading
- Attending bureau meetings.
Personal skills and qualities that an adviser needs:
- A commitment to the aims and principles of the CAB service
- Excellent communication skills
- To be open and approachable
- To be able to communicate clearly both orally and in writing
- To be able to sift through information and extract that which is relevant
- Basic mathematical skills, including percentages
- Respect for views, values and cultures which are different to their own
- To understand why confidentiality is important
- Open to using computers on a regular basis
- A positive attitude to self-development and assessment
- To be able to work as part of a team
- Able to recognise their own limits and boundaries in the role.