Kincardine and Mearns Citizens Advice Bureau

May 2025

Kincardine and Mearns Citizens Advice Bureau Welcome to Kincardine and Mearns Citizens Advice Bureau Monthly Good News Bulletin May 2025

We hope you enjoy LOCAL INDEPENDENT CHARITY

Contents

Meetings and Events - 02 CFG / Client Contacts - 03 Who is Who?- 04 KAMCAB Management - 05 Case Study - 06

National Money Talk Plus Client Case Study - 07 Bureau Updates - 08 Highlight - 09 Foundation Scotland - 10 Drop In and Go Sessions - 11

Meetings and Events

Meetings Staff Meeting 19th June 10am-12pm

Full Team Meeting17th July 2pm-4pm

Events

Staff - June Friday Night Indian Meal Volunteers Volunteer Event Starting.

Open to All Interested in Volunteering With Us. Please Feel free to Join!

Clients In April In April 2025 we had:

206 Active Clients 55 New Contacts 349 Client Contacts We also assisted our Clients to collectively access £685,018.12 worth of Client Financial Gain

Who is Who? Volunteer Advisor:

Board of Directors: ·Morag Michell ·Pat Pugh ·John Ritchie ·Trish Hughes

Ian Veltman Mike Baldwin Neil Stewart Shirley Campbell- Morgan

Chief Officer: ·

Volunteer in Training: Ashley Catto Graham Wark Leonie Nimmons Lorna Wilson Mark Skilling Stan Johnman Alison Ball

Case Checking: Gordon Smith

Volunteer Admin:

Rachael Buchanan Margaret Plye Anne Leslie

Social Policy:

Heather Knowles

Deputy Manager: ·

Keith Schofield

Bureau Co-Ordinator: ·

Clare Duncan

Admin and Triage Co-Ordinator: ·

Charlotte Taylor

Admin and Reception Worker: ·

Kirsty Adger

Outreach Advisor: ·

Moreen Helling

Aberdeenshire Helpline Advisor ·

Elaine Sutherland

Help to Claim Advisor: ·

Karen Wood

Money and Debt Advisor: ·

Paddy Coffield

Julianna Wolfe

Welfare Rights Officer: ·

Isobel MacDonald

Triage Officer: ·

Julie Cairnduff

Kincardine and Mearns Citizens Advice Bureau Management

Clare Duncan

Heather Knowles

Keith Schofield

Bureau Co-Ordinator

Chief Officer

Deputy Manger

Case Study

Helena left her native Finland after her marriage of over 20 years had broken down. Part of her decision to wait for this time was to allow her son Timo at 16 years to be legally allowed to choose to be with Mum. Helena had chosen Scotland 9 years ago as she had found a school that would be able to cater for the needs of her Timo due to his Autism. She quickly found it difficult to gain financial support for Timo who would never be independent.

Helena came to her local Bureau and received support to get: · Her son on her tenancy which means the housing element of his Universal Credit can be paid · Helena has been supported by Bureau to prove her son does not receive benefits from her native Finland for Timo which has been deemed the competent state- this was blocking Timo receiving UK benefits · Bureau has been getting documents translated into Finnish to prove that there is no benefits from Finland to Timo- he left as a child and has no National Insurance equivalent paid into This case has been ongoing for about 9 years due to the complexity of a different country and benefit system to dialogue with. Helena is very grateful for the support of her current case worker: “She has been very helpful and has learnt difficult things about my case. It is a big relief to have someone understand my case. She is always willing to listen and learn how it is in my country. This is very impressive and she does not give up.”

Progress has been made on this case over a period of time and demonstrates some of the complex cases the Bureau can support with and we are hopeful that there will be further progress for the family in this.

All names and personal details have been changed for confidentiality reasons Consent was obtained

National Money Talk Plus Client Case Study “Dan came into the Bureau for help with his finances as he was finding it difficult to make ends meet. A friend recommended he attend the bureau to see if he was entitled to any extra support.

Dan has been a single parent to his two young children since his wife passed away. He lives with mental health challenges, as well as a learning difficulty. Dan is self-employed and some months he finds that there isn’t enough money in the business to pay himself a salary.

As a result, he has fallen into debt.

The Adviser carried out a benefit check, which found that Dan was entitled to multiple social security payments to boost his income and help support his children. He was also advised that he could apply for a council tax reduction. This resulted in an extra £12,000 per year for the family, and he is receiving ongoing support from a specialist debt adviser to help stabilise his financial situation going forward.

Being new to the social security system, Dan didn’t think he qualified for any extra financial support because he was working. The Bureau made him aware of his entitlement, and as a result the family’s average monthly income has almost doubled. Dan was ‘delighted’ at the service he received at the CAB and said that his mental health has improved as a result.”

Dan’s case demonstrates that being in work is not a guarantee against poverty, especially for singleparent families. Cases like this illustrate the commitment of advisers to tackling the cycle of poverty by securing clients’ financial stability for the long term. It also exemplifies the community’s trust in the Bureau, as Dan was recommended the service by a friend after receiving support themselves All names and personal details have been changed for confidentiality reasons Consent was obtained

Bureau Updates Up Coming Projects: KAMCAB Website: Mobile Devices and Beware of the blame game on ‘choices’ Data - Digital Poverty https://www.cas.org.uk/news Council Tax and Debt -and-events/beware-blamegame-choices

Advice Support Chromebooks

KAMCAB HIGHTLIGHT ELANE SUTHERLAND

Why did you decide to Volunteer at KAMCAB? I’ve always volunteered and was looking for a fresh and meaningful challenge after leaving my last role.

How have you found your time at KAMCAB? I genuinely enjoy working at KAMCAB as I have a passion for learning and feel fortunate to be part of such a supportive team. Before joining I had little understanding of what CAB did.

I’ve realised we play a vital role in bridging gaps the public sector often cannot reach—especially in supporting vulnerable and disadvantaged members of our local community.

G E T 1 0It%is aOprivilege F F to be trusted to listen, offer guidance, and make a difference in people’s lives.

What are you hoping to gain from your time at KAMCAB?

KAMCAB offers a fantastic opportunity to develop knowledge, skills and valuable experiences. Engaging with clients, staff and volunteers is incredibly rewarding not only contributing to my personal growth and confidence but also having a positive impact on my mental well-being.

Elaine Sutherland - Aberdeenshire Helpline Advisor

Foundation Scotland has awarded £6 million to the Citizens Advice Network in Scotland over the next couple of years

Foundation Scotland was founded in 1996. They provided small - scale grants across Scotland.

At the time there was one single employee and a large number of Volunteers.

For over 25 years - Foundation Scotland have been bringing together communities - funders and finance to support and strengthen communities in every corner of Scotland. They have distributed over £150 Million to communities across Scotland.

Foundation Scotland also deliver fixed term funding grants programme - which is funded by the National Lottery Foundation Scotland celebrated their 25th anniversary in 2021, and in 2022 they surpassed £150 million in funds distributed since launching in 1996.

https://www.foundationscotland.org.uk https://www.facebook.com/FoundationScotland https://x.com/FoundationScot https://www.linkedin.com/company/foundation-scotland/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCu8tD8zRgDl4UhZCJ4yZv6w