THE BOROUGH
Camden is an inner London borough with a population of 207,000 stretching from a commercial and business district in the south through inner-city mainly residential areas, to suburbs & open spaces in the north.
The population is ethnically diverse, with almost one third coming from black and minority ethnic communities. The largest communities are Irish, Bangladeshi and Black Africans, followed by Black Caribbean.
Although residential areas take up the greater part of the borough, with over 55% of households in council or privately rented accommodation, Camden is experiencing a housing crisis. Over a thousand families and single people present as homeless in the borough each year. In common with most inner London Boroughs, there is a small but growing community of asylum seekers and refugees.
Employment is varied, mainly business, commercial and light industry, with several major hospitals and educational establishments.
Camden has a wide variety of community organisations. There is a well-established network of advice agencies, including Camden Citizens Advice Bureaux Service and a Law Centre together with a Community Information Service, welfare rights officers and Housing Advice Centres within the Council. There is also an independent tribunal unit which offers a consultation service and representation at tribunals for welfare rights and employment cases.
THE CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAUX SERVICE IN CAMDEN
Camden Citizens Advice Bureaux Service (CCABS) is an independent organisation and is a member of The National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux (NACAB).
The aims of the Citizens Advice Bureaux Service nationally are:
The service is free, confidential, impartial and independent. We are committed to equal opportunities and anti-racist policies in both providing the service and employing staff.
We offer information and advice on almost any subject. The main areas of work are welfare benefits, housing, debt and legal advice. We also use the experiences of our clients to comment on proposals for changes in administration or legislation. Most of the people coming to the CAB in Camden are on low incomes, or social security benefits. Our users come from a wide range of backgrounds, many have dependent children, many are elderly, are unemployed or have significant health problems.
The demand for the CAB Service remains high. At the same time we know that some people who could benefit from advice do not use the service - for example because they cannot physically get to a bureau, because there are language or cultural barriers or they are not aware of the service we offer. We are keen to ensure that the CAB service is accessible to all and our priority is to improve accessibility and to develop in order to meet the needs of the diverse communities in the borough.
STRUCTURE
CCABS is a limited company and a registered charity. It is run by a Board of Trustees of elected local people, and representatives of statutory and voluntary organisations. The service consists of:
The Service employs about 50 people and works with an increasing number of volunteers and has a turnover of approximately £2m per annum. Our main source of finance includes a major grant from Camden Council; we also receive funding from Primary Care Trusts, the Legal Service Commission and Charitable Trusts. We are currently seeking to diversify our funding even further.
MANAGEMENT
The Board of Trustees is supported in its work by a small Head Office consisting of a full time Chief Executive, an Office Manager and a Financial Controller. The Office Manager oversees the office systems and the Financial Controller draws up budgets in consultation with the Chief Executive, and records and monitors expenditure.
The Chief Executive has overall responsibility on behalf of the Board of Trustees for the management and development of the service. This involves servicing the Board and working with the bureaux and project managers through the Senior Management Team. The Board of Trustees appoints a Treasurer who monitors the financial position of the charity on behalf of the Board.
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