Volunteers remain the core of the Bureau and without them there would be no Citizens Advice in Chichester.
Nationally, ninety per cent of CAB workers are volunteers.
All CAB volunteers receive the same training, usually delivered in-house by a paid Guidance Tutor and supplemented by out-of-Bureau courses and training sessions.

All advisers who deal with clients at the Chichester Bureau are highly-trained volunteers. Trainee advisers will undertake a modular course which is a combination of study, courses, observation and interviewing. We generally run one course each year starting in January. We expect our trainees to be seeing clients, under close supervision, after about six months, and to be fully trained generally within the year. Supervision and support is available for all advisers for the whole of the time they are seeing clients.

There are no specific qualifications that our advisers have to meet but we would expect a prospective volunteer to be

• a good listener
• open minded
• able to work as part of a team
• able to read complex information and to explain it
• able to do basic maths
• willing to commit to time requirements
• willing to learn new skills
• committed to supporting equal opportunities

Delivery of training now involves more computer-based and e- learning than previously, and major parts of an adviser's work require computer skills.

On-going training in all subjects is available and we expect all advisers to continue to update their knowledge and continue to learn. For those who wish to specialise in specific subjects more advanced training is available.

In line with recommended practice, all new advisers are required to undergo a CRB check before seeing clients.