This section of the website aims to answer common questions about the CAB Service in Scotland - not common enquiries brought to citizens advice bureaux.
CAS doesn’t provide advice and information to people in need of assistance you can get advice online or contact your local CAB.
- What’s the difference between Citizens Advice Scotland and citizens advice bureaux?
- Does CAS give advice?
- What’s the difference between Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) and Citizens Advice
- How are CAS and bureaux funded?
- How do you make sure that a service delivered mainly by volunteers is still professional?
- How can I make a donation to the Scottish CAB service?
What’s the difference between Citizens Advice Scotland and citizens advice bureaux?
Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) is the umbrella organisation that all Scottish citizens advice bureaux must join.
CAS makes sure that its member bureaux get the information and support that they need to help people that contact their CAB. This includes working with Citizens Advice in England and Wales to make sure that the Information System used by all bureaux and on the Adviceguide website is up to date and relevant to Scotland.
CAS also makes sure that bureaux are performing well to the standards laid out in our membership scheme.
Citizens advice bureaux are the offices that you see on your local high street. Bureaux provide members of the public with advice and information when and where they need it: in person, by phone, through e-mail – and now some bureaux can provide advice by SMS.
Does CAS give advice?
CAS doesn’t give advice – that’s the job of our member citizens advice bureaux. CAS provides information and other support services to bureaux to make sure that they can give the right advice, every time, to their clients.
To get advice, contact your local bureau or visit Adviceguide.
What’s the difference between Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) and Citizens Advice?
The main difference between CAS and Citizens Advice (England and Wales) is the areas that we cover. CAS is the membership organisation for Scottish citizens advice bureaux; Citizens Advice is responsible for bureaux in England and Wales. Both organisations are independent of each other, but work together closely.
Both CAS and Citizens Advice are core funded by the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills.
You can find out about what services CAS delivers to its members.
How are CAS and bureaux funded?
Citizens Advice Scotland funding
Citizens Advice Scotland is primarily funded by the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills.
CAS also works in partnership with other organisations who fund us to deliver particular project-based work.
Citizens Advice Bureau funding
Each citizens advice bureau across Scotland is a separate, registered charity that is responsible for securing the funds they need to deliver a service to the people that live in their community. Find out more about CAB funding here.
How do you make sure that a service delivered mainly by volunteers is still professional?
Just because the Scottish CAB Service is largely staffed by volunteers, it doesn't mean that we deliver an amateur service!
CAS works with the quality-assured member bureaux that together form the Scottish Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux to make sure that the thousands of people who contact a bureau or use Adviceguide get the right advice.
For more information about our information system, training programmes and quality assurance standards, see Giving the right advice.
How can I make a donation to the Scottish CAB service?
The Scottish CAB Service is free of charge when you use it. However, even though up to 80% of bureau staff are volunteers, it still costs money to deliver such a high quality service!
Each bureau is an independent, registered charity that is responsible for raising the funds it needs to deliver a service to the community it is based in. For more information on this topic, visit the how bureaux are funded page on this website.
To make a donation to the work of your local citizens advice bureau, you can find your local CAB online and get in touch with them directly.