MAPCAB Digest ISSUE 2 - Digital Public

THE MONTHLY BUREAU ROUND-UP ! NEWS YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS

NEW DEC-MAR 2017 | ISSUE 02

MAPCABDIGEST

Maryhill and Possilpark Citizens Advice Bureau

BREAKING BUREAU
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

First Minister? FROM WELCOMES
We have some TO ROUND OF
questions!  APPLAUSES

MAPCAB EXCLUSIVE!
join the
Digital Social Media 
revolution HIghlights

See who excitingly
gave MAPCAB a RT

and all about our
social media
channels!

LOOKING
AHEAD 

A LOOK AT WHAT'S
IN STORE FOR THE
FUTURE

Volunteer 
Voices Find out from the voices at |

the foundation of the CAB |

MAPCABDIGEST

THE TEAM
WELCOMES
YOU 

HELLO , and welcome to MAPCAB Digest Issue 2 for BUREAU
HIGHLIGHTS
more Bureau news, highlights and exclusive insights to the
experience our volunteers gain from being a part of the MAPCAB Through the Bureau and our Outreaches we see a number of
team. diverse clients with a range of queries our Advisers are always on
hand to assist with. Over the past few months we have had a few
Hope you enjoy! good news stories for our clients that really has helped release the
financial burden so many find themselves in.
Thank you
The following are a few of those highlights from a few of our
Sarah Erskine projects;
Chief Officer
NHS Project
Congratulations on the Job Client received a whole year's backdated disability premium which
she was not aware she was entitled to, easing the strain on her
We would like to welcome Alison, one of budget.
our former volunteers, as our new
Money Advice Worker. Energy Project
The British Gas Energy Trust provided energy debt assistance of
See what Alison has to say about her over £2000 to an eligible client and supplied a new gas cooker, with
experience as a volunteer and what it assistance from our Energy Project Worker.
was like to become an employee at the
Bureau on PAGE 4. Equalities Project
Our Outreach Worker at Garnethill Multicultural Centre has assisted
Welcome New Volunteers clients since the start of the year in securing over £30,000 in
financial gain.
Our most recent Volunteer Training
Program has started and have just Great work from all our Advisers, your help is always making a
finished their theory sessions. Next they difference.
will be moving into the Bureau to start
shadowing current trained volunteers If you have any stories you want us to highlight and share with the
and getting hands on experience of team, let us know and you will feature in the next issue!
interacting with clients.

We want to extend a warm welcome to all of our new volunteers
and hope that you are settling in well, within what we hope is a
friendly environment. Also, we would like to express a heartfelt
thanks to all volunteers who are in, week in and week out, working
hard for the clients that come through our Bureau doors as well as
helping with the training of our new recruits.

2

BREAKING MAPCABDIGEST
NEWS
3
MAPCAB Joining the Digital
Revolution 

The Digital World is upon us and MAPCAB are ensuring
that their services are evolving, to achieve the most
important aim of any business… satisfying their
customer's/client’s needs!

MAPCAB have recently joined the national movement to promote digital participation
and basic digital skills. Together with many other signatories, we aim to help achieve
the aim of Scotland being a world-leading digital nation by 2020.

This fantastic initiative is being co-ordinated by the Scottish Council for Voluntary
Organisations (SVCO) and supported greatly by the Scottish Government.

For more information on Scotland’s Digital Participation Charter, visit
charter.svco.org.uk

We are proud to be a part of this movement and look forward to seeing our Bureau
develop, to further assist and change the lives of those in our local communities. Watch
this space for new exciting projects to help build a more connected digital culture within
the community.

First Minister, we have some
questions? 

On Thursday 16th March a group of 9 MAPCAB
Volunteers & Staff took the journey through to
Edinburgh for a visit to the Scottish Parliament.

The group were taken on a tour of the Parliament Building before
taking their seats in The Chamber along with The First Minister,
Nicola Sturgeon and her fellow MSPs, to listen in on an exciting and
interesting First Minister's Questions.

We also had the pleasure to meet and chat with Maryhill & Springburn's MSP, Bob Doris,
who spent a great deal of time with our volunteers listening to questions and feedback.

It was a great day had by all attended and we thank, Bob Doris, Nicola Sturgeon and The
Scottish Parliament for your kind and warm welcome to the MAPCAB team.

MAPCABDIGEST

SECIOV REETNULOV A DAY IN THE LIFE OF... A MAPCAB VOLUNTEER

Alex O'Connor

I started with MAPCAB in October 2016 and When did you join the
began properly seeing clients around  MAPCAB team as a Volunteer? 

November/December, I just finished the self-
directed interviewing section of training so I'm

pretty happy about that!

How and why did you After hearing about it through my university, I got involved
 get involved with MAPCAB?   with MAPCAB because I think it's so important to have an
organisation that advocates for people, making everyone's
rights and options clear. It's difficult to navigate information
about debts and benefits at the best of times, so for more
vulnerable people and those with less access to resources
it's so easy to fall through the cracks and get stuck. It's great
to see how clear information and advice can really change a
client's circumstances.

There's huge variety in what a day of volunteering is What is a day of volunteering
like! I'm mostly in mornings and there's a world of like at MAPCAB, for YOU? 

difference between drop-in mornings (Tues and Thurs)
than to other mornings. I tend to get time to look over
cases and write social policy feedback forms on other
days, but Tuesdays are usually fairly busy with clients
which is more intense and can be really energising, or
tiring, depending how it goes.

How has your experience at I think I've been the most influenced by seeing how policies
MAPCAB influenced you the and decisions about benefits can affect loads of people's
lives. Seeing similar issues come up often really shows how a
most?

badly implemented procedure or unfair policy can impact

hugely on all aspects of a client's life. The positive side is that

it's been very rewarding to help people get the best outcome

from their situation, and let people know that they could have

options which they were unaware of.

4

MAPCABDIGEST

THE ROAD FROM VOLUNTEER TO BUREAU SECIOV REETNULOV
STAFF

Alison Swain

When did you start at
MAPCAB and what is
your current position?

I started volunteering a What was you feeling when
year ago – I trained last you became an employed
February and I started member at MAPCAB after

working here on a being a volunteer?
temporary contract as a
Money Advice Worker I was delighted to be
offered the contract as
in the second half of this is the area of work I
January.
had been hoping to
What was the best part move into after being
about volunteering at made redundant from a

MAPCAB? previous job.

The best thing about volunteering What has been your most
here is the quality of the training rewarding moment
and the depth of knowledge the
trainers are able to bring to the working as part of the
training. Once you have trained, MAPCAB team?
the dedicated volunteer-support
available from colleagues enables The most rewarding
part of the job (after the
new volunteers to give a very amazing people I get to
professional service to clients work with!) is the speed

straight away. at which you gain
knowledge in all areas
of CAB work through

your work.

2 5

BUREAU ROUND-UP MAPCABDIGEST
Facts and figures of the Bureau

Stats gathered Bureau
from Q4  Sucess Stories

 Client Financial Gain  Success #1

Over £1million Over the months in Q4, MAPCAB have represented a
total of 60 client’s appeals at Tribunals,
Total Clients with a 58% success rate.  
Assisted
This has led to a grand total of £226,524.35 in Client
Over 700 Financial Gains, which has made a remarkable difference

Drop-ins during months to those represented.  
of December, January & We have also had the pleasure of having some of our

February; new volunteers trained up to undertake the
representation for clients, with one volunteer winning
Drop-in New Clients  two out of his three appeals at his first Tribunal – great

244 work!  

Drop-in Total Clients Success #2

515 Our Client was granted bankruptcy debts of
over £50,000.
6
With the help of the Bureau the client said she was
able to sleep for the first time in months.  

As a result of our team working together she was able
to be referred over to our Energy Project where they
completed a grant to get her the £200 fee to enable
her to complete application.

MAPCABDIGEST

LOOKING AHEAD

Upcoming Events

MAPCAB's 34th Annual General Meeting
21st March 2017, 5pm

@ 25 Avenuepark Street

Easter Holiday
Closures

The Bureau will be
closed on

Friday 14th  April and
Monday 17th April 

Our BT Donate page is a great way for 7
us to raise funds for the Bureau! 

Follow the link below to take a look; 
www.mydonate.bt.com/charities/
maryhillpossilparkcitizensadvicebu

reau 

MAPCAB DIGEST

Highlights

Twitter:
@MaryhillCAB

MAPCAB Twitter
account got retweeted
to Ken Loach's 40,000

Followers!

Facebook:
@Maryhill&PossilparkCAB

LinkedIn: Instagram: Website:
Maryhill and Possilpark @mapcab2016 www.mapcab.org.uk
Citizens Advice Bureau
YouTube:
Maryhill and Possilpark
Citizens Advice Bureau