About our Bureau

About our Bureau

West Lothian Citizens Advice Bureau is here to offer free, impartial and confidential advice to West Lothian. We deliver support and guidance on a range of topics, giving people the information they need to deal with any situation and improve their lives. Please drop in or make an appointment to speak to one of our highly trained advisors.

Every year West Lothian Citizens Advice Bureau works with 6500 clients and helps resolve 26000 issues. As a registered charity, we rely on donations and the work of our volunteers to continue to provide these important services.

Equality Statement

Citizens Advice Bureau West Lothian is committed to providing equal opportunities in the delivery of its services and in the recruitment, selection and employment of its workforce.  Citizens Advice Bureau West Lothian is committed to avoiding unlawful discrimination in any aspect of employment and against any of its clients.

The aim of this policy is to ensure that no person receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation, or is disadvantaged by conditions or requirements which cannot be shown to be relevant to performance. It seeks also to ensure that no person is victimised or subjected to any form of bullying or harassment.  The organisation has a separate Dignity at work policy that deals with these issues.

The terms equality, inclusion, diversity and equity are at the heart of this policy.

  • ‘Equality’ means ensuring everyone has the same opportunities to fulfil their potential free from discrimination.
  • ‘Inclusion’ means ensuring everyone feels comfortable to be themselves at work and feels the worth of their contribution.
  • ‘Diversity’ means the celebration of individual differences amongst the workforces.
  • ‘Equity’ means recognising barriers and that some groups are more advantaged than others, and putting measures in place to eliminate these barriers, ensuring equal opportunities for all.

We will actively support diversity, equity and inclusion and ensure that our workforce is valued and treated with dignity and respect.

We value people as individuals with diverse opinions, cultures, lifestyles and circumstances. This policy covers all employees, Board, volunteers, and agency workers and it applies to all areas of employment including recruitment, selection, training, deployment, career development, and promotion.

 

West Lothian Citizens Advice Bureau

We’ve been open since 1940 and we’re part of the Scottish Citizens Advice network, which has been offering advice and support since 1939. Together we advise over 300,000 people on the best way to sort out their problems every year - that’s 1 in every 14 adults.

We can offer advice, guidance and information in a number of different areas, including benefits, consumer issues, immigration, workplace disputes and much more. See our services section for more information.

We also offer the following specialist services:

We have 70 staff and volunteers working as advisers and helping behind the scenes. Everyone you meet at West Lothian Citizens Advice Bureau has had a minimum of six months of training, so they are well-equipped to give you advice on a wide range of problems and issues.

Meet our advisers, or find out more about volunteering with us.

Expert advice - every time

As a member of the Scottish Citizens Advice network, the service we deliver must always meet national standards. This means you’ll receive a professional service, every single time you talk to us.

Our advisers undergo extensive training to make sure you receive the best quality of advice, whatever your issue may be. The Citizens Advice Scotland competency-based Adviser Training Programme is renowned in the voluntary sector and beyond.

Our advisers also have access to the AdviserNet Information System. This valuable resource provides a wealth of information on everything from employment and benefits to housing and debt. Access to this independent, trusted and quality assured information means our advisers can always offer you the most up-to-date advice.

In addition to our training and resources, the quality and training team at Citizens Advice Scotland regularly review the advice we offer, via a bureau audit. This makes sure we continue to meet the high standards required of a Citizens Advice Bureau.

Our charity status

Every bureau within the Scottish Citizens Advice network is a registered charity, and depends on support from the public to continue to offer advice to improve people’s lives.

As a charity, we are open and transparent about our accounts and governance structure. The minutes of our Annual General Meeting (AGM) are also published online each year.

Get advice

There are a number of ways you can get advice from West Lothian Citizens Advice Bureau. You can call, Email Us or you can make an appointment to come in for a face-to-face appointment.

We aim to respond to messages within 5 business days.

Making a complaint

If you want to make a complaint about West Lothian Citizens Advice Bureau contact us directly. You can also read more about our complaints procedure.