Advice North West where advice is free and peace of mind is priceless
Advice North West serves people living in the Derry City & Strabane District Council area. Our service is independent and provides free, confidential, impartial and high quality advice to everybody regardless of ability, age, gender, gender identity, race, religion, political opinion, sexual orientation and social or economic status.
Vision
A just society free from poverty, inequality and discrimination, where people can live securely with dignity, where everyone can have a fair chance in life to achieve their full potential with their rights respected and realised.
Principles:
Free: All our services are free to the public. We do not charge.
Independent: Our service is completely independent. We are a charity. We can help you take up any issue with any other organisation or individual, whether public or private.
Confidential: Nothing learned by us, including the fact of your visit, will be passed on to anyone outside the service without your express permission
Impartial: Our service is open to everyone, irrespective of ability, age, gender, gender identity, race, religion, political opinion, sexual orientation and social or economic status.
High Quality: We are committed to the provision of a high-quality advice service. Efficient, dynamic and responsive to the needs of people.
Values:
Dignity: Dignity involves respect, privacy, autonomy and self-worth. It is a core principle of human rights and a core value of a healthy society that should be protected and nurtured. It underpins all that we do at Advice North West.
Equality: We believe that truly equal and fair societies are more prosperous and harmonious ones. We are conscious that having access to equal opportunities and best possible outcomes does not mean being treated identically; some people need more support than others to overcome barriers and difficulties to achieve true equality. True equality is transformative.
Empowerment: We empower people to increase their resourcefulness for living, to challenge discrimination and injustice and to play an active role in effecting positive change to decisions which affect them. We give people the knowledge of their rights and responsibilities so that where possible they can be self-advocates for change.
Best Interests: We act in the best interests of individuals who seek our help. We provide holistic, comprehensive, tailored, professional advice. We arm people with the facts and possible outcomes of different options. That way they can make the decision that’s right for them.
Accountability: Advice North West operates openly, transparently and with accountability. We believe accountability is vital to ensure high quality performance, integrity and responsibility. We support people to hold those responsible for decisions to account.
Aims:
Advice North West has twin aims
To ensure that individuals do not suffer through:
· Lack of knowledge of their rights and responsibilities
· Lack of knowledge of the services available to them
· An inability to express their needs effectively
· An inability to challenge injustice and to hold those responsible for decisions to account
And equally to:
To exercise a positive influence on the development of social policies and services both locally and nationally, responsive to the needs of those most vulnerable.
History
New name, new brand, new website – same high-quality service.
Advice North West, formerly Citizens Advice North West, was incorporated on 4th January 2019 following the realignment of Citizens Advice Bureaux in Northern Ireland.
Originally established in 1966 we have been at the forefront of many exciting challenges and demands. We offer cradle to grave advice and our dynamic approach makes a difference to people’s lives. Through the advice we give we aim to ensure that everyone can find a way forward, whatever the problem they face.
We our proud of our success both as an organisation and of the successful outcomes we help deliver to the people we serve.
We are responsive, committed, determined and strategic.
During our history we have merged with Waterside Churches Advice Centre, Derry Community Social Services and Strabane Citizens Advice. This has heralded major growth in the organisation which has helped us to respond to spiralling demand for our services. In managing and harnessing this growth we have established ourselves as a benchmark advice provider.
We seize new opportunities while maintaining our high standards and ensuring that people are at the heart of everything we do.
Our new name Advice North West is a new chapter of our development and we look forward to making our vision for the future a reality.