Members of CIS Boards of Management are drawn from the statutory, voluntary and community sector and from CIS volunteers. Volunteering Volunteers play a central role in various aspects of service delivery – information provision, reception, interpretation and administration. Thirty percent of the face-to-face service is provided by 1,164 volunteers, equivalent to 121 equivalent staff. A national volunteer strategy is developed to provide a framework to support Citizens Information Services to resource their volunteer cohort. The Citizens Information Board recognises that a national service cannot meet the increased demand for quantity and quality in an increasingly complex environment without substantial support for volunteer management in the service. In 2010 a new Volunteer Recognition Programme was initiated marking the contribution of volunteers to their local CIS. In 2011 24 volunteers with over 20 years of service to their community though their local Citizens Information Service were honoured at a special volunteer recognition ceremony in the EU Commission office in Dublin. Minister of State for European Affairs, Lucinda Creighton TD presented certificates and a commemorative bowl to each of the CIS volunteers. Service demand and statistics The total CIB grant allocation to CISs in 2011 was €12.4 million (See Appendix 5 for a breakdown of this figure). Number of clients: 657,653 (a decrease of 1% on 2010) Number of queries: 1,014,699 (an increase of 2% on 2010) Number of queries per client: 1.54 (1.49 in 2010) the overall number of CIS clients decreased by 1% on the 2010 figure, the number of queries increased by 2%. This suggests that people using the service are presenting with multi-faceted issues. CISs universally noted that queries and related client needs were becoming more complex because of the impact of the recession on individuals and families. 60% of clients were female, 40% male (the same as 2010). Almost three-quarters (74%) contacted the CISs in person (72% in 2010); 25% by telephone (27% in 2010) and 1% by email.
Call centre infrastructure Since July 2009, CIPS has been operating a new integrated telephony/ICT/Management Information system. The system allows sophisticated call queuing and answering systems and provides detailed and reliable information to management (on, for example, data on caller waiting times, call abandonment rates, and the performance of individual information officers). All incoming calls are recorded. The Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS) The Citizens Information was assigned responsibility for the Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS) with effect from 13 July 2009. MABS provides a free, confidential, non-judgemental and independent service countrywide for people with debt problems or over-indebtedness. MABS emphasises practical, budget-based measures to help people with debt difficulties. Its target group is low income families and individuals identified as having problems with debt and money lending. MABS also provides education on budgeting and money management in the local community. Relevant statutory and voluntary agencies play a prominent role in the voluntary management of MABS companies locally. The Citizens Information and MABS Under Part 4 of the Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2008, the Citizens Information Board is responsible for: Providing national leadership and direction for MABS and securing its future development Securing and consolidating the continued involvement of the voluntary and community sector in the provision of a MABS service which is responsive to the needs of local communities Providing for sound corporate governance, customer service and financial accountability across the organisational structure of MABS Enhancing policy development and strategic planning for MABS as a key publicly funded service for people on low incomes who seek assistance in managing debt problems Ensuring that services are provided, in particular, for people on low incomes who are, or who are at risk of becoming, over indebted and socially excluded
1.6 % to debt collection agencies 1.3 % to local authorities 0.6 % to money/lenders/catalogues 3.8% others Figure 6: Debt amount (2009-2011) for MABS clients Service delivery and developments Mortgage arrears and debt resolution MABSndl and the Citizens Information Board engaged actively with the work of the Expert Group on Mortgage Arrears, and the Law Reform Commission report on Personal Debt Management and Debt Enforcement. MABSndl continued its work with the Irish Banking Federation (IBF) to implement the IBF/MABS protocol and worked with other bodies, including credit unions and utilities to develop further protocol arrangements. All the major utility providers have now signed up to the Energy Utility/ MABS Operational Protocol. MABSndl provided intensive engagement and support to services in the roll-out of the Mortgage Arrears Resolution Process (MARP) with subsequent benefits to MABS clients as well as the public through links with the Central Bank. Managing client demand and assessment procedures Early in 2011, CIB commissioned an independent review of the management of service demand in MABS. The backdrop to this research was the significant increase in the number and complexity of MABS cases and in some locations, quite lengthy waiting lists. The independent research was carried out by Eustace Patterson Ltd. and completed in September 2011. Eustace Patterson’s research approach gave an in-depth insight into the challenges of client demand management and the practices that had developed in response to these challenges. The main findings included: A marked increase in demand for MABS Increased complexity of MABS cases
Citizens Information Board Offices Head Office George's Quay House 43 Townsend Street Dublin 2 Telephone: +353 761 079 000 Dublin 7 Park 191-193 North Circular Road Dublin 7 Telephone: +353 761 079 580 Cavan Elm House, Elm Bank Cootehill Road Cavan Telephone: +353 761 079 540 Dundalk 4 Adelphi Court, Long Walk Dundalk Co. Louth Telephone: +353 761 075 958 Tallaght Hainault House, The Square Tallaght Dublin 24 Telephone: +353 761 079 600 Tullamore c/o Offaly Citizens Information Service Bridge Centre Tullamore Co. Offaly Telephone: +353 761 076 295 Kilkenny 4 The Parade Kilkenny Telephone: +353 761 079 620 Waterford 14 Gladstone Street, Waterford Telephone: +353 761 079 570 Limerick 6th Floor, River Court Business Centre Cornmarket Square Limerick Telephone: +353 761 079 530 Cork 101 North Main Street, Cork Telephone: +353 761 079 640 Castlebar Mill Lane, Castlebar, Co. Mayo Telephone: +353 761 079 500 Letterkenny Port Road, Letterkenny Co. Donegal Telephone: +353 761 079 520 Galway 4th Dockgate, Merchants Road Galway Telephone: +353 761 079 660 Sligo 1st Floor, Harbour View House 16 Holborn Street Sligo Telephone: +353 761 079 550