Citizens Advice Wokingham

Who we are

Citizens Advice Wokingham has offered free, confidential, impartial and independent advice and information to anyone living or working in Wokingham borough since 1977. We provide free, high-quality advice and information on various issues, including welfare benefits, debt, housing, employment law, energy, relationships & family and much more from our offices in central Wokingham and Woodley.  We continue to support the most vulnerable in our community by empowering individuals to take action with the advice  Citizens Advice provides, as well as building stronger networks and creating opportunities for collaboration with local partners and businesses to support our community to thrive.

We are currently in a period of transformational change where we are actively engaged with our communities to ensure we are delivering locally and campaigning nationally for proactive responses to evolving needs.

Our culture and values

Citizens Advice Wokingham is a member of Citizens Advice Federated Network and is committed to its three missions:

1. Provide advice fit for the future – we’ll be there for people when they need us in the ways that help make the biggest impact
2. Close the gap – we’ll address the disparities in access and experience for marginalised people
3. Take early action – we’ll prevent more people reaching crisis by addressing problems earlier

It’s crucial that we’re flexible and able to adapt, so our local strategy needs to fit with the national mission and will live and evolve, with some things changing as we learn together. We’ll balance adaptability and responsiveness with staying true to our way of doing things. As a result we have also added a local mission to be ‘Match Fit’ so that the service is able to adapt as the conditions evolve, linking to our enablers to success below.

Equality, diversity and inclusion policy

At Citizens Advice Wokingham, we are committed to promoting equality, valuing diversity, and challenging discrimination in all that we do. Our service is here for everyone, and we believe that people are strongest when they feel respected, included, and able to participate fully.

We welcome and support all members of our community, regardless of age, disability, gender identity or expression, marital or family status, race, ethnicity, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic background.

As part of the Citizens Advice network, we work to ensure that our advice, services, volunteering opportunities, and organisational practices are fair, accessible, and inclusive. We strive to:

• Treat every individual with dignity, respect, and fairness.
• Provide services that are free from discrimination and open to all who need us.
• Identify and remove barriers that prevent people from accessing support.
• Listen to people with lived experience and reflect their needs in our work.
• Build a diverse team of staff and volunteers that represents our community.
• Continually review and improve our approach to equality, diversity, and inclusion.

Equality is central to our mission. By fostering an inclusive and welcoming environment, we aim to ensure that everyone in Wokingham can access the advice and support they need to move forward confidently.