Why do CAB tell people to go get benefits to service debt?

A question about : Why do CAB tell people to go get benefits to service debt?

Recently had a call back from the CAB after driving 20 odd miles to find the drop in centre times listed online were wrong...

Someone gave me a call back I appreciate same day, didn't have a clue what to suggest apart from here is a link to direct.gov website to see what beneifits I could claim, to help service debt repayments!!!!

No wonder this country is falling apart!

Best answers:

• We should get rid of CAB and then you could find the answers to all your questions yourself.
• Choosing whether or not to take benefits should not be a moral decision.
  Either you are entitled, or you're not. Simple as.
  I think anyone who chooses not to claim something that they are entitled to is acting against their own self interests, it is irrational.
• The CAB are not there to do all the work for you, they offer you a free service to signpost you to a solution.
  If you dont agree, with that solution, thats fine.
  But if you need more help in the future, just make another appointment.
• to be fair its not like CAB said go scrounge off the state because we cant be bothered to help you.
  you would have been listened to, and the advice given is to seek if you are entitled to low income help.
  i'm sorry if you think claiming benefits is below you.
  but when it comes to dealing with debts, many charities and organisations will point you towards looking at benefits as to maximise your income in order to afford repayments, OR get reductions or rebates to certain utilitie bills.
  because when it comes to the crunch and you have to go into court a court will look at your incoming and outgoings and are aware fo certain benefits you may be able to claim and when asked the question why havent you sought this benefit, youll simply say well cab said to look into it but i slated them on MSE because i'm too posh to put in for things such as benefits i may be entitled to!.
  forgive me for being sarcastic, you wanted advice, you were given an avenue to explore by a phone advisor in the mean time for a face to face appointment.
  dont phone cab again if you dont want helpfull advice..
• Ahhh I see how you are reading the op post now but still no need for cocky, smart replies.
  I read it that the person is in debt, is working or claiming benefits and just got told to check direct.gov alone. No suggestion of other debt help avenues or options.
  Atrixblue - your response was nice and useful, thank you.
• The CAB can, and do, offer a very wide range of advice and services for people in debt. They can draw up tailored plans, and recommend various plans of action, from simply negotiating creditors, to advising full-on insolvency. In some instances, and wherever appropriate, they can even advocate on your behalf.
  However, any kind of full-on debt remedy 'rescue' plan is time consuming and expensive (in that staffs' time and resources may be disproportionately spent on one individual). Before exploring any kind of intensive debt intervention, the client in question needs to ensure that their finances are as in order as they can be, from the outset of the advice/assistance service.
  When it comes to checking benefit entitlements and doing other very obvious things like cutting back on luxury expenditure, etc., the client needs to take some responsibility. Anybody of 'normal' mental capacity should be more than capable of checking directgov, contacting the DWP, HMRC, local authority, etc., to check if they have any entitlement to anything else.
  It's a simple 'yes' or 'no' scenario, and that's why I don't see anything wrong with the CAB advising the OP to explore this route first. If they need their hand holding through this fundemental step, then there's something very wrong!
  Realistically, what was the OP expecting, during their first point of contact? For the CAB to wave a magic wand and get rid of their debts? The CAB can help manage debt, they can't make it disappear in a cloud of smoke.
  Of course there are vulnerable people who may be incapable of doing things like checking their own benefit entitlements, and so on. But the CAB is a charity - they can't take the assumption that everybody is vulnerable and requires the same level of intensive intervention, or the service just wouldn't cope.
  And the CAB are not just for people in debt. As someone else says above, there's something of a 'victim' culture when it comes to debt. 'Victims' can get themselves into debt all by themselves, but need their hand holding when it comes to them being dragged out of the mud. This doesn't apply to everyone, obviously, there are many people working their own way out of debt, responsibily and independently. But being in debt is not a passport to helplessness and dependency, especially when there's so many fundemental steps that one can take all by themselves...
• When I worked as a money adviser, part of the remit of dealing with debt was to maximise all available income, and that included a benefits check, among other sensible suggestions (second job, rent a room, checking correct tax code etc). Normally though, if the client was able, we would expect them to take up pursuing any benefit that was high-lighted in the check and wouldn't do the application for them. Of course in some cases people need help, and they should be able to get that, whether it be via CAB or some other agency who specialise in that sort of help.
• Hi I am a CAB person and a debt specialist, and, unusually in a paid post.
  Most CAB people are volunteers, which people do not always realise, ordinary people working from an information system that directs then through various steps, the first of which would be a benefit check for neary everyone through the door, or if the client is in anyway able,we would direct them to the site most helpful to them in this case direct.gov.
  We are after all an ADVICE bureau not a, we will solve your problem bureau!! With so many people through our doors who have not got the ability to find the answer for themselves i. e. Internet, these boards, telephone! most bureaus would probably have refered the client on to a generalist adviser or specialist who could be more supportive, but these appoinments are limited.
  A reminder each bureau is locally funded and we have suffered severe cutbacks and the service must suffer accordingly.
  Diane G
• A lot of CAB don't open on weekends due to funding restrictions. I'd imagine they will see these posts tomorrow.
• As part of the money advice process all CAB debt advisers must assist their client to maximise their income - this will include checking to see if there are any benefits they should be claiming but arent - there are billions of unclaimed benefits every year that people are missing out on - and to maximise their income by so doing
  Creditors expect that their debtors are claiming everything they are entitled to and also expect the debt advisor to have checked this too
  Sorry - but the debt advisor at the CAB was only doing their job!