"I don’t know where to start.." A phrase our advisers hear all too often as people open up during a first appointment. Yes, it’s the crisis that’s pushed people almost to breaking point that’s at the forefront of people's minds, but it’s the expertise and empathy of in-person, local advice that can delve beneath the surface, find out what’s really going. Across the Citizens Advice network in Scotland, we know issues rarely happen in isolation.  

Ailsa arrived at her local CAB because of energy debt. Terrified of the rising arrears she was accruing, she turned her meter off entirely, meaning no lights or heating. Through care and compassion and multiple appointments, Ailsa opened up to her adviser sharing details of health conditions, other debts and difficulties accessing social........

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