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Advice Services

In 2003, Wales was described as an 'advice desert' in a report commissioned by the Equal Opportunities Commission, Commission For Racial Equality and Disability Rights Commission (Snakes and Ladders, 2003) .  As well as the identification of scarce advice services at this time there has also been recognition of the fact that there is also currently no institution or equality commission in existence to support the newly introduced Employment Equality Regulations 2003.

To tackle this and fill the gap, Stonewall Cymru obtained funding for the DTI to set up an helpline to provide LGB people with information and support about discrimination in the workplace and in their life and to assist in taking their cases to an Employment Tribunal through a network of trained professionals. This project has now closed. Since the Snakes and Ladders report and following support such as that from the DTI, a range of services have been developed to reduce the 'advice desert' in Wales.  There is a range of advice providers who may be able to discuss your circumstances, suggest ways to negotiate with your employer or advise of your legal rights and the process to follow to obtain justice.  Both the Community Legal Service and Citizens Advice recognise that formal legal equality is insufficient when people cannot get the advice they need to mediate with employers or make a complaint. The Wales Trade Union Congress also work to challenge inequality at work, and have a network of negotiators and equality officers who will try to help individual trade union members who have a complaint.   ACAS has a series of useful booklets on your rights at work, and how to discuss issues with an employer.

Citizens Advice 

Citizens Advice Bureaux provide free, confidential and independent advice from locations across Wales including in bureaux, GP surgeries, hospitals, colleges, prisons and courts. Advice is available face-to-face and by telephone. Most bureaux offer home visits and some also provide email advice. The advice helps people resolve their debt, benefits, housing, legal, discrimination, employment, immigration, consumer and other problems and is available to everyone regardless of race, gender, sexuality, age, nationality, disability or religion.

Online CAB advice www.adviceguide.org.uk
for practical, reliable, up-to-date information in English, Welsh, Bengali, Gujarati, Punjabi, Urdu and Chinese on a wide range of topics. Information is continuously reviewed by their team of advisers and covers England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Community Legal Service

Community Legal Service Direct provides free information, help and advice to the public on a range of common legal issues. It is an easy to use service, available in English and Welsh, via a national helpline or a website. The Community Legal Service aims to ensure that people get information and advice about their legal rights and help with enforcing them by bringing together legal aid solicitors, Citizens Advice Bureaux, Law Centres, Local Authority Services and other organisations in local networks, all across Wales. The Community Legal Service is there to ensure that people get quality legal services that tackle their real needs. 

Establishing, maintaining and developing the Community Legal Service is the responsibility of the Legal Services Commission, working together with a number of partner organisations and the Department for Constitutional Affairs.

The helpline telephone number is 0845 345 4 345, where you can:

• Get free initial advice from a qualified legal adviser about Welfare Benefits, Debt, Housing or Education law between 9am and 5 pm weekdays (if you call outside office hours, just leave a message and you will be called back).
• If you are eligible for Legal Aid you can get further free legal help with your case by phone and post.
• Find quality local advice services for other types of problems
• Order legal information leaflets
• Listen to recorded messages about common legal problems 24 hours a day.

Or you may wish to visit the website at www.clsdirect.org.uk , where you can:

• Search for a quality local legal adviser or solicitor
• Ask a question or choose a common topic and be directed to the best advice websites
• See if you are eligible for legal aid funding by using an online calculator
• View and print independently-written legal information leaflets on a range of popular topics.

All the advice and help given is confidential and independent. Calls to the helpline can be made for the price of a local phone call from anywhere in Wales. Mobile users should check the cost of calling with their network.

ACAS