About our Bureau

About our Bureau

Western Isles Citizens Advice Service is here to offer free, impartial and confidential advice to the whole of the Western Isles through our 4 offices on the Isle of Barra, Isle of Harris, Isle of Lewis and Isle of Uist. We deliver support and guidance on a range of topics, giving people the information they need to deal with any situation and improve their lives. Please make an appointment to speak to one of our highly trained advisors.

In the year 2022 - 2023 Western Isles Citizens Advice Service worked with 2081 clients, dealing with 4539 contacts and helped resolve 7638 issues.   This resulted in a client financial gain of £1,471,351.16. We are not made aware of every client financial gain so the true figure is likely to be much higher.  As a registered charity, we rely on donations and the work of our volunteers to continue to provide these important services.

Western Isles Citizens Advice Service

We’ve been open since 1983 and we’re part of the Scottish Citizens Advice network, which has been offering advice and support since 1939. Together we advise over 300,000 people on the best way to sort out their problems every year - that’s 1 in every 14 adults.

We can offer advice, guidance and information in a number of different areas, including benefits, consumer issues, immigration, workplace disputes and much more. See our services section for more information.

We also offer the following specialist services:

We have 26 staff and volunteers working as advisers and helping behind the scenes. Everyone you meet at Western Isles Citizens Advice Service has had a minimum of six months of training, so they are well-equipped to give you advice on a wide range of problems and issues.

Meet our advisers, or find out more about volunteering with us.

Expert advice - every time

As a member of the Scottish Citizens Advice network, the service we deliver must always meet national standards. This means you’ll receive a professional service, every single time you talk to us.

Our advisers undergo extensive training to make sure you receive the best quality of advice, whatever your issue may be. The Citizens Advice Scotland competency-based Adviser Training Programme is renowned in the voluntary sector and beyond.

Our advisers also have access to the AdviserNet Information System. This valuable resource provides a wealth of information on everything from employment and benefits to housing and debt. Access to this independent, trusted and quality assured information means our advisers can always offer you the most up-to-date advice.

In addition to our training and resources, the quality and training team at Citizens Advice Scotland regularly review the advice we offer, via a bureau audit. This makes sure we continue to meet the high standards required of a Citizens Advice Bureau.

Our charity status

Every bureau within the Scottish Citizens Advice network is a registered charity, and depends on support from the public to continue to offer advice to improve people’s lives.

As a charity, we are open and transparent about our accounts and governance structure. The minutes of our Annual General Meeting (AGM) are also published online each year.

Get advice

There are a number of ways you can get advice from Western Isles Citizens Advice Service. You can call, Email Us or you can make an appointment to come in for a face-to-face appointment.

We aim to respond to messages within 1-2 business days.

We offer home visits.

Making a complaint

If you want to make a complaint about Western Isles Citizens Advice Service contact us directly. You can also read more about our complaints procedure.