LSB colleagues recently travelled to Swansea to meet with Citizens Advice Swansea Neath Port Talbot’s (CASNPT) Chief Executive Officer, Caroline Newman, and Research, Innovation and Partnerships Officer, Isabelle Rees. The visit was a chance to hear directly about the challenges facing people seeking advice in the region, and to explore how CASNPT is responding with creative, community-centred approaches. We learned about the innovative and inspiring ways the CASNPT team supports its local community every day.
A distinct landscape
The meeting opened with a reminder that Wales is not simply a smaller version of England. It has its own policy and legal landscape, and legal services regulators engage with Wales-specific issues in different ways. Colleagues at CASNPT were clear that many approaches now being introduced in England have already been in place in Wales for some time.
Transport infrastructure remains a persistent barrier to accessing advice in the region. This is not an abstract challenge: when supporting Ukrainian refugees, staff had to deliver services directly in hotels and temporary accommodation because clients could not travel to advice centres.
How services are delivered
Telephone remains the primary route into advice, supported by a well-established triage system. In-person appointments are increasing again after a period dominated by remote contact during and after the pandemic. For clients whose first language is not English, interpreters are routinely used – and there is high demand from migrants and refugees, with significant investment in interpretation services to match. Swansea is also one of a handful of cities in the UK with City of Sanctuary status, committed to driving a movement of welcome to refugees and asylum seekers.
An AI-powered advice tool – developed in Wales
One of the most striking things we heard about was CASNPT’s digital advice tool, now available across all Citizens Advice offices in Wales. Developed by the web developer used by many of the Wales based Citizens Advice offices following a suggestion presented by local PhD researchers exploring AI with a desire to add social value to their research. The tool draws on both national and local approved knowledge bases and tailors information to a person’s location.
It categorises queries by topic, allowing staff to focus time on the most vulnerable clients, and generates monthly and quarterly reports to identify emerging trends. It can operate in multiple languages, and crucially, it provides information and referrals – not regulated advice – with clear disclaimers built in. Safeguarding protocols are embedded: where users indicate mental health distress, the tool provides appropriate signposting. No personal names are collected.
The Chair of the Legal Services Consumer Panel, Tom Hayhoe, noted the potential to link this innovative work to Regulatory Information Service (RIS) activity, given its focus on public understanding of legal issues. The LSB team underlined that AI remains a persistent strategic issue for the Board, and that early engagement with real-world deployments like this is essential.
Who is most affected – and what the data shows
The data CASNPT holds is striking. Not being white is identified as the strongest indicator of being in a budget-negative position, meaning when your expenses exceed the income you receive. Disability benefits remain the most common issue faced by clients. Racially and other minoritised individuals are more likely to experience employment issues, and Citizens Advice is actively building staff understanding of these contexts.
Specialist advisers are making a measurable difference – particularly in disability benefit appeals, where their involvement significantly increases success rates.
Funding, referrals, and what’s working
Wales has a distinct funding model through the Welsh Government’s central advice fund, which allows Citizens Advice Wales to sub-grant to specialist organisations such as Shelter for housing law – recognising that housing and education law differ from England. This contrasts with England, where equivalent government funding is less common.
CASNPT is also moving away from simple signposting towards tracked referrals, using an online referral system, enabling better data on service gaps and mis-referrals. Clients typically present with an average of 4.5 to 4.7 interlinked issues – a figure that underlines why a holistic, joined-up approach to advice matters. A professional referral line also enables other services to liaise with Citizens Advice on behalf of clients.
A conversation worth continuing
LSB colleagues suggested that Citizens Advice consider where information from and about regulators could be made available to those seeking advice on legal services matters – noting that regulators, unlike professional bodies, are specifically designed to support citizens and consumers. This felt like a genuinely useful opening for further dialogue.
The visit was a valuable reminder of the creativity, dedication, and practical knowledge that Citizens Advice services bring – and of how much the LSB can learn from direct engagement with organisations working at the frontline of access to justice.
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