Council supports Citizens Advice latest initiative

The council works closely with Citizens Advice Denbighshire to support the well-being of local residents and is pleased to lend its support its latest initiative.

Citizens Advice in partnership with GambleAware is expanding services in Wales to prevent gambling-related harm and get people the support and advice they need.

The Citizens Advice Gambling Support Service in Wales will be delivered by Citizens Advice Denbighshire in the north and mid-Wales region.

These services are two of the 12 regional offices across Wales and England funded by a£1.5 million, two-year partnership with GambleAware. The regional offices work in partnership with the National Gambling Treatment Service to provide support to clients.

In Wales the National Gambling Treatment Service provider is the Addiction Recovery Agency (ARA) which has seen recent additional investment from GambleAware to expand treatment services in Wales.

A dedicated project worker based at the two local Citizens Advice will teach frontline staff to identify anyone at risk of gambling-related harm and how to help them.

Routine screening will take place in both local Citizens Advice to identify clients at risk and provide advice and give valuable insight into who is more vulnerable to gambling harm and the problems it causes.

Specialist treatment services will be provided by ARA for Denbighshire residents as part of the expansion of treatment services in Wales. Citizens Advice research found that more than three-in-four gamblers - and two-in-five people affected by a gambler - had built up debt.

More than one third of families with children interviewed could not afford essential household costs such as food as a result of a family member’s gambling.

And two-in-three gamblers Citizens Advice interviewed by Citizens Advice reported mental distress as an impact of their gambling.