Who is Advice First Aid For?
Our fully-funded Advice First Aid course is open to any local community organisations, charities and CICs who support people living, working or travelling through North Somerset.
So far we have delivered courses to:
- Bridging the Gap Together!
- Clevedon and Weston Foodbanks
- The North Somerset LGBT+ Forum
- And more!
What is Advice First Aid?
Advice First Aid is a training course designed and delivered by Citizens Advice North Somerset and funded by the National Lottery Community Fund. The aim of the project is to equip trusted community members with the tools to spot early advice needs and connect people with the support they need.
In these interactive sessions we discuss:
- How to support individuals to access our service and what we can help with
- How to encourage open and meaningful conversations about sensitive topics
- How to recognise when someone is in urgent need of advice or support
- Barriers to accessing advice
When can we access the programme?
Following a successful pilot and funding bid, our Advice First Aid course is now open for business! We are already delivering courses across North Somerset so don’t wait to get involved.
Over the next year (2025/2026), we aim to deliver 40 of these sessions and we will work with you to find a date and time that suits you.
If you are interested it’s best to get in touch as soon as possible (even if you want to arrange a future session) to avoid disappointment.
Where will the training take place?
That’s up to you, we are very flexible! We can come to you (if you are based in North Somerset); deliver the training at our office in Weston-super-Mare or run the session online.
Please note, that this funded training is only for local organisations that help people working, living or travelling through North Somerset, we are not able to deliver this training to organisations outside of this area.
How can we get involved?
If you have any questions, need more information, or would like to register your interest, then please contact the Training Team at trainingteam@nscab.org.uk and we will be in touch.
To learn more you can read through our list of common FAQs below.
See our list of FAQs below:
We are delivering this training to upskill trusted community members in North Somerset to better support local people. This means we can only deliver the course to organisations that support people living, working, or travelling through North Somerset.
If your charity is based outside the area but still supports members of the North Somerset community, you will be able to access this funded training. However, we are unable to deliver the course at a venue outside of North Somerset, so you would need to join us at our office in Weston-super-Mare or online.
If your organisation does not support people in North Somerset, then unfortunately this course is not for you. You are, however, welcome to access our Advice Essentials Training (please note this is a paid course).
Advice First Aid is delivered by our experienced training officers, Ivan and Kerry, who both have a wealth of experience in training and working at Citizens Advice.
Our in-person sessions are limited to a maximum of 8 attendees, however, should you have more than 8 people wishing to take part in the training, please get in touch with us as it may be possible to create additional sessions for you.
Online sessions are limited to a maximum of 12 attendees.
No. This is a fully funded course, made possible by the National Lottery Community Fund. We provide the training and all materials at no cost to you.
Any member of your organisation who has contact with the people you support can attend. This includes volunteers, trustees, or paid staff. We do ask that all participants are over the age of 18.
The course is aimed at small community groups, charities, and CICs that operate in North Somerset. If you are part of a larger organisation but have a local branch in North Somerset that is a registered charity or CIC, then please do get in touch.
If you attend at our office or online—none. We provide everything.
If you would like us to deliver the training at your premises, we simply ask that you provide:
- A private space large enough to host the session with desks and seating for 8 attendees plus 2 training staff.
- A reliable internet connection
- Power access
- A screen or projector we can connect to
- You may bring your own laptops for accessing the internet otherwise these will be provided on the day.
Please contact our Training Team at trainingteam@nscab.org.uk. We will then work with you to agree suitable dates and times.
Everyone will receive a resource pack following the session, summarising everything we covered. You are also welcome to contact us at any time with questions—we’ll be happy to help.
In the course we cover:
An introduction to our service: how we operate and what we can help with
Your role as an Advice First Aider
Strategies for gathering information and encouraging open conversations about sensitive topics
Understanding barriers to accessing quality advice
Exploring our national website and how to make the most of it
Scenario practice and interactive activities
No. The course is designed to boost your skills and confidence, not test you. You don’t need any prior knowledge of our service or advice work.
There are fun, interactive quizzes and activities during the training, but these are designed to support your learning. They are not scored, and there is no pressure.
