About
CPAG
Promoting
welfare rights
 The
work of the Citizens' Rights Office
CPAG’s Citizens’
Rights Office (CRO) provides a free telephone and letter advice
service to welfare rights advisers so that they are better able to
advise their clients. Legal specialists in the CRO also take carefully
selected individual 'test cases', which may clarify or challenge the
way social security or tax credits law is interpreted. This legal
work can benefit thousands of claimants if the challenge is successful.
The ongoing work of the CRO provides CPAG with the practical information
necessary to support and publicise our arguments for reform.
Training for advisers
We run training
courses in welfare rights, for both new and experienced advisers,
to help them keep up to date with developments in social security
and tax credits and ensure that they – and their clients –
are fully informed.
Publishing the facts
We publish handbooks
giving practical advice
on topics such as the child support scheme, fuel and debt. The new
annually updated Welfare Benefits and Tax Credits Handbook
contains detailed, accessible information about the increasingly
complex system of benefits and tax credits. Our Welfare
Rights Bulletin, published bi-monthly, keeps advisers up
to date with all the latest developments.
Raising
awareness
Information
and research
CPAG provides information
about low-income families and the policies that affect them. We
monitor official poverty statistics and carry out research, providing
evidence of the shortcomings of the social security and tax credits
systems in regular briefings to government ministers, MPs and the
general public. We comment on any proposed policy changes likely
to affect low-income families with children. We are often asked
by journalists to comment on new initiatives or developments.
Policy publications
We publish three
policy books
every year on different
aspects of poverty and social policy. Previous publications have
examined children and work in the UK, poverty and crime, health
issues and social exclusion.
Poverty
magazine, published three times a year, is an essential campaigning
tool providing up to date facts, figures and comment.
Membership
CPAG's different types of
membership each provide a different combination
of CPAG publications. Our subscribers include organisations such
as welfare rights teams, community groups and firms of solicitors
who make use of our benefits guides and updating Bulletin.
All CPAG members receive a Campaigns
Newsletter six times a year.
Libraries, campaigners and
educational institutions keep up to date with current debate through
our policy publications
and Poverty magazine.
CPAG’s
structure
CPAG is a membership
organisation. Members elect the Board of Trustees which determines
policy issues and oversees our work. The Board is made up of members
elected at the AGM and a number of co-optees. CPAG has approximately
40 staff, based in North London and Glasgow.
Funding
CPAG has around 5,000 members
and subscribers whose subscriptions account for 12 per cent of our
annual income. Over 50 per cent of annual income comes from sales
of CPAG’s publications,
around 20 per cent from grants and donations,
an average of 8 per cent from training courses and under 5 per cent
from investments. Two per cent of our income comes from CPAG’s
legal aid casework. CPAG Annual Report and Accounts
CPAG
needs your help and support
Join CPAG as a member,
buy our books,
support our campaigns
or send us a donation.
Contact CPAG:
Tel: 020 7837 7979
Fax: 020 7837 6414
Email: staff@cpag.org.uk
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