Polish language help for migrants

The CAB service has already helped 13 Polish speaking clients

The Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) is expanding its Polish language service to migrant workers on Anglesey.

The one trained volunteer has already helped 13 Polish-speaking clients since the service was established last year.

Sally Hughes from CAB said officials were also looking to see whether other language services would be useful.

North Wales Race Equality Network said giving advice in a native language increased trust and made sure people got the right information.

"We started off with one Polish language advisor," said Sally Hughes from Anglesey CAB.

"There are now three other volunteers being trained up, and meanwhile they act as interpreters," she added.

We think that giving advice in someone's language increases levels of trust Susheela Lourie, North Wales Race Equality Network

Advisor training can take at least six months, as advice sought can range from employment, welfare benefit, housing, debt, consumer issues and immigration.

"We try to answer whatever questions people come in with," said Ms Hughes.

The CAB will not give details of how they have helped the 13 Polish-speaking clients they had already seen because of "client confidentiality", but said the advice sought was mostly about "employment and benefit".

The success of the Polish-language services could benefit other nationalities, however.

"We are looking to see what else would be useful, to see what other facilities and specialist advice which could help other communities," Ms Hughes added.

"We welcome this and we think it is extremely important as many languages are spoken across north Wales," said Susheela Lourie, a former chair of and current board member with the North Wales Race Equality Network (NWREN).

"A schools survey showed that 34 languages were being spoken in north Wales, but a survey NWREN carried out showed it was many more," she said.

Even people who had a good understanding of English sometimes struggled with legal terms, Ms Lourie added.

"We think that giving advice in someone's language increases levels of trust, and means someone gets the correct information, which is sometimes not the case in other languages," she said.