Deborah Padfield has been a Citizens Advice benefits adviser, trainer and supervisor in Cambridge, Peterborough and north Essex, where she still works. In the past she lived and worked in London's East End. She has considerable experience of mental illness and is on the steering committee of The Cambridge Commons.
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Published in: openDemocracyUKThe new normal: housing and protest in BritainAction is stirring in response to the country-wide housing crisis. Severe shortage and cuts to housing benefits...
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Published in: openDemocracyUKBritain's 'tough choices': a call for a new approach to welfare
At the Citizens Advice Bureau the real Thatcher legacy can be seen every day: social disengagement, indifference and...
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Published in: Shine A LightEquality before the law: a principle abandoned by BritainA Citizens Advice Bureau adviser describes how recent 'reforms' to legal aid and cuts to services are impacting on...
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Published in: openDemocracyUKThe real cost of benefit fraud in Britain
Honest mistakes, personal fraud, organised crime. Where does one end and the next begin?
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Published in: openDemocracyUKFalling through the cracks in Britain 2013
Strivers vs skivers. Last week saw a game show-like battle between our politicians over the proposed benefit cap....
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Published in: openDemocracyUKHow does Britain treat its modern slaves?
How the UK authorities deal with trafficked women speaks volumes about the values at the heart of our democracy.