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Free aid

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Entities offering citizens advice

Citizens advisers are professionals entitled to counselling citizens. Advisers are required to have completed a graduate course, not necessarily in law. Courses teaching skills important for advisers include psychology, journalism, cultural studies, pedagogy, political studies, social studies, and sociology.

A 70-hour preparation training qualifies to become a certified adviser. The trainings are conducted by a qualified training entity, the Association of Citizens Advice Centre.

At first all trainings took place in person, however, due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, it is now possible to do them online, using an internet communicator.

The trainings to become citizens advisers teach how to support others in the process of finding a solution to a crisis situation. Conformingly to the Bill of rights, the training includes 70 hours of classes on citizens advice, of which at least:

  • 15 hours on the methodology of advising;
  • 20 hours on counseling individuals in debt.

The remaining 35 hours may be dedicated to social security, housing, inheritance, property, labour law, family matters; civil, criminal, or administrative procedures.

The training is followed by an examination. All participants who pass it receive a certificate confirming the skills necessary to become a citizens adviser.

For more information about the trainings and examinations go to training program or rules and regulations on the ZBPO website.

Free Citizen's Advice facilities

The recruitment process to counseling facilities operated by NGOs is transparent, allowing an easy selection of top professionals, delivering high quality advice. NGOs are selected through competitions following the existing legal guidelines. The competition is limited to NGOs listed by the voivodes as organisations entitled to offer free aid on the territory of the given voivodeship. To be added to the list and to stay on it NGOs need:

  • at least two years of experience in advising in a given field;
  • adequately qualified staff;
  • reliable performance tracks, especially when it comes to confidentiality, professionalism, reliability, and ethics;
  • compliance with established service standards and internal quality control norms.

The facilities offering free citizen's advice might have specific consultations hours for experts in a given field. These experts put their skills and experience to good use and offer complex help all over Poland thanks to remote consultations. The afore-mentioned specialisations include helping families with children with disabilities, helping victims of domestic violence, especially women and children, protecting personal data, and mediating.

For more information on the opening hours of facilities offering free citizen's advice and free legal aid, click HERE.

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