Good advice is worth its weight in gold. Citizens Advice (CAB) is a long established charity which offers information on debt and benefits, employment, consumer and legal rights, and relationships. The Oxford branch has 37 volunteers and nine paid advisers helping more than 13,000 clients a year.

A typical case may involve a family with two children. The husband earns £18,000 a year. The couple have a number of credit cards and a personal loan of £5,000, but no savings. Recently, the husband's overtime has been cut, leaving them unable to make their mortgage payments. They also have council tax arrears and are overdrawn at the bank.

Tension mounts, so the husband moves out, leaving his wife to live on benefits: income support of £57.45 a week and child tax credit of £75.46 a week. The Child Support Agency will pursue the husband for child maintenance, and income support will help pay the interest on the mortgage, up to £100,000 - but only after 30 weeks. The husband made one mortgage payment after he left, but has now stopped, so the mortgage arrears are growing.

Eventually the wife is summoned to court over the arrears. She doesn't attend as she thinks there is no point. She then receives an eviction notice.

She asks the council to be re-housed and is given temporary accommodation while their situation is investigated. She claims housing and council tax benefits, too.

She is also taking anti-depressants because of stress.

With help from CAB, this scenario can have a different outcome.

The couple contact the bureau and see a volunteer adviser to explain their debts. The adviser then contacts the creditors, asking that no further action be taken while a plan for managing the debts is drawn up.

A benefits check reveals the husband is entitled to working tax credit of £59.12 a week. The adviser also negotiates with the mortgage company for the arrears to be paid off over the remaining term of the loan.

The family has thereby increased its income, is finally in control of their finances, stays together in their home - and the taxpayer is saved nearly £15,000 a year in benefits.

This has taken three one-hour interviews, with telephone calls and correspondence to creditors undertaken by the adviser.

David Scott, manager of Oxford CAB said: "Don't despair, don't wait, contact us now . . . our advice is free."

If you need advice, sessions are on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 10am-1pm; Thursdays, noon- 4.30pm; Friday and Saturday 10am- noon, or call 0870 2200608. The Oxford branch (Oxcab) relies on funding and volunteers, so if you can offer support call 01865 725199 (not for advice), or visit to 95 St Aldates, Oxford, from 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday, or email cab-oxford.co.uk