Winter 2015

Financial capability forums newsletter

Welcome Welcome to the winter edition of the financial capability forum newsletter. When I took over responsibility for the Thames Valley Financial Capability Forum, it felt like a daunting task. With well over 200 members and a geographical spread going down to the South coast at Portsmouth, across to the New Forest and up to Banbury and Milton Keynes in the North and East, it was difficult to know where to start! With just over a month until the next meeting and no venue or speakers, the panic was starting to set in. In fact, it was starting to seem like an impossible task. Needless to say, with a few pointers from my predecessor and making full use of the good relationship she had established with partners and members, the meeting went brilliantly. We had a record attendance and lots of very animated discussion around welfare reform and banking services. Ive come to realise that is actually quite typical of this very lively forum. Coming from an adviser background, I

Spotlight on Thames Valley forum

fully appreciate how important financial capability is to the people we help in the bureau. We have had excellent talks about debt solutions and bailiff regulations, but there is always the hope that we can help clients avoid these issues by encouraging them to manage their finances. Over the past year weve also heard about the support given by leading high street banks, digital inclusion, help available to older people with their tax affairs, the Energy Saving Trust, and a number of very different and highly successful financial capability projects. We were even treated to a very loud and entertaining cartoon involving penguins and sharks from the Illegal Money Lending Team. All that was missing was the popcorn! Our membership is varied with housing associations, local government, Citizens Advice Bureaux, homelessness support groups, charities, and probation services to name but a few. But one thing we have in common is an appreciation of the opportunity to network, share best practice and find new resources. The most rewarding part of doing this (apart from the lunch) has been getting to know the committed, dedicated and friendly members. Im looking forward to meeting more of the members in the coming year so if you are in the Thames Valley forum, do come along to the next meeting and introduce yourself.

Denise Huxtable Thames Valley forum lead

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Five minutes with

Maggi Campbell-Keith

In this issue Page Five minutes with. 2 Profile of a forum member Projects update 4 Forums delivery projects Forum updates 5 News from the regions Members activities 6 Project news and new initiatives Training 12 Resources and course information Round up 13 News from some national initiatives Contacts 18 Forum leads and Citizens Advice team

Tell us about your background in financial capability work... I dont have a classic CAB advice background as I have never worked for Citizens Advice previously. I work on an Advice Service Transition Fund (Big Lottery) funded project called ATLAS (Access to Local Advice Services) working in partnership to streamline access to advice services for members of the public. The project has a number of strands: website, online common referral system, solicitors hub and financial capability training. I do however have a significant advice and guidance background as a counsellor and I established the student advice and guidance service at a local FE college which I ran for many years.

Maggi works as a Financial Capability Trainer for the ATLAS project at Buckingham Winslow & District CAB.

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What does your current role involve? I am the Financial Capability Trainer on the ATLAS project. The role involves me delivering financial capability training to a number of different groups including school pupils, frontline advice and support professionals, families, homeless people, and people in supported housing settings.

How has your organisation benefitted from being involved in your local forum? The local forum has offered great networking and I have benefitted greatly by learning more about financial capability training from other members, many of whom are more experienced than I am. My organisation has therefore benefitted as support from forum members has made me more effective in my role. The outside speakers at each meeting have been extremely interesting and shared a lot of very valuable information that I am then able to cascade and so benefit all members of the organisation.

Complete this sentence: At work I am always learning that People are endlessly resourceful even when they are subject to the most incredible problems.

Is there anything you or your bureau has achieved that wouldn't have been as effective had you not been a forum member? When I first came to the project I knew very little about either the CAB or delivering specific financial capability training. The support of members in my forum and attending meetings helped

develop my knowledge and skills far more quickly than would otherwise have been the case. There was always someone at the end of an email who was willing to help out with the answer to a question.

Is there a particular client or group that sticks in your mind and why?

The young mother who at the start of a three week training programme confessed she didnt look at her familys finances because it frightened her too much, so she left it all to her husband. At the end of the final session her confidence had increased such that she took over managing the finances and was able to identify wasteful spending that could be stopped and the money diverted instead into a savings account.

Complete this sentence: I do what I do because I enjoy it and I get immense satisfaction from watching people develop their skills to manage their personal finance, dig themselves out of financial problems and then stop themselves from slipping back into those problems again.

In your experience of delivering financial capability training what are you most proud of? Helping the most difficult and chaotic client groups to engage with the learning and watching their faces as they develop an understanding that they really can learn to control their finances, the light bulb moment.

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What is your most memorable experience of your work in bureau (amusing or otherwise!)? There have been so many, perhaps the young woman, a single parent, employed, earning reasonably well, doing her monthly budget during one of my training sessions and discovering she should have a monthly surplus of 234. But never did. Tasking her to do a spending diary activity she eventually discovered that she was unable to walk past Boots without popping in for a new lippy or eye shadow and was spending 38 every 6 weeks at a nail bar. Her light bulb moment was when she suddenly understood that less lippy could mean a first holiday for her and her son. Last time I saw her she still had the nails but there was markedly less lippy!

How would you like to see the forums develop? I think the forums provide excellent networking opportunities and are a good source of peer support. There are many different models of delivering financial capability and Id like to see a live version of this article where the spotlight is on one member each meeting who would give a presentation of their specific model followed by Q & A and discussion. This would develop greater understanding of the many different ways of working.

Projects update Energy Best Deal Were very pleased to announce that the Energy Best Deal booklet is now available in a range of accessible formats for people from the deaf community, visually impaired people, and people with low literacy or special educational needs. You can download the materials using the link below. For bureaux - http://tinyurl.com/nmb7q8l Our external site for non-CAB agencies - http://tinyurl.com/993w8ny The materials include:

British Sign Language (BSL) film for the

Deaf community. Audio, screen reader and large print

versions for visually impaired people (the audio can be downloaded and played directly from a computer or it can be downloaded and saved to a disc).

Easy read version for people with low literacy or special educational needs.

Please note that the film communicates the content of the EBD consumer information booklet and is a point of reference for a Deaf person wanting to find out more detail following the session. We recommend that anyone planning to deliver a session to Deaf people should use the presentation alongside a BSL interpreter. We have some additional supporting information that you may find

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useful when preparing to deliver to this group so please contact us in plenty of time so that we can send you this information. This is the first time we have produced an easy read version and materials for visually impaired people, so we would welcome your feedback on how you have used these resources, as well as the BSL film. For example, the easy read version is not exclusively for use with people with low literacy or special educational needs. For this version the information from the standard booklet has been prioritised and condensed, with pictures alongside the text to help reinforce the messages. We are also keen to hear how the materials have been received by the groups you work with. Please encourage people to comment on the resources and offer suggestions on how we might further improve them. Please send any comments to sophie.holmes@citizensadvice.org.uk

Forum updates Thames Valley forum Here in the Thames Valley, many of our members have found time in their busy schedules to meet up and share experiences, eat lunch and listen to speakers. At our Hampshire meeting in March, we learnt about the difficulties and challenges around digital inclusion. As a result, one of our members formed a partnership to provide a new digital programme to encourage the use of online tools to facilitate better money management and greater financial inclusion.

At the same meeting we heard about a collaborative local project, which arose out of forum membership, providing money skill mentors who offer help with personal finances and household budgeting, and who can then refer for specialist debt and benefits work. Meanwhile at our Oxford meeting we all sweltered in the midsummer sun while learning about a joint project between bureaux and Shelter to provide budgeting and debt advice to younger people moving into their first rented accommodation. Being members of the forum enabled Oxfordshire South & Vale CAB to secure funding to deliver budgeting workshops to tenants of supported housing in their area. In September, we visited Milton Keynes for the first time and heard about the new bailiff regulations, an exciting new initiative around pay advances to help avoid payday lenders, debt management solutions and consumer action and still found time for some networking. At the other end of the seasonal spectrum, on a chilly day in December, we met in Reading to hear about the help that the Energy Saving Trust can provide, insights from the Better Financial Health team and the results of a Quids In reader survey. We were also told about the help that Reading Borough Council provide to new tenants in the private rented sector including the usefulness of an activity learnt from a fellow member at a previous meeting. Were back to Hampshire soon and looking forward to some more collaborations, partnerships and sharing sessions. Denise Huxtable Thames Valley forum lead denise@readiningcab.org.uk

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Members activities South Somerset CAB partnership with local housing association South Somerset CAB have developed partnership working with a local housing association and started to run new tenancy preparation days with financial capability work around bills and budgeting included as an integral part of the day. *Amber, a single mum with one child, attended one of these sessions. It highlighted she had a need to improve her budgeting skills and, as a Polish national, she was finding it tricky to negotiate our financial systems. She was offered a short series of one-to-ones which covered the basics of budgeting, banking, and credit etc. Amber is now using her new financial capability skills to manage her household budget, deal with her debts and has even managed to start saving a small contingency fund. Her new found confidence has helped her into part-time employment with her housing association. She consequently wants to give something back and is very keen to train as a financial capability volunteer. As we have a lot of Polish speakers in our area, particularly at the local Children's Centre, this will be invaluable in helping us to work out in the community. *Name has been changed. For more information, please contact mandy.tyler@southsomcab.org.uk

Support for tenants in the Private Rented Sector. In 2011, the Wales Co-operative Centre conceived the Tackling Homelessness through Financial Inclusion project (THFI) as a strategic response to a specific concern; namely that people in financially excluded households are at greater risk of homelessness, especially in the private rented sector (PRS). Over recent years, Turn2us has worked with many housing associations and social housing providers in Wales to develop access and use of their income maximisation services for both staff and tenants through their website at www.Turn2us.org.uk or their free telephone helpline. The aim has always been to promote financial inclusion and develop resilience and capacity amongst both providers and service users to help sustain tenancies and reduce poverty. Through networking opportunities and presentations provided at the Mid, West and South Wales Financial Capability forum, it became apparent that the lack of financial inclusion support to people renting in the private sector, put them at potentially higher levels of risk. Evidence gathered by the THFI project officer, Lucia Gillespie, through the completion of a tenant support questionnaire, highlighted some worrying statistics: A high number of PRS tenants (67.9%)

are not aware of changes to their benefits when Universal Credit is introduced.

More than 60% of tenants had difficulty paying their rent.

60% had difficulty paying for gas. 53% had difficulty paying for food. 59% paid for utility costs via a

prepayment meter. Further information from this survey can

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be found at www.walescooperative.org/legacy-report The publication in December 2014 of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation annual report Monitoring Poverty and Social Exclusion further supports these findings and highlights the changing picture of poverty in the UK, particularly worsening issues within PRS housing. This is the most up-to-date and comprehensive guide to the state of the nation and how the UKs economic recovery is affecting people in poverty. Following on from discussions, an email from Pat Cripps at Turn2US was disseminated by the Mid, South and West Wales forum, requesting further information on the work currently being carried out within the PRS in Wales. Pat Cripps from Turn2Us explains: through liaising with Lucia Gillespie at Wales Cooperative Centre on their THFI project, we have been able to discuss and plan how Turn2Us can help to compliment the work that the THFI Project have carried out in specific Local Authorities and intend to deliver joint face-to-face support on budgeting and managing rent for key workers and tenants in the next few months. For further information on THFI contact Lucia Gillespie: 07881245163 lucia.gillespie@walescooperative.org or Pat Cripps: 07807 967 460 pat.cripps@elizabethfinn.org.uk

North Bristol Advice Centre launches MoneySmart This year, North Bristol Advice Centre (NBAC) is launching a new service to develop its financial capability work in the community. Funded by Comic Relief, MoneySmart offers practical support through group workshops, one-to-one mentoring and IT drop in sessions to help people make the most of their money. NBAC is a community advice centre that specialises in welfare benefits and debt advice. They run weekly drop in sessions at their main office in Lockleaze and at outreach points across North Bristol and South Gloucestershire including health centres, community venues and a prison. They also run a number of community projects combating social isolation, promoting digital inclusion, and improving health and wellbeing and employability. MoneySmart marks a shift in the way NBAC gives money management support, moving from crisis intervention to prevention. The new service will provide a range of ways that people in the local community can engage with financial education, including bespoke workshops, one-to-one support for the most vulnerable, and self-help initiatives to combat digital exclusion. Being part of the Wessex Financial Capability Forum has helped NBAC to develop their financial capability work. they have particularly valued the support of forum members and guest speakers at meetings who have generously shared information and resources. For further information contact the MoneySmart team: 0117 951 5751 moneysmart@northbristoladvice.org.uk

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Shontal financial capability using live theatre Shontal CIC specialise in financial capability using live theatre, and debt prevention through education. Shontal has been a member of FINCAN (Financial Inclusion and Capability Network, which includes the North East financial capability forum) since its inception, and have worked with many of its members as well as numerous other community groups locally, nationally and internationally. In 2012 Shontal was invited by Richmond CAB to perform at Catterick Garrison and, in 2013 with funding from Barclays Money Skills, we started working with the School of Infantry Training at the Garrison, where every new infantry recruit to the British Army does their basic training. Over the last 21 months they have delivered financial capability training to 5,000 recruits, and are now an established part of their basic training programme. Shontal are now seeking further funding to achieve their plan to take the workshop and theatre performance they have developed at the School of Infantry Training into mainstream education. They are looking to form partnerships between resident social landlords (RSL) and schools who would benefit the most from their work, any surplus monies generated from matched funding between schools and RSLs would go to support our work at Catterick Garrison. How does it work? Based firmly on the principles behind Theatre in Education (TIE), Shontal take hard to teach subjects for hard to reach students and using established theatre techniques and the experience of a specialist debt advisor, they produce pieces of work that quickly

engage and empower the audience. It is the complete opposite to death by PowerPoint or classroom based learning. One headmaster said Shontal can achieve more in an hour and 40 minutes than they could hope to achieve in an entire academic year! Anyone interested can check out a video clip of Shontals work at www.shontal.co.uk Bust is a good starting point, or you can contact: doug@shontal.co.uk 07855505806 EDF Energy Trust Debt Advice Service Plymouth CAB has been working with Plymouth Energy Community (PEC) to help develop their Fuel Debt Service. Plymouth CAB had already been successful in launching and developing the EDF Energy Trust Debt Advice Service to help EDF customers to access grants to clear their gas and electricity arrears and to get impartial money advice. With this knowledge and experience, Plymouth CAB was able to provide invaluable advice and guidance to PEC when they looked to launch their own Fuel Debt Service with the British Gas Energy Trust Fund. PECs Fuel Debt Service aim to work with people in Plymouth, Devon and Cornwall, to give access to grants to clear their gas and electricity arrears, to provide energy and money saving advice, and to signpost to other organisations for help with their financial difficulties. Since PECs Fuel Debt Service was launched in May 2014, it has grown from strength to strength and has now

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received around 250 referrals from 40 different local organisations, including CAB offices in Plymouth, Cornwall, Newton Abbot and Teignbridge. From these referrals, they have been able to assist people in completing their applications to the British Gas and EDF Energy Trusts, and to date, have cleared over 35,000 in gas and electricity arrears. They are still waiting for outcomes on over 50 applications which, if successful, could see an additional 75,000 cleared! These grants are making a huge difference in helping people to get back on their feet, save energy and money, and enabling them to start taking control of their finances. PEC continue to work with various local CAB offices, and other local organisations, and hope to carry on building these relationships to give a holistic service to those who need it most. If you would like to know more about the service or make a referral, please contact: 01752 477117 fueldebtadvice@plymouthenergycommunity.com Pennywise project Pennywise is part of the Big Lottery Funds Improving Financial Confidence programme and works with Bristols social housing tenants. Five advisors cover the city giving one-to-one advice. The project is supported by partner agencies, including North Bristol Advice Centre, Bristol CAB, South Bristol Advice Centre and Talking Money. The project started delivery in April 2013

generating referrals from other organisations. In the early days membership of the Wessex Financial Capability Forum (WFCF) helped Pennywise advisors promote the project and network with other agencies. This helped build a strong profile of referring agencies, and gave access to a broad range of organisations to signpost clients with more complex or specialist needs. Building up a recognisable brand from scratch is always a challenge for a new project, but attending a WFCF meeting on marketing and social media helped Pennywise get off to a good start. The project now has a website, Facebook and Twitter account, all of which increase brand awareness, help communications with other organisations, and allow referrers and clients to refer to Pennywise and see what they do. Membership of the forum has been vital to Pennywise for training advisors; ensuring the advice they give clients is up to date and they are aware of all the help that is available. Networking and discussing applications for Wessex Waters reduced payment schemes has been particularly successful as many Pennywise clients are behind with their water bills and would struggle to meet the full payments. Pennywise is coming up to two years of project delivery and has helped hundreds of social housing tenants in Bristol feel more confident with their money. They look forward to building new relationships at future meetings and continually improving the service they offer to clients. For more information about Pennywise and to read about the work they do with clients, please visit www.pennywise.org.uk

See the next page for an example of how Pennywise has helped one client . . .

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Maidstone Borough Council helps battle loan sharks

Maidstone Borough Council (MBC) has been working with the Maidstone based Kent County Council Community Wardens to highlight the perils of using dangerous money lenders. They were joined by Sid the Shark from Trading Standards Illegal Money Lending Team (IMLT) in the Mall Chequers shopping centre one Saturday to raise awareness about the dangers of borrowing money from Loan Sharks.

Loan Sharks rarely give any paperwork and if payments are missed, they often use intimidation and violence to get money from their clients. In one appalling case, IMLT found that a man who borrowed 250 from a loan shark ended up paying back 90,000 over 19 years. MBCs Financial Inclusion Officer Christina Chemsi said: We are urging residents to exercise great caution when considering their financial matters. We have heard real horror stories about peoples experiences with scams and loan sharks. Free information and advice is available on the Councils website at www.maidstone.gov.uk/moneyadvice. Illegal lenders can be reported by calling 0300 5552222. For advice about a safer way to borrow money, residents can contact the Kent Savers Credit Union (www.kentsavers.co.uk)

Bingo to Benidorm! Judith is a single mum who fully committed to engaging with Pennywise and North Bristol Advice Centre to improve her finances. She and her family are now looking forward to the future and are planning to go on holiday later this year. Before seeing Pennywise mentor, Paul Studley, Judith was addicted to online bingo and had borrowed from payday lenders. She was struggling to repay this money, as well as her rent, on just a part-time salary. Paul went through my finances and gave me some money saving tools. With his help I reduced my bills and agreed a repayment plan for my rent arrears. I contacted my creditors and made affordable repayment offers. I had an old Council Tax bill that had been passed to bailiffs and I was repaying a significant amount of my money because I was intimidated. Paul put me in touch with Drew at North Bristol Advice Centre who got my payments reduced to less than a third of the previous amount.

My bills are dramatically reduced and Im able to pay something towards my debts. I wouldnt have been confident enough to do this without Pennywise and North Bristol Advice Centre.

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Coaching residents to move their money and life in a healthier direction Hey Big Spender offers coaching to help people to look at their spending habits and make changes to help them to manage their money better. They have been coaching Guinness Hermitage residents as part of a new partnership that was established as a result of the Thames Valley financial capability forum. Residents are coached one-to-one, over six sessions which are proving to help them think about what they want from their lives and take action towards getting results. Coaching also helps residents break through barriers such as fear and lack of confidence that hinder them. This approach gives the residents an opportunity to be listened to and have a non-judging person by their side spurring them on. Many people have never had anyone truly listen and believe in them, this act can be the motivation they need to start looking at life with fresh eyes and tap into potential they previously weren't aware they had.

Each resident also receives a 'red dot kit' which helps them to reduce the habit of overspending money on non-essentials and helps them to set savings goals. The kit consists of a distraction band, sticker and pen. To keep residents motivated 21

days of 'text tactics' are sent direct to the residents mobile, these consist of quirky quotes and tips that compliment the coaching. Hey Big Spender would like to say thank you to the forum for making new partnerships happen and mostly for helping peoples lives' to change. For more information, contact Ann Carver: info.heybigspender@googlemail.com

Its good being a forum member! From attending the Financial Capability Forums I have met new people from organisations Ive not been to before. This has enabled me, through networking, to then visit and deliver presentations around what United Utilities has on offer. The meetings also provide a base for supporting queries, providing information and generally sharing best practice. Meetings are also enjoyable and interesting so thanks to you for organising and facilitating. Wessex Forum member

I was in debt and not coping with life very well. Together with my life coach, we set goals. I found them easy to deal with. I have learnt to face and deal with my problems. Life Coaching has had a big impact on my life; I now feel positive and know the future is brighter. TJ, Resident

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Training Money for Life Programme The Money for Life programme is currently in full swing across the UK, offering staff from organisations, such as Citizens Advice Bureaux, qualifications in financial capability. Supported by Lloyds Banking Group, and delivered by National Skills Academy Financial Services, and Colleges Wales, the award-winning programme aims to equip communities across England and Wales with the skills and capabilities they need to make the most of their money. Money for Life delivers three qualifications which are accredited by the Open College Network (OCN) and fully-funded for those working or volunteering in the not-for-profit sector. The Teach Others and Money Mentors courses are delivered in a classroom and led by an experienced tutor. Teach Others equips learners with the skills to deliver financial capability to groups, whilst Money Mentors focuses on giving money management support on a one-to-one basis. Teach Me is an online course covering core money management topics such as banking, savings, investments and debt. The courses have been designed in collaboration with expert charity partners and are very popular amongst Citizens Advice Bureaux, with over 100 employees and volunteers undertaking one or more of the qualifications. Feedback is excellent, with participants commenting on the very practical nature of the courses. One learner from Darlington CAB commented: I learned that suggesting a spending diary helped clients to realise just where their disposable income was going and assisted them with budgeting.

Employees from Coventry CAB took what they learnt on the courses to structure a series of sessions for current and expectant teenage parents in the area. The sessions covered everything from the basics of money management to how to avoid getting in to debt and obtaining support from charity organisations. Teach Others and Money Mentors are delivered at various locations throughout the country and individuals can apply for a place at their nearest location. Organisations with 12-14 people interested have the option of hosting an in-house course, at no cost. To find out more, including how to apply for a place on one of the courses, please visit: moneyforlifeprogramme.org.uk To talk to someone about an in-house course for your organisation, please contact: Gemma Piggott (England) gemma.piggott@nsafs.co.uk Rachel Dodge (Wales) rachel.dodge@collegeswales.ac.uk Citizens Advice financial capability training skills courses continue in 2015 Citizens Advice has run financial capability training skills courses for the past eight years, with several hundred forum members taking the opportunity to improve their training skills. Limited free places are again available for forum members at various locations and dates throughout 2015. The two days of training give you the skills to plan, deliver and evaluate effective financial capability sessions. To find out more please visit http://tinyurl.com/mrgvhu7

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Round up National Homelessness Advice Service (NHAS) The National Homelessness Advice Service (NHAS) offers advice providers nationally consistent, effective, quality homelessness and housing advice and support. NHAS are funded to support and facilitate the prevention of all forms of homelessness through the provision of advice and support to frontline audiences. Housing debt casework NHAS offer a specialist housing debt and welfare benefits advice service to help you with clients struggling to pay their housing costs. The Housing Debt Casework team can provide second-tier support and a referral service where required for: mortgage debt cases, from early stage

arrears to possession and warrant stage

welfare benefit cases, where the welfare benefit issue impacts on housing affordability

some rent arrears cases. Housing consultancy line You can get instant diagnosis, legal advice and support for any housing problem, and written confirmation of advice: For initial advice or to make a referral contact the consultancy line: 0300 330 0517, 9am to 8pm Monday to Friday

Training A comprehensive range of housing topics, designed in response to the latest developments in housing, open and free to bureaux and local authorities by default. Voluntary agencies can apply for membership. Bite-size e-learning and self-study resources are available. To find out more about the training and services offered visit www.NHAS.org.uk

Dont let loan sharks mess with your head! Many of us will struggle with finances at some point in our lives and for some people when times are tough they feel they have no option but to borrow from loan sharks. It is estimated that 310,000 households in the UK are borrowing from lenders who are unauthorised, often charge extortionate rates, and may resort to violence, threats and intimidation to enforce their loans. One in four people may experience some kind of mental health issue in the course of a year and money worries can escalate problems. The stress of being involved with an illegal lender can have awful effects: 21% of borrowers interviewed by the Illegal Money Lending Team during the first six months of 2014 said that they had poor mental health, with several speaking about thoughts of suicide; The England Illegal Money Lending Team (IMLT) is the agency that prosecutes loan sharks and supports people affected by this crime. Often the person who introduces the loan shark is seen as a trusted friend or even family member. One such case was that of

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The Writing on the Wall In 2014, the Social Publishing Project released its Quids In reader survey results and presented them to forums across England and Wales. As a national publication providing money management advice to 300,000 low income households, engaging stakeholders at forums was invaluable. The surveys findings were predictably shocking: Money worries impacted massively on

health with over half (52%) reporting feeling anxious or depressed; over half (51%) turning off heating despite being cold; more than a third (37%) skipping meals; and one in three (30%) feeling physically ill.

More familiar indicators included: more than half (52%) falling behind with bills; 43% had had benefits cut; and just 48% had used a bank account in the past year.

Results showed a decline since the 2012 survey and the worst affected were working age people not in full-time employment, of whom 60% suffered anxiety; 46% skipped meals; and 37% became physically ill.

Mike, who borrowed from a friend of the family to buy a used car. Over the years Mike paid a staggering 90,000 to the loan shark, all from an initial loan of 250. This had a hugely detrimental impact on Mike and his family. The loan shark attacked Mike in front of his children and he lost his home as he couldnt pay the mortgage. Aged 33, he suffered a stress-related heart attack. On more than one occasion, Mike attempted suicide. He said: you wouldnt wish it on anybody, it affected my relationship with my wife. If I wasnt at work I was home arguing and it affected the kids. They had nothing. The turning point was when Mike spotted an article in his local paper about a loan shark who had been prosecuted by the team. Mike called the confidential hotline. From that point forward he was supported and the loan shark was prosecuted and imprisoned. I wish Id known there was somewhere to go years ago Mike said, The team were fantastic, they offered so much support, and every promise they made they delivered. It was such a relief when I found out the loan shark was arrested and then put in prison. Illegal lenders will often appear very friendly in the first instance but should not be used under any circumstances. They rarely offer paperwork so borrowers are unsure about the terms of the agreement and how much is owed. The rates of interest can also be extortionate, as high as 131,000% has been identified in the past. Some loan sharks will also resort to taking items from the victims home as security, including items such as passports and bank cards. People who have been the victim of a loan shark, or know someone who has been victimised, can speak to the Illegal Money Lending Team in the strictest confidence on 0300 555 2222. Lines are open 24/7 and are answered by a trained investigator.

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Local contact with agencies, landlords and authorities is important as the social enterprises sustainability depends on customers knowing theyre not about sales but care passionately about financial capability. They presented the practical help the magazine and other materials offer, mixing a huge reach and personal engagement with readers, calling on them to help themselves. Thankfully, forums were very receptive. Ian Park from the South East forum said: What I liked about the presentation was that it didnt feel like it was coming from outside, presenting at us. They built bridges with the Money Advice Service, CAB and corporates supporting financial capability programmes. The work also led to the launch of a Welsh language edition of Quids in! Forum members can subscribe for free Quids In Professional Network newsletters containing special reports, news digest, resources and funding opportunities. Subscribe here: http://tinyurl.com/mh65wlf For further information or to see the presentation, please email: jeff@socialpublishingproject.com

National Student Money Week 2015: 9 13 February National Student Money Week (NSMW) is an annual event organised by the National Association of Student Money Advisers (NASMA). The campaign began in 2011 and has continued to grow each year since.

The aims and purpose of the week are to: highlight financial support and advice

available in universities, colleges and students unions across the UK.

encourage students to improve their overall financial capability through provision of appropriate information, advice and guidance.

This years theme for the week focuses on relationships and partnerships and intends to highlight and improve the work between NASMA members and its external stakeholders and interested third parties. For example, NASMA will be promoting their working relationship with the Student Loans Company (SLC) during NSMW15 as advisers all over the UK will be offering daily online advice via web chat rooms throughout the week. The majority of NASMA members engage with NSMW in a variety of ways including offering workshops, information stalls, a wide range of competitions and even themed mascots to raise students awareness of NSMW and financial capability. This type of proactive, outreach work has encouraged the week to be very informative for students, but most of all fun! Look out for #NSMW15 on Twitter for details of activities being run during the 9 13 February. Alternatively, information from previous showcase partners and contributors can be found on the website: www.nasma.org.uk. If you would like to know more about NSMW15, or if you would like to get involved, then please dont hesitate to contact Hannah Bundy, who is the NASMA lead for NSMW and financial capability, via the NASMA Office. For further information please contact the NASMA Office: 0113 212 3503 office@nasma.org.uk www.nasma.org.uk

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Special mention It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Pete Tyson who lost his long battle with cancer on 15 December. Pete was a staunch advocate for financial capability, responsible for developing a range of training materials, and a founding member of the Northwest Financial Capability Forum. Born in Liverpool, where he spent most of his life, except for a period living in London, Pete devoted his life to supporting and empowering working class people. On leaving school, his first job was in a meat processing factory, an experience which inspired his subsequent unswerving vegetarianism. During a period with P&O Ferries, where he worked in the back office, he became involved in union work. This led to an involvement in the Labour Party and Militant, at a time when Liverpool was facing and fighting the full force of the Thatcher governments economic policies. His political values and beliefs underpinned all his work. He became a debt worker with the Unemployed

Peoples Resource Centre and then North Liverpool CAB, where he moved into financial capability work. In his role as financial capability trainer, Pete developed many training materials including a much imitated higher/lower game about APRs. He quickly recognised the need to work with young people and initiated work with North Liverpool schools, where pupils included Wayne and Colleen Rooney. He delivered hundreds of sessions to thousands of learners that included not only children and young people, but adults from all sections of the community. He worked on major programmes including Horizons (supporting lone parents), MoneyActive (supporting volunteers to become financial capability trainers) and many smaller, local projects. Pete was generous with his time, skills, experience, and materials. Many workers from bureaux and other agencies gained first-hand experience from shadowing him in the field. Pete also created long term relationships with a range of community organisations that still exist. A huge fan of the band REM, steadfast supporter of Liverpool FC, scholar of ancient history and committed atheist, Pete faced his long battle with cancer with both nobility and stoicism. Pete was a private man, indeed some were unaware that he was living with cancer for many years, but had a strong and loyal circle of friends and comrades. He will be much missed by family, friends and colleagues.

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Contacts

Regional Forum leads

Central London Sian Williams Toynbee Hall sian.williams@toynbeehall.org.uk 020 7392 2941 Cornwall and Devon Becky Moore Liskeard CAB fincap@cabcornwall.org.uk 01579 349513 East Midlands Gary Elmore Corby CAB fincap@corby.cabnet.org.uk 01536 403804 East of England Lou Moon Harlow CAB east.forumcab@gmail.com 01279 770181 Mid, South and West Wales Jayne Wynn Powys CAB fincapmanager@powys.cabnet.org.uk 01686 628963 North East Alison Baxter FINCAN alison@fincan.co.uk North Wales Jayne Bellis Pennysmart CIC forum@pennysmart.org.uk 08454 599055

North West Vernon Fuller Vernonatmoneyart@virginmedia.com 07746 624180 South East Ian Park Maidstone CAB ian@maidstonecab.org.uk 01622 764265 Thames Valley and surrounding counties Denise Huxtable Reading CAB fc@readingcab.org.uk 0118 952 3039 Wessex Sue Evans Bristol CAB director@bristolcab.org.uk 0117 9462560 West Midlands David Gooding Bedworth, Rugby and Nuneaton CAB wmfcforum@hotmail.co.uk 02476 643206 West London Clarissa Stoneham Hammersmith and Fulham CAB Clarissa.stoneham@hfcab.org.uk 0207 385 3313 Yorkshire and Humber Janet Wadsworth Kirklees CAB Janet.wadsworth@switchtrainingconsultancy.com

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The Citizens Advice team

Edlira Alku Service Delivery & Contracts Manager edlira.alku@citizensadvice.org.uk 03000 231 632 Beth Bell Financial Capability Project Coordinator beth.bell@citizensadvice.org.uk 03000 231643 0794 280 2124 Bas Diablos Financial Capability Development Consultant basam.diablos@citizensadvice.org.uk 03000 231151 07812 181 607 Sophie Holmes Service Delivery Coordinator sophie.holmes@citizensadvice.org.uk 03000 231 576

Hannah Luck Communications and Information Manager hannah.luck@citizensadvice.org.uk 03000 231 581 David Mahon Service Delivery Coordinator david.mahon@citizensadvice.org.uk 03000 231 582 Christy McAleese Financial Capability Project Manager christy.mcaleese@citizensadvice.org.uk 03000 231 209

Citizens Advice is an operating name of the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux. Charity no. 279057.

Citizens Advice has tried to ensure that the information in this newsletter is accurate. However, the inclusion of this information and any linked website should not be taken as endorsement of any kind by Citizens Advice. Further, Citizens Advice has no control over the availability of linked web pages.