The Scottish Government

« Previous | Contents |

Listen

Morag Gillespie, Louise Dobbie, Gareth Mulvey
(Scottish Poverty Information Unit, Glasgow Caledonian University) with Yvonne Gallacher (Money Advice Scotland) and Jim Campbell, ( GCU)

Personal debt and consumer credit are growing and indebtedness is a central policy concern. The Scottish Executive is committed to tackling financial exclusion and recognises the important role of information and advice in achieving better outcomes in resolving debt cases. However, mainstream services do not always meet effectively the needs of disadvantaged groups. The Scottish Executive funded pilot projects to test approaches to improving the accessibility and availability of money advice services for vulnerable groups and disseminate good practice. The evaluation of 11 projects is summarised here, including: 5 linked to Jobcentre Plus ( JCP) Transitions to Work initiatives, 4 that delivered advice to target groups and 2 that focused on development work with existing mainstream services.

Main Findings

• There is no "one size fits all" approach for providing money advice to disadvantaged groups. Advice must be delivered in a flexible way which meets the needs of the client groups. For some groups specialist or joint working is needed. Appropriate delivery locations include office, outreach and home visits, while phone, email and written support can all be suitable delivery methods.
• Where advice for disadvantaged groups is provided by mainstream services, these require additional capacity and skills to meet access and advice needs, such as interpreting for non-English speakers and support for people with learning disabilities to maximise income and achieve appropriate financial services and arrangements.
• Talks, workshops, helplines, text messaging, leaflet and poster advertising all help to raise awareness of services, but telephone based services may not reach the most disadvantaged groups.
• People who had learning disabilities or mental health problems needed more contact time with the money advisor, which impacted on the caseload which could be achieved. Travel time in rural areas also impacted on caseloads.
• Most projects saw fewer people than anticipated. This in part reflected start up problems such as delays with getting systems in place, staff turnover and the time needed to develop new partnerships. Referrals from Jobcentre Plus in particular fell below target in all projects. Referrals worked best where they were easy to make and partners' roles were clear.

Background

In 2004 the Scottish Executive funded 12 pilot projects to test approaches to improving the accessibility and availability of money advice services for vulnerable groups. This report provides key findings from the evaluation of 11 projects. The evaluation aimed to monitor and evaluate activities, advise and support the projects, inform mainstream advice providers about the issues affecting target groups and disseminate good practice. Methods included interviews, focus groups, project data analysis and a quality check. The projects were:

• 5 Transitions to Work Projects linked to two JCP initiatives, Pathways to Work and Working Neighbourhoods. They aimed to improve recognition of financial difficulties as barriers to work and make referrals with guaranteed early interviews with money advisers. Other work included financial awareness sessions and self-help packs.
• 4 Projects targeted advice towards specific groups. The lone parent project provided a telephone helpline. The learning disabilities project delivered intensive specialist support tailored to be accessible. The young persons' project used text messaging and outreach to improve access. The prisoners' project involved awareness raising, pre-release talks and advice.
• 2 Development Projects focused on service development to address advice standards in existing services and build links between advice services and service user groups. The Black and Minority Ethnic groups ( BME) project focused on capacity building and strategic development. The mental health project targeted advice services and service users, including the development of a 'personal log'. This project will not finish until June 2007.

The Work of the Projects

Advice involved a range of approaches: face to face advice on office premises, through outreach or home visiting; by telephone and email; and in the young persons' project, a text messaging service. Most projects provided a full advice casework service, but a helpline gave initial advice in the lone parent project.

Talks, workshops and training: were key to achieving self-referral in the prisoners' project, while sessions to improve budgeting skills were tested in several projects. Talks and training for staff focused on those making referrals for advice or, in the lone parent project, staff working in communities with lone parents.

Written information: Leaflets and posters advertised services and were useful for raising awareness. In the lone parent project briefing papers reinforced telephone advice. Self-help packs helped some clients with more confidence to act for themselves and to signpost others to the service

Development approaches: These included: development days and events; an audit and needs assessment of BME advice services; training and volunteer development; mainstream service monitoring and piloting a 'personal log' for mental health service users.

Service user perspectives

Most interviewees had impairments or health problems. Most used one-to-one advice, most often concerning debt, money worries, benefit problems and income maximisation. Periods of change were important times for advice, including transition to and from work. Advisers negotiated repayments most often and one in 5 people had help with claiming benefits.

Services were well received. Young people thought the mobile phone text service matched the times, but the cost of texting could be a barrier. Telephone advice was ideal for lone parents with young children. Written information helped people facing change or needing complex advice. Prisoners wanted regular updates. Others preferred verbal contacts, particularly if they were isolated or afraid to open letters because of debts.

The location of advice was important for some: a community flat was considered informal, easy to access and use. Home visits were preferred by those with health, care or orientation issues or poor transport links.

Effective approaches to advice

Advice had a positive impact on interviewees' financial situations, attitudes to borrowing and their health and well-being. However, the struggle to manage on a low income and the positive impact of increasing income highlight the need for an adequate income. Successful claims for people with learning disabilities highlight existing failures to meet their advice needs and the potential for targeted interventions. There were links between service user groups and the type of advice needed, but there is no "one size fits all" approach to advice for disadvantaged groups. The following helped to support sustainable change in service users' situations and to increase their confidence:

• Targeted approaches that take account of barriers, lack of awareness of rights and needs of individuals in communication, delivery methods and location of support. Giving people time to make choices and joint work with service user groups or support workers can help people to make informed decisions.
• Holistic and proactive approaches to advice and informal approaches that build relationships are effective across groups, particularly for people with mental health problems or learning disabilities
• Accessible leaflets, briefings and other written information that can support clients in making informed decisions

Service delivery recommendations included:

• Workshops and budgeting support should be included if possible in services offered. Group work should be interactive and take account of literacy and numeracy problems.
• Training for staff working in communities that focuses on the money advice needs of specific groups can be effective for awareness raising and help to improve access to advice.
• Development work should involve support for services and work with service user groups to improve standards and referrals. Representatives of groups and services should be involved in planning and decision making. Development work can involve a range of skills that may need the expertise of several people rather than building staff skills in all areas.
• Regular contact with services, practical tools such as directories, joint work and training, can contribute to engagement in development projects.
• For non-English speakers, interpreting and translation provision is an essential and urgent need, the costs of which need to be recognised in strategic planning.

Referrals and Partnerships

Effective strategies for encouraging self- referral and awareness raising in the projects included interactive sessions with new prisoners during induction; community events; targeted publicity; and in the young persons' project, bus adverts to promote a texting service. Recommendations include:

• Single referral sources, particularly JCP, are unlikely to be sufficient for reaching target groups so links with a range of services are essential. Referrals should be managed to ensure that both referrals for advice and referral on to other services are followed through effectively.
• Targets and workload planning should account for factors such as travel time in rural areas and individual health or learning needs. Time monitoring can help planning of caseloads or targets.
• If not offering a full advice service, the boundaries should be explained to service users since they may think they are getting full expert advice. The risk of incomplete advice can be minimised through rigorous training and clear procedures for advice.
• Monitoring service use and provision is essential to ensure initiatives reach target groups and achieve their intended goals.
• Some disadvantaged groups have complex needs in accessing mainstream services so links with specialist agencies and trusted intermediaries should be developed. Specialist provision or partnership working can address the advice needs of people with learning disabilities.

In partnership work, engagement between delivery partners is essential to identifying and dealing with implementation problems. Joint decision making bodies should include representatives of those using or involved with services. In short-life projects, roles and remits must be clear and established prior to implementation and should ensure staff can deliver with confidence. Other service development recommendations include:

• Advice services should build links with specialist services and trusted sources of supports. Referrals should come from a range of sources and referral to other services should seek to achieve holistic support.
• Staff safety should be addressed in procedures for meeting new clients. Prison-based services should allow job-sharing and be combined with mainstream work, with appropriate support and guidance for dealing with proceeds of crime enquiries.

Staff Skills and Training

• Front-line staff should be trained on how to respond to crisis situations such as when someone says they are feeling suicidal.
• Equality mainstreaming issues are important and factors that affect access to advice for disadvantaged groups are essential elements of staff training.
• All staff, including administrative staff, need the capacity to work with vulnerable groups.
• To develop skills and knowledge in advice and cultural or access issues for disadvantaged groups, training that crosses sectoral boundaries and secondments or staff exchanges are recommended
• It is recommended that the Scottish Executive provides funding to improve mainstream provision for disadvantaged groups through e.g. training provision and/ or specialist advice provision, including second tier support. Such support should target comprehensive, appropriate and sustainable service development and improved access to mainstream services.

Wider Issues

The Scottish Executive should target resources towards training and specialist advice to improve services for disadvantaged groups. Problems with bank accounts, including accessing benefits paid through them, highlight that the DWP needs to guarantee that people can get their benefits paid through banks accounts. Otherwise, current systems and future plans will continue to fail the most vulnerable groups. As pressure increases for benefits payments through bank accounts, financial inclusion policy in Scotland and practice in banks and financial institutions should be reviewed to reduce the risks of charges and income loss for people with learning disabilities or mental health problems.

A CD Rom, based on the lessons from the projects has been produced as a dissemination resource for mainstream advice services.

If you have any enquiries about social research, please contact us at:

Scottish Executive Social Research
1-F (Dockside)
Victoria Quay
EDINBURGH
EH6 6QQ
Tel: 0131 244-0874
Fax: 0131 244-7573
Email: socialresearch@scotland.gsi.gov.uk
Website: www.scotland.gov.uk/socialresearch

The report, "Money Advice for Vulnerable Groups: Final Evaluation Report", which is summarised in this research findings is a web only document and is available on the publications pages of the Scottish Executive website at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/Recent

This document (and other Research Findings and Reports) and information about social research in the Scottish Executive may be viewed on the Internet at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/socialresearch

The site carries up-to-date information about social and policy research commissioned and published on behalf of the Scottish Executive. Subjects covered include transport, housing, social inclusion, rural affairs, children and young people, education, social work, community care, local government, civil justice, crime and criminal justice, regeneration, planning and women's issues. The site also allows access to information about the Scottish Household Survey.

« Previous | Contents |