CAS got together with Money Advice Scotland and the Child Poverty Action Group to produce a new Debt Advice Handbook for Scotland
One of the questions advice agencies like us are most often asked is who ‘advises the advisers?’
Or, how do we ensure that every person who works or volunteers in a Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB), or other debt advice organisation, is giving the best possible advice and support to their clients?
It’s a question we at Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) take extremely seriously. Independent research has found that that our brand is widely trusted and popular. That reputation has been hard-earned over 85 years, and we are determined to maintain those high standards.
We have a whole structure in place to achieve this, including a rigorous training regime for all our advisers, and a team of experts who monitor every decision that comes out of Holyrood, Westminster or our law courts which alters public policy and then amends our central online advice resource accordingly. That means that when you go into an advice centre, whether it’s in Shetland or Dumfries, you will get the same top-quality up-to-date advice, delivered with local knowledge.
We also work with our partners in the third sector to identify opportunities to strengthen the wider network of advice support. We at CAS got together with Money Advice Scotland (MAS) and the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) to produce a new Debt Advice Handbook for Scotland - essentially a training and reference manual for anyone who is involved in delivering advice to someone who is in debt, including statutory debt solutions such as bankruptcy, protected trust deeds and the Debt Arrangement Scheme, as well as how to deal with debt collection and vulnerable clients and respond to court actions.
In truth it’s been a team effort from the CAS and MAS teams and the process has required comprehensive research, structured planning, and the ability to bring together and incorporate the work of colleagues across the charities. Along the way we’ve had to navigate the hurdles of writers’ block and towering deadlines. But we’ve learned a lot and are quietly proud of the final result – which has just been published (see link below).
The reason that all three charities felt that such a tool was needed is that we have all seen the huge growth in the numbers of people who are in debt. This has been building for years. Static wages, benefit cuts, rising inflation, all exacerbated by the pandemic and then the spike in energy bills. We are living through a cost of living crisis, in which debt is one of the main features.
The good news is that there are things that can be done to help people who are in debt. Every case is different, so solutions vary, but no case is hopeless. Whatever your debt, there is always a strategy that can help you take control of it and ultimately overcome it.
These strategies are not always straightforward though, and you’ll need help from expert advisers who know the debt support landscape and can help plan the right roadmap for you. This handbook is intended to be a valuable companion for any adviser in Scotland who hopes to provide that essential support.
It is not yet available to buy in hard copy but, thanks to funding from the Scottish government, it can be read online for free at cpag.org.uk/welfare-rights/key-topics/debt#Online%20handbook.
Martin Barr is a money advice consultant with the MATRICS team at Citizens Advice Scotland.
This column was first published in the Herald.
