Pauline Allan on a specialist service that’s available free of charge

When we wrote here a few weeks ago about how a new handbook for debt advisers in Scotland, we got some feedback asking us to talk more about how we ensure the quality of the advice we give. We’re happy to do this because it’s important to us that people have trust in our advice. 

For the last 20 years Citizens Advice Scotland has worked with Money Advice Scotland on a Scottish Government funded project to make sure that voluntary sector advice services in Scotland are as efficient and reliable as they can be. This is the project that I work for: the Money Advice, Training, Research and Information Consultancy Service (MATRICS). 

Debt remains one of the biggest single issues that is brought to the Scottish CAB network – second only to social security benefits (though the two are often interlinked).

The good news is that we really can help people in debt. There are various things we can do: very often creditors are actually willing to talk about finding solutions to the problem, but that of course requires the person in debt to contact them and so many people are frightened to do this and can’t face it or perhaps don’t know how to do it, so the debt remains unpaid and the interest spirals.

MATRICS equips advisers with the skills to contact the creditor on the client’s behalf and encourage a pragmatic engagement between them to reach an outcome that both can accept. These solutions vary enormously depending on the specifics of the case, but for example the creditor might agree to cut or freeze the interest on a debt, if they are convinced the debt will be repaid. Longer repayment periods, with smaller instalments, can also be negotiated. On occasion we can even arrange for some or all of the debt to be written off.  

MATRICS currently has seven members of staff who between them have many years experience both on the frontline of debt advice and in providing training. In the last year they provided 77 digital remote courses to some 547 advisers from organisations across Scotland. Meanwhile our self-learn e-modules platform hosted 437 advisers from 103 agencies. 

There are 54 e-modules to be completed and additional face-to-face courses. This provides a blended learning pathway so the trainee can progress from the more basic elements to the highest standard of becoming an adviser authorised to deliver the Scottish statutory solutions. 

If you contact an adviser in a CAB or any other organisation who has completed the MATRICS training, you can be confident that the advice you get will be free, impartial and confidential. What’s more, the adviser will engage with you in a professional but friendly manner. Debt can happen to any of us; getting the right advice and support is what matters.  

There are many private companies who offer debt advice that comes with a cost. With MATRICS-supported money advice in the debt sector you get the same service (or better) and for free. So if you are ever in need of advice, don’t spend money you don’t have to. Come instead to the real experts. 

Pauline Allan is a money advice co-ordinator with Citizens Advice Scotland.

This column was first published in the Herald.