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Money Matters
has been operating with an appointment system since autumn
2000. As a result of such a system, all contacts begin with
a phone call or a drop in (986/988 Govan Road) to arrange
an appointment with a money advisor. The first interview is
spent ostensibly developing a picture of the individual's
financial circumstances. In practice, however, it is crucial
in developing a rapport and sense of trust between the advisor
and the client. - these are vital if the true extent and nature
of the problems and related issues are to become apparent,
which often only happens in subsequent interviews.
If the enquiry concerns a benefit, the giving of advice may
be sufficient. In other cases, the money advisor will help
the client compile the relevant form (the most common of which
is the Disability Living Allowance which takes about a full
hour or more if the client has learning difficulties).
Often other agencies and organisations will need to be contacted
by phone and/or letter to acquire all the necessary information
and to ensure a smooth process.
Organisations frequently contacted are: the Benefits Agency,
the Employment Service, medical professionals, the Housing
Department and housing associations.
In cases where there is a dispute between the Benefits Agency
and the claimant, Money Matters' advisors will accompany the
claimant and represent them at tribunals if necessary.
In the case of debt, the advisor draws up with the client
a picture of their current income, expenditure patterns and
debt. On this basis, the advisor can help draw up a debt repayment
plan. Often the amounts that are offered to creditors are
much smaller than the usual expected instalments. However,
when creditors are contacted by Money Matters' advisors with
an explanation of the client's circumstances and a firm offer
of some payment, they respond well - they appreciate the intervention
of a third party that will at least yield some repayment and
reduce their costs in terms of chasing the debt.
The process of confronting the debts rather than avoiding
the seriousness of the issue enables the client to begin to
take supported responsibility for their situation. A process
which is crucial in bringing about longer term attitudinal
changes towards budgeting and money.
In many cases, the process of responding to a specific enquiry,
will reveal other issues - for example, a debt enquiry leading
to an income analysis may reveal that the client should be
claiming additional benefits. Regardless of the exact nature
of the enquiry, money advisors may do a considerable amount
of follow-up work to ensure action has been taken or that
applications have been successful.
For more information, see also our 2005
Activity Statistics and Case Studies
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