Financial Inclusion, Education and Advice

The impact of the recession means that levels of financial and social exclusion continue to rise. One in three pensioners still lives in poverty, one third of families have no savings at all, more than one in five families is routinely refused credit.

A4e has over twenty years experience of supporting people experiencing multiple deprivation issues. In order to effectively tackle poverty it is essential that there is co ordination and integration of services and funding at the front edge of delivery, as well as a move towards a more outcomes based approach that promotes innovation.

This approach is embedded throughout our financial inclusion services:-

Widening access to justice - we provide free of charge, high quality telephone based legal advice - providing debt, housing, employment and welfare benefits advice on behalf of the Legal Services Commission. We also deliver Community Legal Advice Centres to support derived communities in Leicester and Hull.  Delivery is undertaken through a ground breaking partnership with Howells Solicitors LLP (the first of its kind).

Debt and benefits advice services - our advisors are fully trained in all areas of money and debt advice to effectively address housing problems, personal finance and benefit advice. In just the first 18 months of delivery Advice 4 Stoke prevented 98 evictions, helped clients to identify and obtain £1.84 million of unclaimed debt and rescheduled £6.81 million of high interest debt.

Money Guidance - the Government recently commissioned an independent feasibility study - the Thoresen Review - to research and design a national approach to generic financial advice. A4e undertook the first phase GFA pilot, testing a range of ideas and hypothesis in order to produce an evidence base from which a national service could be designed.

Young People and Money

A4e is delivering a UK-wide, free training programme aimed at those working with young people not in education, employment or training (NEETs).

Young People and Money is designed to help equip them with the skills and knowledge to support young people in becoming financially capable.

The programme is managed by LifeLine and delivered by A4e, Citizens Advice, Fairbridge and LifeLine - organisations with excellent track records in reaching the 'NEET' group.

The programme is funded by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) and aims to train 20,000 people working with 'NEET' young people by 2010.

For more information please visit: http://www.ypam.org/

If you’d like to know more about these services please get in touch or call us on 0800 345 666