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We provide support and advice about debts, benefits and making ends meet, to help people manage their money.

Who is it for?

Our services are for people who are struggling to manage their money and who may be in debt.

The type of support we provide

• Free one to one appointments and casework with a qualified Money Adviser
• Free Advice over the phone
• Benefit advice, claims and appeals.
• Debt advice, access to the Breathing Space, and Debt Relief Orders via our Approved Intermediaries
• A money-handling service (to clients referred by a professional or who can pay for this service themselves)

We can help you with:

• Benefits
• Dealing with debt
• Budgeting
• Helping you to get more support from other services

How we can help you

• Checking your benefits entitlements, assisting with claims, reviews and appeals
• Help you negotiate with creditors, which may include writing letters on your behalf
• Provide you with correct, up to date information and advice so that you can make informed choices for yourself
• Help you find practical ways to manage your money, to pay bills and avoid debt, that meet your own particular needs

What you can do to help us help you

• Keep all your bills and paperwork about money matters in one place
• Tell us if you would prefer to be visited at home (available if you live in Brighton & Hove)
• Let us know if you need an interpreter
• Respond to letters/phone call from us
• Let us know if you are unhappy about our service and if you’re pleased about something we have done, this is helpful to know too

What we cannot do

We are unable to give you Financial Advice; for example the best places to go to borrow money or which bank account to open.

How we will support you

We will discuss with you the areas that you need help with, and will agree a plan of action with you, which we will confirm in a letter to you.
If our work with you is likely to take longer than 9 months, then we may write a support plan with you to summarise what we hope to achieve and the steps you and Money Advice Plus will take to do this.

Monitoring Form

We will ask you to fill in an equal opportunities monitoring form. This information is fed back to our funders, but will not identify who you are.

Consent Forms

These forms will allow us to contact other people and services involved in your support, including benefits agencies and medical services to let them know that we have your permission to work on your behalf. The written authority also shows that you agree for us to keep a record of your case.

Client Survey

We may also ask you to respond to questionnaires about Money Advice Plus which will help us to improve our services and help us to get further funding. We are always very grateful for feedback from people who have used our services.

Confidentiality

No information about you or details about your case will be shared with another person or organisation without your permission. But, there may be some circumstances where we may need to override this rule (eg if you were at serious risk of harm) and we would always try and talk to you first in this case. Please ask us if you want a full copy of our Confidentiality Policy.
You can also see a copy of our Confidentiality Policy here

Protection from Abuse

If we have concerns that you are being abused, financially, physically or emotionally, we may have to talk to Social Services about our concerns. We will usually try to discuss with you before we talk to Social Services. If you would like to see a copy of our Safeguarding Policy, please ask your worker or see our website here

Data Protection

We collect information about you so we can give you the best advice for your circumstances. We have to keep records of what you have told us, and information we have been given by others (eg. if you were referred, or if we ask someone for more information to help with your case) so that we can check our work, and that the advice we have given you is correct and complete. You have a right to see or have a copy of the data we hold about you. For more information, see the full policy here, or speak to your worker.

Boundaries

We are a professional service, and we have a policy of professional boundaries, to help protect clients and workers, and so clients can be clear about what to expect from our service. If you would like more information, or to see a copy of our policy please ask your worker.

Harassment and bullying

The people who work for Money Advice Plus and our clients have the right not to be harassed or bullied. If we notice this happening we will not ignore it and will look at what we can do to prevent it. Equally, if you have any concerns for yourself or anyone else, please let us know.

Discrimination

We will not tolerate discrimination towards our staff/clients regarding an individual’s ethnicity, faith, gender, sexual orientation, sex, health, disability, age or lifestyle. If you feel that you have been treated unfairly, on any grounds, please let us know.

If you are not happy with our service

If you are not happy with something we are doing for you, please tell us over the phone or directly to your  Worker; we will listen to you and try to sort it out to your satisfaction.

How to make a complaint about Money Advice Plus

If you have a complaint about any of our services, we deal with this in a set way, following our Complaints Procedure. Please ask us if you want a full copy of our Complaints Procedure.
You can also see a copy of our complaints procedure here.

Warnings about Loans

Some companies specialise in giving instant loans but they do not consider if a person can afford to repay and they often charge very high interest rates. These companies sometimes use ‘door step’ collectors who can be very hard to deal with. They make it seem easy to borrow money. Often people start off with a small loan and if they miss a payment it gets converted into a larger loan so you end up owing far more than you originally needed or wanted.
If you have taken out a loan with someone who is charging you very high interest and you are not sure how much you owe and when the loan will be re-paid, please talk to your Money Support Worker. Also, you could be a victim of a loan shark: more information is here. 

Words and phrases which may be useful for you to understand

Debtor – the person who owes money
Creditor – the person who is owed money
Income – the money you have coming in such as welfare benefits, wages or pensions
Weekly Expenditure – the money you spend each week
Priority debts – some debts are more important than others, for example, rent.
Financial statement – this is your budget showing your income and expenditure. Debtors use this to show creditors what they are offering to repay is all they can afford.
Arrears – the amount overdue

Secured loans – money borrowed using your home as security

If you would like a full version of how to deal with your debts, including sample letters, please ask your Money Adviser.

Wills and Donations

We are a registered charity

By leaving something to this charity in your Will you will be helping us to continue to support people to manage their money
Please talk to your Money Adviser if you would like to be directed to someone who can help you to write a Will
Donations are also gratefully received – If you would like to make a donation, please make cheques payable to Money Advice and Community Support