Statement of good practice

The following forms The Complete Debt Guide Statement of Good Practice.

The statement of good practice is intended to reflect the service standards and practices you should expect to receive as a minimum from any debt advisory organization

1 - Our Aims

 Listed below are the individual components of the minimum advice and service we offer.

Identify the nature and extent of personal debt.  Explain the means available to creditors for collection and the consequences of non-payment.  Identify priority and non-priority debts and recognise and respond when emergency action is needed.  Check for each personal debt the extent of the client's liability, where this may be challenged and progress with the approval of the client.  Advise on maximising income, i.e. checking income tax.  Advise and assist in making claims for all welfare benefits, calculating entitlement, backdated claims and appeals.  Identify national and local statutory and voluntary services and resources.  Assist the client to analyse household spending and draw up an appropriate financial statement of income and expenditure based on the client's needs and priorities.  Advise on debt enforcement procedure and practices.  Calculate, where there is available income, any offers of payment to creditors on an equitable distribution basis.  Identify, discuss and agree with the client suitable strategies for responding to their personal debts, e.g. using consumer law and insolvency procedures. Advise and assist a client with any county court, high court or magistrates court action regarding secured or unsecured monies owed and enforcement including administration order, mortgage and rent possession action.  Explain the relevant legal rights and responsibilities of the client and the consequences and benefits of pursuing them.  Advise and assist a client in relation to court procedures including local discretion and practices, completion of court forms, etc.  Advise and assist a client to negotiate in relation to all of their creditors.  Refer clients for immediate specialist help where client's situation is too complex.  Identify the nature and extent of personal debt.

Explain to clients the means available to creditors for collection and the consequences of non-payment.  Identify priority and non-priority debts and recognise and respond where emergency action is needed.  Identify and discuss with client potential challenges for liability of a personal debt.  Identify where further advice on income maximisation may be appropriate.

Assist the client to analyse household spending and draw up an appropriate financial statement of income and expenditure based on the client's needs and priorities.  Identify and discuss with the client potential strategies for responding to their personal debts.  Calculate, where there is available income, any offers of payment to creditors on an equitable distribution basis.  Refer clients for immediate specialist help where the client's situation is too complex for the agency to advise or there is a potential emergency.  Explain national and local statutory and voluntary services/resources.

2 - Reliability

Impartial - Money advisors will deal with clients equally, regardless of whether they have disposable income.  Preferential service will not be offered, e.g. to those who have income available to repay unsecured non-priority debt.  Money advisors will have written equal opportunities policies available.  Money advisors recognise that in society, groups and individuals are discriminated against on the grounds of race, disability, age, sex, sexual identity and marital status.  Information would be provided only where it is useful to the client and not because it supports a particular viewpoint.  Any discriminatory (e.g. sexist or racist) behaviour or comment will be challenged by the adviser in an appropriate manner.

Confidential - All matters raised by clients are confidential - subject to any statutory legal responsibilities placed upon advisers.  Clients must not be asked to state the nature of their enquiry in the presence of others.  Interviews and telephone calls are held in visual and aural privacy.  Referrals are made with the knowledge and consent of the client.  The client's permission must be obtained before a second person (e.g. trainee) can sit in on an interview.  Clients will have access to their own case records.  Clients may not see case records relating to other people.  Notes from case records are kept securely or destroyed.

Free - Client's will not be charged for any part of the advice.

Independent - Advisers will provide unbiased advice and will take up issues with appropriate authorities on behalf of individuals or groups.

Social Policy - Money advisers will identify when the client's have been subject to discrimination or where the experience of a client or group of client's is indicative of a wider problem.  This information will be used to influence local or national government or other bodies, to review legislation and administration procedure where these seem to warrant change.  Money advisers should ensure that there is a system in place to carry out social policy work on a local and national level as appropriate.

3 - Standards of Service

The client's own view of the situation and feelings are acknowledged.  Money advisors recognise the needs of the individual client and will respond accordingly.  The provision of self help materials and/or information sheets alone will not be viewed as sufficient to meet the needs of all client's and will not be defined as "advice".

Advice is given in such a manner as to empower and enable the client.  Information given will be up-to-date and complete.  Interviews help the client to explore the problem.  The full range of options available to the client will be identified and given with the client choosing their preferred course of action.

Appropriate help is given with forms, calculations, enquiries and negotiation.  Advisers will endeavour to provide representation and advocacy services for clients.  Advisers will listen supportively, especially where this is the only action appropriate.

Referral to an appropriate agency will be made where work is beyond the capacity of the agency and/or better advice is available elsewhere.  Advice is non-judgemental.  The adviser and client will jointly establish clear priorities and agree who will take the action needed.  Information will be presently clearly and logically.  Negotiation will take place with third parties when appropriate.

Emergencies will be identified and given priority.

4 - Professionalism

Cases are recorded quickly and in objective, factual terms.  Advisers are willing and able to use information resources such as the CPAG Debt Advice Handbook, NACAB Information System, computer benefit check packages, etc. and thereby identify and advise on related problems such as welfare benefit entitlement.  Clients will be encouraged not to become dependent.  Advisers will have appropriate systems for checking cases.  Advisers will ensure that they keep up to date with changes in relevant legislation and policies, which may affect their work, and through attending training courses.   Our advisers will aim to carry out monitoring periodically to assess satisfaction with the service.

Advisers should ensure that written complaints procedure exists in relation to their work and will remedy mistakes when they occur.  Advisers will keep clients informed of all actions being taken on their behalf.  Creditors will be treated impartially and fairly; advisers will not seek to give any creditor priority over another creditor in a similar position.