Live web chat Financial capability toolkit

Citizens Advice financial capability

This toolkit has been produced as part of Citizens Advice Financial Skills for Life.

Copyright © 2015 Citizens Advice All rights reserved. Any reproduction of part or all of the contents in any form is prohibited except with the express written permission of Citizens Advice.

Citizens Advice is an operating name of the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux, Charity registration number 279057, VAT number 726020276, Company Limited by Guarantee, Registered number 1436945 England. Registered office: Citizens Advice, 3rd Floor North, 200 Aldersgate Street, London, EC1A 4HD.

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Although care has been taken to ensure the accuracy, completeness and reliability of the information provided, Citizens Advice assumes no responsibility. The user of the information agrees that the information is subject to change without notice. To the extent permitted by law, Citizens Advice excludes all liability for any claim, loss, demands or damages of any kind whatsoever (whether such claims, loss, demands or damages were foreseeable, known or otherwise) arising out of or in connection with the drafting, accuracy and/or its interpretation, including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage and whether arising in tort (including negligence), contract or otherwise.

Citizens Advice financial capability

Providing financial capability over live web chat

IntroductionThis toolkit is designed to help advisers integrate financial capability into debt advice offered via live web chat, by providing further information via the same digital channel. Advisers are welcome to provide tailored information to the client at their own discretion.

Subject informationThe toolkit contains all the key information for the topics covered. The majority of each resource is made up of further online resources, accessed via live links. Advisers are encouraged to add and amend to their own copy of the toolkit as they see fit: any additional information that is given should be taken from an up-to-date and accurate source such as:

The debt and money section of the Citizens Advice website. The Money Advice Service. Other online services as appropriate.

Advisers are encouraged to feed back any recommended online resources and activities they would want incorporated into the toolkit, so that it can be assessed and added it for use by their colleagues as appropriate.

The financial capability element of debt advice provided over live webchat aims to help prevent clients from re-entering a debt-cycle by learning how to harden themselves against the financial shock that led to their current debt situation. It seeks to do this via using a channel-biased approach to resources.

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Trainers are encouraged to feedback to the Financial Skills for Life team with any feedback about training materials or resources.

If you have any comments, please contact: financial.skills@citizensadvice.org.uk

Citizens Advice financial capability

Contents

Action plan user guide for advisers 5

1. Sudden unemployment 6

2. Multiple hire purchase agreements 7

3. A new baby 8

4. Council tax arrears 9

5. Payday Loans and doorstep lenders 10

6. Relationship breakdown 11

7. Losing a partner 12

8. Delays in benefits 13

9. Credit repair 14

10. Checking benefit entitlements 15

11. Reclaiming payment protection insurance (PPI) 16

12. Generic online tools 17

Evaluation guidance 18

Appendix – Petra codes 20

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Citizens Advice financial capability

Toolkit user guide – advisers only

Recording Financial Capability (Citizens Advice only)

It is critical that advisers become familiar with the E20 advice issue codes (AIC) on Petra (see appendix).

For many advisers, they already provide financial capability within their existing debt advice model; this needs to be identified and recorded.

Integrating financial capability (all users)

There is no obligation to provide financial capability of any kind during the live web chat session itself. Any financial capability provided whilst in live-chat is at the adviser’s discretion.

We recommend that the toolkit is kept open – and on the contents page - in a separate tab during the live web chat. As a particular need or life-event becomes evident, you can select the appropriate tab from the contents page. This will hotlink to the appropriate page in the toolkit.

This information should be provided at the end of the web chat.

If the client has identified a clear cause of their debt, then choose a suitable resource from 1-8.

If there is no resource matching the cause of debt, or if there is no clear cause, then use a suitable resource from 9-12.

All resources have a prefacing blurb to end a webchat: this can be copy and pasted into the webchat as the close at the same time as copy/pasting the rest of the resource. As with the resources themselves, this constitutes guidance; advisers are welcome to amend and feedback on these pre-formatted texts.

The selection of the resource should be recorded on Petra via an E20 AIC.

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Citizens Advice financial capability

Sudden unemployment

Thank you for your enquiry. Citizens Advice offers free, confidential and impartial advice.

Your reference for this enquiry with us is xxxx

If you return to Citizens Advice via our online, telephone or face to face advice services, please quote this client reference.

I’ve had a further look at the information you’ve given me. As well as the advice you were given today, I would like to offer some more information about unexpected redundancy that I think would be useful to you both now and in the future.

This quick cash finder can sometimes be a bit of a shock when you use it, you might be surprised at how much you spend on little things without realising it.

This short money advice service video can also give you some ideas on cutting back your costs.

If you have the time to read it all, there’s a lot of very useful information on our website on how to make sure you get all the redundancy pay you are entitled to.

Many jobs have an increased focus on core skills than they used to, the National Numeracy website is a good one to test and work on things like numeracy, it is worth dipping in and out of whilst you look for new work.

We appreciate that sudden unemployment can be a stressful time, so if you have any follow-up questions, please do not hesitate to contact us again.

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AIC 20 – B R

Citizens Advice financial capability

Multiple hire purchase agreements

Thank you for your enquiry. Citizens Advice offers free, confidential and impartial advice.

Your reference for this enquiry with us is xxxx

If you return to Citizens Advice via our online, telephone or face to face advice services, please quote this client reference.

I’ve had a further look at the information you’ve given me. As well as the advice you were given today, I would like to offer some more information about having multiple finance agreements, that I think might be useful to you both now and in the future.

This loan calculator can give you some idea of what different loans can cost, taking things like interest rate and the term of the loan into account. Play around with it and see how it works.

This credit card calculator is very useful if you find that credit cards, including store cards, are hard to keep on top of.

If you want to understand the details of how finance types work, this page on our website has everything you need to know. It’s a bit of a complicated subject though, so I’d say it’s worth having this open on your computer whilst you call the Citizens Advice consumer service on 03454 04 05 06 or 03454 04 05 05 for a Welsh speaking adviser. Don’t worry, the calls to 034 numbers are charged the same way as 01 or 02 numbers. The advisers there can talk you through any explanation you might need and you don’t have to give any personal details if you don’t want to.

Finance agreements can seem really daunting as they seem to involve lots of numbers and equations. The National Numeracy website is a good one to test and work on your maths skills. You might be surprised at how quickly these numbers seem less intimidating.

We appreciate that finance agreements can be rather complicated, so if you have any follow-up questions, please do not hesitate to contact us again.

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AIC 20 – C R

Citizens Advice financial capability

A new baby

Thank you for your enquiry. Citizens Advice offers free, confidential and impartial advice.

Your reference for this enquiry with us is xxxx

If you return to Citizens Advice via our online, telephone or face to face advice services, please quote this client reference.

I’ve had a further look at the information you’ve given me. As well as the advice you were given today, I would like to offer some more information that I think would be useful to you and your new baby.

This baby costs calculator is a very useful tool when working out how much your new baby things will cost. You can play about with it by moving around the sliders. It’s a really simple and effective way to see where you can pull back money from one place and use it somewhere else.

Childcare can be expensive and difficult to organise. This cost of childcare calculator may be able to help.

This baby money timeline calculator can help you plan the costs you may not have already thought of for your first child.

If you have the time to read it all, on our website there is a lot of detailed information on maternity rights and pay. You might be surprised at what you’re entitled to.

We appreciate that having a new baby can often be a stressful time, so if you have any follow-up questions, please do not hesitate to contact us again.

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AIC 20 – B R

Citizens Advice financial capability

Council tax arrears

Thank you for your enquiry. Citizens Advice offers free, confidential and impartial advice.

Your reference for this enquiry with us is xxxx

If you return to Citizens Advice via our online, telephone or face to face advice services, please quote this client reference.

I’ve had a further look at the information you’ve given me. As well as the advice you were given today, I would like to offer some more information about how council tax works that I think would be useful to you both now and in the future.

Council tax can be difficult to understand. It’s worth knowing that there are lots of possible discounts that apply to you though, here’s one of our pages with a detailed list of what discounts are available. If you think you qualify, contact your local council to discuss this.

The PayPlan website has some great tips about budgeting for your council tax and avoiding arrears, or how to deal with them if they do build up.

We appreciate that council tax can sometimes seem rather complicated, so if you have any follow-up questions, please do not hesitate to contact us again.

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AIC 20 – B

Citizens Advice financial capability

Payday loans and doorstep lenders

Thank you for your enquiry. Citizens Advice offers free, confidential and impartial advice.

Your reference for this enquiry with us is xxxx

If you return to Citizens Advice via our online, telephone or face to face advice services, please quote this client reference.

I’ve had a further look at the information you’ve given me. As well as the advice you were given today, I would like to offer some more information about short-term loans that I think would be very useful to you both now and in the future.

This loan calculator can give you some idea of what different loans can cost, taking things like interest rate and the term of the loan into account. Play around with it and see how it works.

If you want to complain to a payday loan company, here is a template letter you can use. Just fill in a few details and our website will use these to write a letter for you that will be ready to print off and send.

One thing we often recommend for small, short-term loans is for our clients to go to a credit union. If you’re not a member of a credit union, here’s some information about how credit unions work. If you’re interested, here’s a website that will tell you where your nearest credit union is.

We appreciate that sometimes it may feel that loans such as these feel like the only option, so if you have any follow-up questions or want advice on other less well-known options, please do not hesitate to contact us again.

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AIC 20 –A C R

Citizens Advice financial capability

Relationship breakdown

Thank you for your enquiry. Citizens Advice offers free, confidential and impartial advice.

Your reference for this enquiry with us is xxxx

If you return to Citizens Advice via our online, telephone or face to face advice services, please quote this client reference.

I’ve had a further look at the information you’ve given me. As well as the advice you were given today, I would like to offer some more information about going forward without your former partner that I think would be useful to you both now and in the future.

Try using this divorce and separation calculator to balance your new financial situation.

Here are some really useful practical tips and information if you are separating or getting divorced. You can treat this as a sort of checklist of things you should do, or think about doing.

We appreciate that the breakdown of a relationship can be a stressful time, so if you have any follow-up questions, please do not hesitate to contact us again.

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AIC 20 – B R

Citizens Advice financial capability

Losing a partner

Thank you for your enquiry. Citizens Advice offers free, confidential and impartial advice.

Your reference for this enquiry with us is xxxx

If you return to Citizens Advice via our online, telephone or face to face advice services, please quote this client reference.

I’ve had a further look at the information you’ve given me. As well as the advice you were given today, I would like to offer some more information about how to cope with the loss of a partner that I think would be very useful to you now and might be otherwise hard to find.

It can be upsetting to continue receiving post for a partner after they’ve passed away, this mail register will stop you receiving such mail.

Funerals can be a lot to consider, there is a great deal of information on how to organise and pay for a funeral on our website.

This pension calculator is one that many clients find useful after they’ve lost a partner.

Here’s a video showing some of the ways you can take over the budget now, it’s only a few minutes long.

We appreciate that losing a partner can be deeply upsetting, so if you want any support following up from this issue, please do not hesitate to contact us again.

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AIC 20 –B L R

Citizens Advice financial capability

Delays in benefits

Thank you for your enquiry. Citizens Advice offers free, confidential and impartial advice.

Your reference for this enquiry with us is xxxx

If you return to Citizens Advice via our online, telephone or face to face advice services, please quote this client reference.

I’ve had a further look at the information you’ve given me. As well as the advice you were given today, I would like to offer some more information about some common benefit problems that I think would be useful to you both now and in the future.

Try using this quick cash finder to work out ways to make your money last longer whilst waiting for your benefits.

Here’s some really useful information about what benefits are changing, and when the changes are kicking in.

Here’s a useful three-minute introduction to Universal Credit video, that’s a change in benefits that will affect millions of people in the next year.

This short video can also give you some ideas on cutting back your costs.

This useful Housing Benefit bedroom calculator can be used to work out any cuts that might affect your Housing Benefit.

We appreciate that benefit changes can be stressful and complex, so if you have any follow-up questions, please do not hesitate to contact us again.

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AIC 20 –B R U

Citizens Advice financial capability

Credit repair

Thank you for your enquiry. Citizens Advice offers free, confidential and impartial advice.

Your reference for this enquiry with us is xxxx

If you return to Citizens Advice via our online, telephone or face to face advice services, please quote this client reference.

I’ve had a further look at the information you’ve given me. As well as the advice you were given today, I would like to offer some more information about repairing your credit rating that I think would be useful to you as you go forward.

When you’re looking at your existing debts, it’s always useful to do a debt test and then make decisions on what to do next.

It’s important to keep talking to the people you owe money to, this short video from the Money Advice Service shows why.

It’s a good idea to check your credit report with credit agencies, the main ones are Experian, Equifax, and Call credit. Your first credit report with each of them is free, but after that you need to pay for their monthly reports. Alternatively, both Noddle and Clearscore offer free credit reports.

An easy way to improve your credit rating is to get on the electoral register. You can register to vote online easily.

It might seem strange, but some credit cards are designed especially to help you improve your credit history, they’re called credit-builder cards, and the money saving expert website has some great information on them.

We appreciate that dealing with credit reference agencies can seem intimidating, so if you have any follow-up questions, please do not hesitate to contact us again.

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AIC 20 – C R

Citizens Advice financial capability

Checking benefit entitlements

Thank you for your enquiry. Citizens Advice offers free, confidential and impartial advice.

Your reference for this enquiry with us is xxxx

If you return to Citizens Advice via our online, telephone or face to face advice services, please quote this client reference.

I’ve had a further look at the information you’ve given me. As well as the advice you were given today, I would like to offer some more information about benefits and local assistance that I think would be useful for you to investigate as soon as you can.

Use this benefits calculator to find out what benefits you could get and how to claim them.

Although it's quite simple, you’ll still need accurate information about:

your savings your income your existing benefits and pensions your outgoings your council tax bill.

Because of this, we often recommend you do this budget planner first, as it can give you a rough idea of answers for some of the information you’ll need for the benefits check.

It’s difficult to advise you on specific local welfare assistance funds in your area so it’s well worth contacting your local council as a starting point. If you’re still unsure of how to get local help, you can use this interactive map as a starting point.

If you have any follow-up questions, please do not hesitate to contact us again.

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AIC 20 –B R U

Citizens Advice financial capability

Reclaiming Payment Protection Insurance (PPI)

Thank you for your enquiry. Citizens Advice offers free, confidential and impartial advice.

Your reference for this enquiry with us is xxxx

If you return to Citizens Advice via our online, telephone or face to face advice services, please quote this client reference.

I’ve had a further look at the information you’ve given me. As well as the advice you were given today, I would like to offer some more information about reclaiming PPI that I think would be useful for you to follow up on.

The Money Saving Expert website is great. It has a step by step guide of how to make a claim and even has handy template letters you can download and add your details to. It makes reclaiming any PPI really straightforward and more importantly, it’s totally free.

As an alternative to that, the Which? website has a great page covering the same points and again it has a template letter to help you.

We appreciate that contacting banks can seem intimidating, so if you have any follow-up questions or need any support, please do not hesitate to contact us again.

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AIC 20 – K W

Citizens Advice financial capability

Generic online tools

Thank you for your enquiry. Citizens Advice offers free, confidential and impartial advice.

Your reference for this enquiry with us is xxxx

If you return to Citizens Advice via our online, telephone or face to face advice services, please quote this client reference.

I’ve had a further look at the information you’ve given me. As well as the advice you were given today, I would like to offer some more information about some really useful online tools that I think would be useful to you both now and in the future.

This savings calculator can be really useful if you want to save up for an event like a family holiday or a purchase like a car.

This budget planner can give you a good feel for how to do a basic budget for your own household.

This debt test is often a good first step if you are thinking about trying to repair your credit rating or reduce your existing debts.

You might be surprised at how much you spend on little purchases, and what they add up to, if you use this quick cash finder.

This beginners guide to managing your money video can provide some good tips for managing your money and this tips on saving money video can also give you some ideas on cutting back your costs.

The National Numeracy website is a good place to work on some core skills that can help you budget and even become more employable.

If you have any follow-up questions, please do not hesitate to contact us again.

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AIC 20 –B D N R

Citizens Advice financial capability

Citizens Advice advisers use only

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Citizens Advice financial capability

Citizens Advice advisers use only

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Citizens Advice financial capability

Citizens Advice advisers use only

Appendix – Petra codesCurrent Petra codes look like this, and it’s here that you need to log any financial capability that you do.

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Here is the first stage of AIC (advice issues codes) on Petra.

Here is the second stage of codes. Note that code 20 is the critical one that we must use to record financial capability.

Within code 20 are these AIC codes. Please use as many as you feel reflect the advice given to the client.