AdviceUK wins IMA Best New Initiative award 

AdviceUK’s Sustainable Debt Advice Project (SDAP) won the Best New Initiative Award at the Institute of Money Advisers (IMA) Annual Conference in Manchester on 20 May.

The IMA Best New Initiative Award celebrates initiatives that have improved the service to clients and have resulted in higher levels of performance and client satisfaction. 

SDAP is designed to improve long term funding for free-to-client debt advice agencies and to offer simpler repayment options for clients.  It builds on the ‘Fair Share’ creditor contribution model by making it available to clients who are only able to make low or token offers to their creditors, enabling them to make a single monthly payment to multiple creditors.  It provides a payment disbursement system that includes payments to priority creditors as well as consumer credit debts.

The IMA Performance awards were a great success for AdviceUK and our members.  As well as AdviceUK winning the Best New Initiative award, Bristol Debt Advice Centre won the Debt Team of the Year award and Sorcha Kennedy (from Money Saviour CIC) won the Money Adviser of the Year award.  Payplan (an SDAP partner organisation) won the Best Partnership award.

Click here to find out more about SDAP.

WelfareReform.net fully launched!

http://www.welfarereform.net

AdviceUK and IncomeMAX are excited to launch the website of their joint venture, WelfareReform.net, which will be a hub for information and learning events relating to welfare reform. Bringing together expertise from charities, advice services and government, WelfareReform.net aims to be a leading resource in the area of welfare reform. See below for details of our first event, Getting to know... PIP, which will be held at London’s Living Room, City Hall SE1 on Monday 29 April 2013.

Getting to know... PIP

Helping you understand the new Personal Independence Payment

In 2013 the government will introduce the Personal Independence Payment (PIP), a brand new disability benefit for disabled people aged 16-64. Affecting millions of disabled adults across the UK, PIP will be replacing Disability Living Allowance (DLA) in the most radical change to disability benefits for many years. This learning event will give you up-to-date and practical information: helping you to help your clients and service users. Click here for more details.

OISC assessment for immigration advisers

AdviceUK pushes for regional provision of assessment centres

The OISC recently announced plans to test the competence of prospective immigration advisers at assessment centres, rather than through online testing, as has previously been the case. Under the new arrangements, applicants would be invited to an assessment centre to take the competence test. We have contacted the OISC to remind them of the need to provide assessment centres that are easily accessible to organisations based outside London, particularly smaller charities and voluntary groups. The OISC has now confirmed that the implementation date has been put back until June at the earliest, so that they can ensure everything needed is in place. Please click here for further information.

Community Rights Grant Programme

The Community Right to Challenge Grant Programme managed on behalf of the Department for Communities and Local Government by The Social Investment Business in partnership with Locality with support from ACEVO, is now open for applications. The Fund is looking to invest £10.5 million in community groups in England to help them take over local services they can run more effectively.

Find out more

Discounted Telecoms

Advice UK has teamed up with The Phone Co-op to offer you a great deal on your line rental, calls and broadband.

For many of our members, telecoms services represent a significant proportion of their outgoings. We can provide you with discounted services from an organisation that shares your values. Whatever the size of your organisation, The Phone Co-op can provide you with the services and personal support to keep you connected.

For more information about the Phone Co-op, please look at http://www.thephone.coop/business/business.
For details of how members can access reduced rates, please contact 0300 777 0107

Strength in Advice

With deep cuts to public sector spending, unprecedented economic uncertainty, and rising demand for advice as household incomes are squeezed, you may be wondering where to start. We have some suggestions for how you can strengthen your work.