QSA is delighted to be working again with the Money and Pensions Service, to establish a network for people providing money guidance across England.
Following a competitive tender process, Quaker Social Action’s Made of Money team has been appointed by the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) to facilitate the establishment of a supportive network for people working or volunteering in money guidance across England. This project will contribute towards the UK Strategy for Financial Wellbeing, a ten-year framework led by MaPS. This will help achieve the vision of ‘everyone making the most of their money and pensions’, by enabling a wide range of practitioners to develop and improve the money guidance that they provide to people as part of their day-to-day roles. MaPS is the UK’s government-sponsored body with responsibility for improving people’s financial capability.
In developing the network, or ‘community of practice’, Made of Money will create a variety of learning and networking opportunities, as well as practical resources to help money guiders in their work, and signposting to MaPS’ more formal learning programmes for practitioners. In doing so the Made of Money team will draw on 15 years’ experience within QSA of working alongside people on low incomes in east London and beyond to improve their financial capability and well-being. This piece of work helps QSA to deliver on a key part of its mission: “to share our work with others when it is clear that it has the potential to bring benefits to communities outside of our own.”
The money guider network is for you if you provide some form of money-related guidance to individuals or groups in England, from young adults to older and retired people. A wide and diverse group of people perform this role: for example you might be a volunteer, community worker, housing officer, mental health professional, or money mentor. The people you help may be seeking money-related guidance on a specific life event, be vulnerable, or have complex needs. Often money guidance will be part of a wider support service which you provide, and it is likely that money guidance is not the first or only area in which you help your clients.
If you are interested in joining the money guider network in England, we would love to hear from you! Please do contact us on moneyguidernetwork@qsa.org.uk, and please do revisit our website where further information about the network will be available soon.