Working with our Impact Partner The CHS Group
Money Matters and Mental Health Online Workshop
There are two prongs to this project:
- Individual 1:1 Money Matters support from our Money Matters Advisors (to prevent debt form arising) for those with
moderate to severe mental health issues. - To raise awareness of mental health issues and the link with debt amongst front line workers who provide Money and Debt advice to their clients and to help them to understand where their clients can access support for their MH issues.
We worked with The CHS Group to create and develop a bespoke Mental Health Training For Money Advisors. Danielle has delivered to over 60 Advisers so far with more sessions coming up.
This work has been funded by Cambridgeshire County Council as part of a small ‘Debt Prevention’ contract that CHS has with them.
Thoughts from the client
Mental Health Awareness training session – for those who deliver money or debt advice or support their clients with any money issues.
This has been offered widely across the county and not just to CHS staff. It is part of the small contract we have with the County Council.
The learning from the Mental Health Awareness training session has had a wider impact than just on our organisation. More widely it has been very helpful in raising awareness of mental health issues and how these interact with money and debt issues and allowed discussion to take place which have been very useful. The sessions have provided information on where to signpost and refer Money and Debt clients who have mental health issues, so this has resulted in staff being better informed about all of this and better able to support their clients, signpost and refer them for help with Mental Health issues.
When drafting the ‘Debt Prevention’ bid for the County Council I was very keen to address the subject of how mental health i issues, financial difficulties and debt interact.
I was very keen to get Danielle involved, as I knew that her engaging personality and deep subject knowledge of Mental Health issues would be the right fit for the audience. I explained to Danielle what was required. She created a bespoke 2.5 hour session on Mental Health Awareness for staff and volunteers who support their clients with money and debt issues.
I advertised the free sessions through the ‘Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Financial Capability Forum’, which CHS Group has been leading and facilitating since 2009.
The sessions have proved to be very popular. I have booked more sessions up until May 2022 (the end of the Debt Prevention Project funding). So far 56 people from a wide variety of organisations have attended and the feedback has been very good.