Money Worries

Starting conversations about money and raising awareness of support

‘Money Worries’ is run by NHS Shetland, Shetland Citizens Advise Bureau (CAB) and Anchor for Families. Shetland Islands Council (SIC) also support money worries and organise the bookings. The focus is to deliver training and information sessions which seek to:

• highlight the relationship between poverty and health,
• encourage professionals to start conversations about money and to understand the value in using existing relationships to initiate this discussion,
• raise awareness of local support services such as CAB and Anchor and, through the use of case studies, to demonstrate the impact they can have in reducing poverty for individuals and families
• encourage attendees to refer the people they support for financial help

From April 2022 to March 2023:

• 215 people were booked on the course
• 155 people attended the course
• Those attending included employees of SIC, Third sector, and NHS; as well as volunteers from local community organisations.

Feedback showed that 97% of respondents had found the session useful. People felt they had gained confidence and knowledge around raising the issue of money with individuals.

“The knowledge I have gained will help when dealing with customers directly, supporting and training my team as well as in my personal life”

The Cost of Living crisis raised the profile of Money Worries which was a recognised opportunity for increasing local capacity for supporting individuals and households experiencing financial pressures. There was an increased demand between April 2022 and March 2023 compared to the previous year. CAB had a 23% increase in the number of client contacts and a 25% increase in the number of issues it advised. The financial gain for clients, mostly through successful benefit applications, was up by 22% on the previous year to £1,920,625.

Money Worries links strongly to our ‘Money’ and ‘People’ priorities. Through the programme, more people should be able to access the support they need to minimise their outgoings with low income household benefitting from reduced bills; as well as receiving support to maximise incomes.