The authors

CPAG

The authors

This Handbook has been planned, developed and written by the members of the MATRICS team. Funded by the Scottish government, MATRICS (Money Advice Training, Resource, Information and Consultancy Service) is a partnership between Money Advice Scotland (MAS) and Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS).

Pauline Allan began her career as a social worker, moving into debt advice in the late 1990s. She was the manager of the Edinburgh City Council debt advice team and became coordinator of the MATRICS team in 2010.

Martin Barr has worked in various debt advice roles for over 30 years, primarily as a debt adviser, before joining MAS where he helped develop its first training programme. He currently works for CAS within the MATRICS team delivering the MATRICS learn programme.

Danna Higgins has worked in debt advice for 28 years. She was a frontline debt adviser in Edinburgh before joining the MATRICS team as a money advice consultant in 2016. She was involved in developing the MATRICS learn programme and delivers training and consultancy to debt advisers.

Estelle Kerr worked as a money adviser in Ross and Cromarty CAB, providing advice and financial education from 2013 to 2019. She became a housing adviser with Inverness, Badenoch and Strathspey CAB. She joined MAS in 2021 as a digital adviser before moving into the MATRICS team as a money advice consultant.

Lorna Maisey has worked in debt advice for nine years. She was a frontline debt adviser in West Lothian before joining the MATRICS team as a money advice consultant in 2022.

Ken McEwan has been involved in giving and training on debt advice since 1985. He has worked with MAS as a trainer since 2001 and is one of the original members of the MATRICS team.

Ged Mulvey has over 12 years of experience in debt advice. He has worked as a debt adviser for West Lothian Council and for Perennial, and is currently the training development lead at MAS. He has been a money advice consultant with MATRICS since 2018.

Joanne Porter is a welfare rights worker at CPAG in Scotland.

Details

Debt Advice Handbook Scotland 1st ed - with new material

Written in partnership with Citizens Advice Scotland, CPAG is delighted to announce the first edition of the Debt Advice Handbook Scotland. Based on CPAG’s best-selling Debt Advice Handbook, it details the stages of the debt advice process in Scotland and the key skills needed to give good advice. No money adviser should be without this essential guide.

The Handbook provides the most comprehensive information needed by advisers on the tools and strategies to help clients with their financial difficulties. It details the key stages of money advice, including on interviewing clients, establishing liability, prioritising debts, preparing a financial statement, negotiating with creditors and dealing with bailiffs. Emphasis is placed on taking due care of vulnerable clients and making sure that any payment arrangements agreed are appropriate. There is a focus on sustainable credit arrangements that do not affect a client’s abilities to pay essential living expenses and priority debts.

It is the go-to tool for specialist debt adviser as a first step in accessing primary legislation and regulations, and is also a reliable guide and training aid for the new debt adviser. Advisers who undertake debt advice alongside other sorts of advice work or other professional disciplines – such as social workers and housing officers – will find this handbook an indispensable resource.

Fully indexed and cross referenced to law, official guidance and to court and tribunal decisions, tactical guidance and examples are included throughou

Author(s):

CPAG

This content was last updated:2024-10-22

Word count182,696

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