Advice Work Pathway – Raising the Standards of Debt Advice

Description of the programme

Within this activity set, there are two training courses that the IMA offer which must be completed:

Money Advice in Practice

Referrals & Supporting Clients

Money Advice in Practice

A 2-day introduction to money advice designed to provide key foundational knowledge. It is appropriate for new money and debt advisers or as a refresher for those returning to the sector.

Learning objectives:

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

classify priority and non-priority debts and describe how to approach each type, identifying emergency action and challenges to liability,
describe the typical credit debt collection process and the procedures for an undefended money debt claim in the county court,
list the key information to request from clients and creditors, and understand the role of trigger figures in the Standard Financial Statement,
advise on how to deal with enforcement action, including listing the enforcement options available to creditors after a CCJ,
explain to your clients the key features, conditions and implications of the 4 formal insolvency options and list alternative solutions.

Referrals & Supporting Clients

This training is appropriate for new advice workers who will give money and debt advice or anyone who would benefit from an insight into the process in order to reassure clients, prioritise and refer appropriately.

Learning objectives:

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

support clients to identify their needs, including explaining the implications of options and checking understanding,
work with clients to prepare an action plan,
support clients to act on their own behalf, including establishing client capability and agreeing support,
review progress and outcomes with the client,
provide & receive referrals, including identifying when referral may be necessary.

Delivery Channel(s)

Face-to-face
Online webinar via Zoom

Currently both of the courses are only being offered in an online capacity however this may change depending on developments related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pre Requisite Learning / Pathway / Accreditation for Prior Learning

Delegates are required have successfully completed accredited courses covering the following skills sets, either with the IMA or another MaPS accredited training provider:

Initial contact
Support work

For the IMA’s pathway, you must have passed the IMA’s training and tests in:

Giving a Good Service to Clients

Individual Certification

Attendees are provided with information about MaPS Accreditation of a particular course by email prior to the course date. This information is contained within the booking confirmation email that an attendee receives to confirm their place on a course. It explains which Activity Set the course relates to and, where applicable, other courses that need to be completed within that Activity Set. In this case, the attendee will be advised that this course is part of the Advice Work activity set for MaPS accreditation alongside Money Advice in Practice/Referrals & Supporting Clients. It also explains that in order to obtain MaPS accreditation, there will be an online test for each course which must be passed.

Once the training has been completed they will receive a certificate to confirm this. This contains a footer explaining that this certificate alone is not proof of completing MaPS accredited training. If the delegate has successfully completed all parts of an accredited learning pathway, an additional certificate will be issued.

Once the test is completed, they receive email confirmation to confirm whether they have passed.

Once they have attended the necessary courses for a particular activity set and passed the required tests, in this case Money Advice in Practice and Referrals & Supporting Clients, they will receive an Activity Set Certificate, confirming their accreditation up to the level of Advice Work.

What are the outcomes?

This course is accredited to Advice Work level only. Advice activity will involve an adviser diagnosing the client's problem(s), giving information and explaining options and helping the client decide between options. The provision of information alone is not advice. Advice can include some action such as referral to another organisation, identifying options and next steps, giving assistance such as form filling and contacting third parties for information. There is no rule about the maximum number of client contacts.