Our quality framework comprises of two interlinked and essential parts – the ‘organisational’ quality framework and the ‘individual’ quality framework, which together, form our approach to ensuring the high quality of debt advice services in both the free-to-client and fee-charging sectors.
The framework provides a single, transparent and consistent mechanism which enables quality standards, membership codes, training and qualifications currently used in the debt advice sector to be assessed against the requirements of the framework and achieve accreditation from the Money and Pensions Service. This will ensure that both an organisation and its individual advisers are delivering consistent and high quality debt advice.
Read the MaPS Debt Advice Quality Framework in full.
Accreditation of Training and Qualifications
The MaPS Debt Advice Quality Framework also includes a framework for individuals which identifies the activity sets that are undertaken throughout the debt advice journey across a variety of roles, from initial contact, support work, advice, casework and specialist advice, through to representation and supervision.
Each of the six debt advice activity sets in the MaPS Debt Advice Quality Framework for Individuals are defined here. These can be used as a guide by supervisors, debt advisers and assessment professionals to help identify appropriate training courses
During the development of the framework, each activity was mapped against the relevant National Occupational Standard (NOS) suite and units. The results of this process can be found in section 3.4 – 3.6. Section 3.3 provides the high level summary of each activity and identifies the NOS that now form the core requirements for each activity set.
The framework enables the owners of debt advice training and qualifications
(including internal training programmes) to submit their training and qualification
programme content and assessment processes for mapping, and for an
independent external assessment against the framework. Applicants are asked to
identify the debt advice activity set that each course and qualification is designed
to support, aligned with the framework. Independent assessors will determine
whether each training course or qualification meets the quality framework
criteria, or if further development is required before it can be recommended
for accreditation.
The NOS used in the development of the framework are owned principally by Skills
for Justice. The detailed NOS content and the knowledge units within each, are the
basis against which the training and qualification programme content is assessed
and mapped to the framework for individuals.
The accreditation scheme provides a transparent framework and an accredited
pathway for debt advice organisations and individual advisers. Any potential
new employer taking on an adviser who has completed accredited training and
qualifications will have assurance about the competence and ability of the adviser
to take on a new role. This will help to facilitate career progression for advisers
across the sector.
For more information and to apply for assessment please visit our independent assessors site here.