Helpful Resources
Please see a selection of helpful resources to support your clients below.
If there is something which you think should be added, please email your suggestion to [email protected].
| Banking Resources - information about opening a bank account | |
| Citizens Advice | How to open a Bank account |
| Money Saving Expert | MoneySavingExpert's Guide to opening a Basic Bank Account. A guide to the best basic bank accounts for people with poor credit who can't get (or don't want) standard bank accounts. |
| Benefit Calculators - make sure you're not missing out on benefits with these free online checkers |
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| Entitledto | Use our free benefits calculator to find out what you're entitled to |
| Gov.UK | Gov.uk Guide to benefits calculators |
| Turn2Us | The Turn2us Benefits Calculator |
| Budgeting, Saving and Scams | |
| Money Helper | Interactive: Budget planner - Use the free online MoneyHelper Budget Planner tools to work out how much money you have coming in and what you are spending it on: |
| Money Helper | What to do if you’re worried about your energy bills after the price cap rise announcement. If you’re wondering how your household finances are going to be affected over the coming months, find out about the Ofgem energy price cap rise, Council Tax bills rebate and what other help the UK government has announced. |
| Money Helper | Interactive: Bill Prioritiser - Our quick, easy-to-use Bill prioritiser helps you understand which bills and payments to deal with first and how to avoid missing any payments |
| Money Helper | Living on a squeezed income: whatever is going on in your life, there are ways to make your income go further. Learn how to cut back on costs and see what extra help is available. |
| Money Helper | Information: Help with scams - Guidance for spotting, avoiding and recovering from scams. |
| Money Helper | Information: Making a savings habit - How do you make savings a part of your life? |
| Debt and Borrowing | |
| Money Helper | Information: Do you need to borrow money? Planning a big purchase or need some extra cash? Borrowing might seem like the obvious solution but there could be a better option. |
| Money Helper | Interactive: Dealing with debt - Our debt guidance can help you beat your money worries and find free debt advice near you. |
| Money Helper | Interactive: Where to get free debt advice - If you are struggling with debt, it can be hard to know where to turn. But with lots of free advice services available across the UK, you can find help in a way that is best for you. |
| Money Helper | Interactive: Money Navigator Tool - The coronavirus restrictions have affected millions of people and things are taking a while to recover. What this means for your finances will be very personal to you. So, if you are looking for money guidance but don’t know where to start, you’re not alone. |
| Money Helper | Information: Help with rent or mortgage arrears - Help if you are struggling with your mortgage or rent payments and information on government support if you can't pay your mortgage. |
| Money Helper | Information: Alternatives to payday loans - Before getting a payday loan, make sure you’ve stopped to consider these alternatives. |
| Money Helper | Information: Loan Sharks - Loan sharks are illegal, dangerous and can resort to intimidation or violence. Read our guide to find out how to avoid them by considering other options. |
| Financial Education | |
| Money Helper | Talking about money: If you need to talk to someone about money but aren’t sure how it will go, this guide will help you get started. Guidance to help you have those tricky conversations with friends and family about money. |
| Money Helper | Talking to children about money: Parents and carers play a crucial role in helping their children gain the money skills they need. |
| Money Helper | Improving your credit rating |
| Grant Search - find out if money is available for specific issues | |
| Citizens Advice | Grants to help pay energy bills |
| Citizens Advice | Help for home improvements |
| Gov.UK | Claim a grant through the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme |
| Gov.UK | Apply for a Test and Trace Support Payment |
| Gov.UK | Access to work grant |
| Gov.UK | Disabled Facilities Grant |
| Gov.UK | Sure Start Maternity Grant |
| Turn2Us | Turn2Us Grant search |
| Mental Health and Coronavirus | |
| Public Health England | Guidance for the Public on the mental health and wellbeing aspects of the Coronavirus |
| Mental Health Foundation | Looking after your Mental Health during the Coronavirus outbreak |
| MIND | Coronavirus and your Wellbeing |
| Samaritans | Advice if you are worried about your Mental Health during the Coronavirus outbreak |
| Mental Health Toolkits and Sources of Support | |
| Citizens Advice | PIP mobility and Mental Health: the rules for getting the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) mobility component have changed. You can now apply for it if you have a mental health condition that makes it difficult for you to plan or take a journey. |
| MIND | Information from MIND aimed at helping friends, family, carers and others to give support and take care of themselves too. |
| MIND | MIND's Guide to Support and Services. This is a useful A-Z for a range of Mental Health issues. |
| MIND | eLearning: MIND's Mental Health for Small Workplaces aims to build confidence in thinking and talking about mental health. |
| Money Saving Expert | MoneySavingExpert's Free Guide to Mental Health and Debt (download) covers how to handle debts when unwell, work with banks, free debt counselling, whether to declare a condition and more. |
| NHS | How are you feeling today NHS? A toolkit to check your own wellbeing or speak to and support colleagues with their emotional wellbeing. |
| Public Health England | Public Health England's "Every Mind Matters" aims to make it easier for everyone to look after their own wellbeing and improve their mental health, by providing a digital hub full of advice, tips and resources and a new online tool to help everyone create their own action plan. |
| Rethink Mental Illness | Click here for details of how to access Re-Think's "Mental Health in the Workplace Employers' Toolkit". It aims to help support employers to develop the knowledge to support the mental health of their workforce. |
| The Money and Pensions Service | Money problems and poor mental wellbeing |
| Money Management | |
| The Money and Pensions Service | Borrowing and credit |
| The Money and Pensions Service | Budgeting guidance |
| The Money and Pensions Service | Buying a home/mortgages |
| The Money and Pensions Service | Debt Advice Locator Tool |
| The Money and Pensions Service | Help managing debt |
| The Money and Pensions Service | How to save money on household bills |
| The Money and Pensions Service | Insurance |
| The Money and Pensions Service | Managing money in uncertain times: help if you are worried about missing payments, talking to creditors, living on a squeezed income and benefits |
| The Money and Pensions Service | Protecting yourself from fraudsters |
| The Money and Pensions Service | Savings |
| The Money and Pensions Service | Starting a family |
| Pensioners | |
| Age UK | Paying for Residential Care |
| The Money and Pensions Service | Pensions |
| Personal Independence Payment (PIP) | |
| Citizens Advice | Help with your PIP claim |
| pipinfo | More Information about claiming PIP |
| Universal Credit | |
| Gov.uk | Universal Credit Guidance and Information from Gov.uk |
| Gov.uk | Understanding Universal Credit |
| Useful advice and definitions | |
| Gov.uk | Benefit Cap Guide |
| Utilities | |
| Money and Pensions Service | Updated guidance for people struggling with energy bills can be found here. |
| Wessex Water | Affordability schemes: Find out more about our wide range of support schemes and how to apply. |
| Wiltshire Services | |
| Warm and Safe Wiltshire |
Warm and Safe Wiltshire are a great source of information and have a range of funding and grants (food, fuel, replacement heating systems etc.) |
| Wiltshire Council | Your Care Your Support is an online directory of care and support services in Wiltshire. You can use it to find local social activities, care and support providers, help around the home, financial advice, information on health and wellbeing and more to help you to live independently. |