Money advice for people affected by mental illness
When you think of ways of helping people recover from mental illness, a money advice service probably isn’t the first thing which springs to mind. Here, mental health charity Hafal explains how its pioneering initiative is giving hundreds of people across
Traditionally care packages for people with mental illness have centred on providing medication and, if they are lucky, psychological therapies.
But recovery is not just about medication or other therapies which deal directly with symptoms.
For any individual the biggest step to recovery may be finding a great place to live, getting a job, establishing a good relationship with their family or meeting new friends.
Usually, there are a set of different things which are important to an individual’s recovery. One of these things is getting on top of finances.
As a member-led organisation, we are very
aware of the financial issues facing people affected by a mental illness.
Over the years many of our members have experienced money problems, sometimes because of their illness.
Additionally, the mental health problems of many of our members have been exacerbated by money problems.
So, in 2017, we were excited to launch the Mental Health and Money Advice Service, run in Wales by Hafal (as part of Mental Health UK) and funded by the Lloyds Banking Group.
The service is one of the most innovative national services ever set up to support people affected by a mental illness.
What does the service deliver? Our remit is simple: we provide clear, practical advice and support specifically for people experiencing issues with mental health and money.
The support comes from a trained advice team and a comprehensive, bilingual website.
In practice, the service has supported hundreds of people to cope with their financial problems – and undoubtedly has been a lifesaver for many.
Take, for example, one client from Cardiff who was off work due to a breakdown. She was still in receipt of full sick pay but had no idea about what lay ahead when her pay was reduced or – if she was unable to return to work – she lost her job.
This particular client had accessed specialist mental health services with a diagnosis of complex post traumatic stress disorder. However, she was lost in the system and lacking vital support.
The advice team guided and supported the client through the complex maze of the welfare benefits system at every stage of her journey, from half-pay to statutory sick pay, and then through the transition to benefits on a contributory level.
The team put disability payments in place for the client along with successful awards of other related premiums.
The team then supported her to manage her money, overcome her debts, increase her income through the uptake of welfare benefits, and access available discounts and reductions.
We also supported the client to access the relevant mortgage advice and support needed to keep a roof over her family’s head.
The client is now able to function financially and has learned key budgeting skills.
Imagine if that support hadn’t been in place. Imagine if the client, who was experiencing the frightening and debilitating symptoms of mental illness, had not had access to the advice of experts.
The story could have had a very different ending because, let’s face it, managing our money and securing an income has a profound effect on our quality of life, security and well being.
Most importantly, when moving on from our service, the client told us that we “made her feel like a human being”.
That’s the most important aspect of all Hafal’s services: they treat the clients with respect and humanity. And our concern is that this is not the case with many financial services.
Unsurprisingly, the results of the Mental Health and Money Advice Service have already been phenomenal.
Since the service’s launch in 2017, the team has reached a milestone of over £1m gains for their clients in Wales. This is a staggering achievement, way beyond anything we ever imagined.
Furthermore, we have received many letters and emails of support including from AMs thanking us for the vital help their constituents have received.
What can we learn from this success? First and foremost, it proves that there is a huge need for support in this area – and Wales should never again be without a national advice and support services which focuses on mental health and money.
The service also points to the need for a more holistic approach to mental health services.
By providing tailored support in the area of finance we have been able to significantly improve the outcomes for a very vulnerable client group.
There are many other life areas which contribute to wellbeing – including education, employment, social life, physical health; the list goes on.
Future mental health services which really want to innovate should treat the whole person and provide expertise in key areas, and not only concentrate on medications and talking therapies.
Let’s hope that in the coming years we can continue to innovate with services which are like the Mental Health and Money Advice Service – that is, equally available across Wales, specifically targeted at a key issue, and respectful of their clients.