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Wessex Financial Capability Forum News NEXT MEETING IS ON 19th January 2012, 12pm to 4pm Venue: Compass Disability Services, 11‐12 Belvedere Trading Estate, Taunton, TA1 1BH (directions: http://g.co/maps/ebwq7) Meeting Topic: Benefit changes (chaired by Bristol CAB) This meeting will focus on the imminent changes to housing benefit, including:  Citizens Advice’s current social policy research around changes to benefits  Homelessness and the changes to housing benefit (Shelter)  Shared discussion on the wider impacts of welfare reform for our clients and what we can do as financial inclusion workers to support them Lunch provided at beginning WESSEX FORUM NEWS UPDATES ENERGY BEST DEAL: Energy Best Deal (EBD) delivery partners have now been selected and we are pleased to be working with the following organisations: Bristol Debt Advice Centre: EBD Champions and delivery partner Gloucester CAB: delivery partner North Bristol Advice Centre: delivery partner HMP Bristol: delivery partner Cheltenham, Cirencester & Tewkesbury CAB: delivery partner Community Council for Somerset: delivery partner Swindon CAB: delivery partner Community First (Wiltshire & Swindon Rural Community Council): delivery partner Please do contact us if you would like to arrange an Energy Best Deal presentation for your organisations or client group: [email protected] TOP TIPS FOR XMAS: HELP YOUR CLIENTS AVOID A CHRISTMAS DEBT HANGOVER…. This year, Bristol Debt Advice Centre on behalf of the Wessex Financial Capability Forum, is participating in the Citizens Advice leaflets campaign "Ten top tips to avoid a Christmas debt hangover". These FREE credit card sized leaflets, produced in partnership with Barclaycard, contain tips to help people manage their money and avoid falling into debt over Christmas. To order copies of the leaflet, please go to this address: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/toptipsorderform Simply fill out the form, indicating that you are working with the Wessex Financial Capability Forum, how many leaflets you would like, and the address details for the leaflets to be delivered to. The leaflets will then be distributed from mid‐October onwards. The leaflets are free and there is no charge for your order. BDAC SECURES FUNDING FOR FINANCIAL CAPABILITY BDAC has secured an innovation grant from The Money Advice Trust to pilot a project which aims to integrate debt advice and financial capability in a more holistic way. We are pleased to be working in partnership with Bristol University’s Personal Finance Research Unit on this project. We have also secured funding from Money Saving Expert.com to develop and deliver a financial capability project for ex‐offenders. Thank you to both of these trusts for the funding – we are really excited about starting these projects in January 2012. For more information, please contact BDAC’s Money Mentor, Jenny Wilde: [email protected] TWO FREE COURSES FOR FINANCIAL CAPABILITY TRAINERS: Lloyds Banking Group in partnership with the National Skills Academy for Financial Services is offering two fully‐funded courses in financial capability through its Money for Life Programme. Teach Me Financial Capability is an interactive online course covering a series of financial topics. With Teach Me you will gain:  Confidence and knowledge around key financial capabilities topics  Resources to teach your learners  A nationally recognised OCN qualification (Level 3) Teach Others Capability is a two‐day course which will enable those who are not qualified teachers – such as community or advice workers – to plan and facilitate financial capability sessions and workshops. WithTeach Others you will gain  Facilitation skills  The confidence to deliver short programmes or workshops  A nationally recognised OCN qualification (Level 3) You can find out more from the attached flyers, or for more information and to apply, please visit http://www.moneyforlifeprogramme.org.uk/qualifications/ PERSONAL FINANCE EDUCATION: WHAT IS IT FOR? AND HOW BEST TO DO IT? The School of Social Policy at the University of Birmingham welcomes applications for a funded PhD scholarship on the topic of . . . ‘Personal finance education: What is it for? And how best to do it?’ Context During the 1980s and 1990s, the financial landscape in the UK, as in many Western states, became increasingly complex with the growth of the credit industry, the mortgage market and electronic forms of money serving as just a few examples. At the same time, there has been a shift in responsibility and risk for welfare from the state to the individual. This has all placed much greater onus on individuals to develop financial capability in order to manage their money better and make informed choices. It is no surprise, therefore, that the last 10‐15 years have seen increasing interest in personal finance education in schools. And there is currently a move to make it part of the National Curriculum, with an All Party Parliamentary Group currently considering this. Research questions The research will ask the following questions: what is personal finance education for? Should it seek to change attitudes towards money or increase knowledge about personal finance? What kinds of attitudes and knowledge do people need? Should it seek to change behaviour around money and, if so, what kinds of behaviour should be promoted? These issues have generally become lost in the more immediate policy and practice issues but are vitally important and require detailed scholarly attention. These issues also relate to debates about behavioural psychology and the extent to which the state should become involved in 'nudging' if not compelling people to behave in certain ways. As well as looking at the purpose of such education, the PhD would also explore different methods of delivering it, drawing on lessons from overseas as well as the UK. There is currently discussion about whether personal finance education should be delivered through Maths or through PSHE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic education). There is also a discussion about whether such education can be effective if it is purely abstract rather than linked to more concrete forms of activity such as school‐based banks or credit unions. Research methods The precise methods to be used in the study will be finalised at an early stage of the process as there is some flexibility. Applicants will be expected to discuss their ideas for how to do the research in their application. The research could be carried out through a range of methods. For example, interviews with key stakeholders in the field may be useful to gauge their views about the purpose of personal finance education. We have strong links with the Personal Finance Education Group and could draw on these for the PhD. PFEG have agreed to give us access to their 35 'centres of excellence', largely schools which have strong track records of delivering personal finance education. They also have a database of 30,000 teachers interested in these issues. We could therefore also survey teachers for their views on the purpose of personal finance education. In seeking to evaluate different approaches, we could use a case study approach selecting schools who use different methods to teach in this field. We could then measure the impact of different methods on the children in those schools. Supervision within CHASM This PhD would be based within CHASM (Centre on Household Assets and Savings Management) in the School of Social Policy. CHASM has four workstreams, one of which is financial capability (led by Lindsey Appleyard). This PhD would build on some initial research carried out by Karen Rowlingson (Director of CHASM) and Lindsey Appleyard in Birmingham schools. The PhD would be supervised jointly by Karen and Lindsey. Funding and how to apply This research project has funding attached. It is only available to UK citizens or those who have been resident in the UK for a period of 3 years or more. The scholarship is only offered on a +3 basis for full‐time study. To be eligible, you must hold or be near completing a masters degree (or have equivalent research experience and expertise). The scholarship is funded at ESRC maintenance/fee rates. Early application is advised. You are recommended to send a draft research proposal and cv to Karen Rowlingson (see below), prior to making a formal application. Formal applications will be considered after 0900UTC Monday 9th January 2012. Please apply online following the URL below and quoting the code: 2223 http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/students/courses/postgraduate/apply‐pg/index.aspx Please send any informal enquiries to: Karen Rowlingson, Professor of Social Policy [email protected] See further details of CHASM at: www.chasm.bham.ac.uk NATIONAL STOP LOAN SHARKS NEWSLETTER See the attached newsletter for news from the fight against loan sharks PFEG'S FIRST E‐NEWSLETTER ‐ FREE RESOURCES FOR TEACHING ABOUT MONEY Welcome to pfeg's first ever e‐newsletter! The aim of our termly e‐newsletter is to keep you up to date on the world of financial education and let you know about the latest resources and tools for you to use in the classroom and beyond. We will be making more changes with each edition of the e‐newsletter so keep your eyes peeled. Do let us know if there is anything in particular you would like to see included in the future. Some of the topics in this newsletter:  Help for you ‐ call or email pfeg 
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Brilliant work done in My Money Week 2 New Quality Mark resource ‐ Teen Cash Class All Party Parliamentary Group on Financial Education for Young People My Money Week National Competition 2011 Pioneering work in primary teaching http://pfeg‐badger.iepreview.co.uk/email/campaign/archive/id/1d2c111c80da8cc218a59d7d81aec477 LIVERPOOL JOHN MOORES UNIVERSITY OFFERS NEW FINANCIAL INCLUSION COURSE Enrol now for this university qualification at undergraduate or post‐graduate levels. Promoting Financial Inclusion in Low Income Communities at the Research Unit for Financial Inclusion, Liverpool John Moores University. Starting January 2012. This course is designed for people working, paid or voluntary, in agencies and organisations concerned with financial inclusion or financial education in low‐income communities. It leads to the award of a University Certificate in Professional Development (CPD ‐ either at undergraduate (level 3) or post‐
graduate level (level M). This academic programme of studies aims to deepen understanding of poverty, over‐indebtedness and financial exclusion, and of the dynamics of financial capability education. It will explore Government policy, and the role of the financial services industry and of the community and voluntary sector in tackling financial exclusion. It will investigate how partnership approaches can, and do, work in practice. It has a particular focus on the role of social housing providers, local authorities, credit unions and money advice agencies. Teaching will be fortnightly over five full days. An optional sixth day will be arranged for tutorials. All Fridays. 9.30 a.m. – 3.30 p.m in Tithebarn St. Campus, Liverpool. The 5 teaching days are January 20th, February 3rd and 17th, March 2nd and 16th / Time: 9.30am – 3.30pm These days will be complemented by e‐learning, private study and optional tutorials. ENROL now for January 2012 ‐ Application forms available on the LJMU website and from Liverpool JMU. Tel: 0151 231 5829 or Email: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> Course fee ‐ £345 (level 3 or level M) (includes membership of the university with all facilities for one semester). Further information also available from http://www.ljmu.ac.uk/courses/cpd/92163.htm FUTURE WESSEX FINANCIAL CAPABILITY FORUM MEETINGS: 22nd March 2012, 12pm to 4pm @ The Southville Centre, Bristol Meeting Topic: Tools & Tips to engage clients in financial capability The final meeting for the 2011/2012 year, this meeting will evaluate the year and bring together shared learning among financial inclusion workers on ways in which to encourage clients to engage with early intervention services. (Lunch provided at beginning)