Debt advice supply survey
Matching service provision with client need is an important factor to consider for everyone working in the debt advice sector.
The Money Advice Service’s (MAS) latest research project aims to provide a comprehensive overview of where debt advice support is strongest and, just as importantly, where additional help is required.
The annual Supply Survey launched at the end of July and is unique in scope, covering both free to use and commercial organisations across all channels in the UK.
The survey will capture details of advice provision, and MAS will combine the results with research data on the ‘need’ for debt advice, as seen in the recent report A Picture of Over-Indebtedness, in order to map, and understand, where additional services are needed most, with results being available in early 2017.
Research has always been key to MAS’s work and the Supply Survey is a really vital input into decision making, enabling provision to be charted and understanding where additional funds are needed.
MAS will send a tailored report on the findings to everyone who completes the survey, which will demonstrate the extent to which the supply of debt advice compares to the need for debt advice, in your part of the UK. This will help you understand the picture of debt in your area, enabling you to demonstrate to funders where gaps in provision may exist, and to target services where there is greatest need.
To measure the supply of debt advice accurately, MAS needs information from as many providers of debt advice as possible. Even if you have provided no, or very little, debt advice in the last year, it is important that it captures that information. MAS knows you are time-crunched, so it has worked hard to make the survey as quick and straightforward to complete as possible.
A spokesperson for MAS said:
“The benefits of this research for housing associations are clear. We know that debt advice is effective at helping people resolve their difficulties and begin making repayments on the money they owe. This means that creditors are likely to recover their debts quicker and more efficiently.
“The data will give us the information we need to identify which areas have the greatest need for additional services to help with this.”
To contribute to this survey, please visit https://criticalsurveys.co.uk/?7534ha to get started.
If you have any questions, you can contact debtadviceresearch@moneyadviceservice.org.uk