People in financial difficulties reach us through our 0800 free phone numbers. They speak with a helpline counsellor who performs an immediate assessment of the situation ending in emergency help, self-help material or the offer of a counselling interview. The interview can take place over the phone or face to face in one of the centres.

The client is then sent information to help them prepare. The interview consists of a full review of the credit and debt situation followed by a recommendation. The first priority wherever possible is to allow fully for essential expenditure, priority debts and living expenses. Then the counsellor will assess whether the client has enough left over to make an offer of repayment to other creditors. If so, creditors are asked to freeze interest, stop penalties, accept a longer repayment period and sometimes a reduced sum.

Such is the quality of counselling that many creditors now accept our repayment proposals without further checking and the repayment records of clients we have counselled are uniquely good. This is because our counsellors follow the two key principles of best advice and sustainable plans.