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  • Independent Advice and Debt - future plans

    Topics:
    • Voluntary and community, 
    • Voluntary and community strategies and policies

    As part of the Voluntary and Community Sector Support Programme, the Department for Communities aims to develop a refreshed independent advice and debt policy and delivery framework. This policy and delivery framework will include a focus on the future commissioning of quality advice services to allow for a more strategic integrated approach, in which the debt levy funding will also be a key element. A review of independent advice and debt sectoral needs will inform how we can better support the sector to deliver outcomes set out in any future Programme for Government.

    Future plans

    We are committed to engaging with a wide range of organisations in the sector, including those supported through our existing funding programmes as well as those that are not, as well as involving other stakeholders such as other Departments, Local Government partners and independent funders.

    We are also working with an Independent Advice and Debt Reference Group comprising a range of sectoral interests, through which we will draw on lived experience, expertise and knowledge, and together explore a range of insights and ideas in the design of new approaches.

    The Strategic Investment Board are assisting the Department with this work and are conducting a series of engagements, including thematic design workshops. These workshops are taking place at different locations around NI. Each workshop will involve up to 40 participants and will focus on various key themes, including, but not limited to, identifying the evidence of need for advice provision in NI, identifying gaps in support and identifying the priorities to support independent advice and debt delivery in the future.

    Have your say

    You can sign up for one of the following events: The workshops are open to all organisations who engage with or support independent advice and debt delivery.

    Supporting materials for the workshop events are available on the DfC website.

    Key Themes

    When

    Where

    Eventbrite Booking Details

    Role of Independent Advice Sector

    Thursday 27 April 9.30am – 1.00pm

    Portadown Town Hall- Minor Hall
    15 Edward Street, Craigavon BT62 3LX

    Registration now closed

    Need for Independent Advice

    Friday 12 May 9.30am-1.00pm

    HillCrest Trust 10 Trench Road, Derry/Londonderry, BT47 2DS

    Registration now closed

    Partnerships and Collaborative Working

    Thursday 1 June 9.30am – 1.00pm

    Stiles Community Centre 11 Fountain Hill, Antrim, BT41 1LZ

    Registration now closed

    Best Practice

    Friday 23 June 9.30am – 1.00pm

    The Junction, 12 Beechvalley Way, Dungannon, BT70 1BS

    Registration now closed

    Debt specific

    Wednesday 23 August
    9.30am – 2.00pm

    Conference Room A, NICVA Headquarters
    61 Duncairn Gardens Belfast BT15 2GB

    Registration now closed

    Places are limited, therefore we request only 1 person per organisation register and attend each event.

    If you require any further information, please contact: AdviceServices.Team@communities-ni.gov.uk

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