Introducing the Higher Education Toolkit

1. Introducing the Higher Education Toolkit August, 2019

2. Why use this toolkit? • This toolkit was developed specifically to help advisers in local offices provide financial capability support to clients who are studying in higher education here in the UK. • It is not expected that clients will be coming into local offices with specific queries relating exclusively to student finance: however, as part of our integrated advice model, advisers are likely to find that some of their clients may also be students in higher education, and could require with further support in this area.

3. Are advisers meant to be student experts now? Always remember: Citizens Advice is not a specialist in detailed areas of student finance. In fact, most universities have variations of Money Doctors, Student Support Services, or Advice and Resource Centres, and we should always be supporting clients to contact these specialist centres directly for expert advice. We are not student finance advisers Citizens Advice is not trying to fill a role as a specialist adviser in student finance. However, our advisers often come across clients from a wide range of backgrounds and in a wide range of situations. Many are students in higher education, and require some support regarding their student finance matters are part of a larger, broader range of support on their financial matters and any other issues. This toolkit is designed for advisers to be confident of – and share – the basics with a client.

4. The principles of the Higher Education toolkit The toolkit is designed with the unique needs of students in mind. Every topic considers a students particular needs, and offers advice catered directly to meet those needs. • Explaining loans, grants and student finance in general • Council tax – an area that varies greatly depending on a students living arrangements • Shared bills and named accounts – a source of pitfalls for young people away from home for the first time. • Student overdrafts • Tracking spending, and termly budgeting

5. Keeping the toolkit relevant The financial aspect of higher education is very complex: even more importantly, it is a constantly changing landscape of funding, loans, grants and eligibility. After extensive consultation, we’ve decided that it simply isn’t sensible to fill this toolkit with figures and detailed technical information for several of the sections, as they will need to be updated extremely frequently (as well as making this toolkit hundreds of pages long!). Instead, each link is provided next to a QR code that can be used to find further information. This also saves us having lengthy URL strings in the toolkit itself.

6. Tips to keep in mind Advisors are not expected to use this toolkit in isolation: it does not exist in an isolated project, and was never developed as part of a discrete pilot. The activities in this toolkit are ones that have been designed to specifically complement clients in Higher Education. However, advisers will find them most useful when combined with other existing activities from our broader, more generic financial capability suite of over 200 resources. Advisors are encouraged to use the activities in this toolkit to help tailor existing sessions – or inform new sessions – when working with clients in Higher Education. Remember – this information is just for generalist Citizens Advice advisers to know and provide the basics of student finance, and offer budgeting support for a student clients unique needs. If more detailed advice is needed, always signpost the client to a specialist.

7. Advisers Handout Is it for advisers, or clients? The toolkit is written in plain language that is appropriate for students. In fact, it contains many handouts and factsheets that advisers are encouraged to give to students to take away. That said, some sections are aimed more directly at advisers. These sections will be noted clearly in the top-right corner of the page, and those sections aimed directly at clients will similarly be labelled clearly as shown.

8. The toolkit model, and the client journey There is also a detailed introduction section available Stage One – Providing detailed signposting and general guidance on the student finance landscape, this stage contains information that Citizens Advice advisers may not be familiar with but that student money advisers will likely know very well. Stage Two – Providing detailed signposting and general guidance on the specific financial capability issues that affect students, this stage contains information that student money advisers may not be familiar with but that Citizens Advice advisers will likely know very well.

9. Stage One – Student finance Stage One contains many references and detailed links to current sources of funding information, as well as detailed information on grants and other sources of income. There are also brief overviews included to offer some support and initial guidance for students and non-specialist advisers supporting them. We would generally recommend that a generalist advice charity try to involve a specialist from a higher education institution to provide this support, but there are times this is not practical. In those cases, thorough signposting and initial guidance should be provided. Stage One – Providing detailed signposting and general guidance on the student finance landscape, this stage contains information that Citizens Advice advisers may not be familiar with but that student money advisers will likely know very well.

10. Stage two – Student budgeting Stage Twois for use with students who need assistance on broader budgeting support outside the immediate confines of student finance and students grants, loans and further support. Unlike Stage One, this is a step we recommend an organisation with an established track record of providing financial capability undertakes – such as Citizens Advice - but information and support is provided in detail to support provision of this advice from student advisers who may have more detailed specialism in other areas. Stage Two – Providing detailed signposting and general guidance on the specific financial capability issues that affect students, this stage contains information that student money advisers may not be familiar with but that Citizens Advice advisers will likely know very well.

11. Collaborating and supporting one another

12. Citizens Advice – Recording sessions • Each activity in the toolkit has some recommended AIC codes for them. • Advisers do not have to use these if they feel their particular intervention did not cover the recommended areas, but generally these codes will accurately reflect the intervention. • Further advice on Citizens Advice evaluation methods is also included in the toolkit. The recommended AIC code is here

13. What happens next? For those local offices interested in new and innovative models, which are catered to address the differing channels and needs of our clients, they can see the various toolkits available in the Resource Toolkits tab of the financial capability section of the Citizen Advice website. Further toolkits will be added as they leave the testing stage of their respective projects. • The Higher Education toolkit is designed for use with clients in Higher Education. • However, although the toolkit is provided for all local Citizens Advice and partner organisations to use, it is still very much a ‘work-in-progress’ and should be used as such. • New versions will be uploaded online at regular intervals, in response to continued feedback and practical testing.

14. For any further information or feedback, contact us at Financial.Skills@citizensadvice.org.uk

15. The Financial Capability and Consumer Education Team • Bas Diablos • Financial Capability Development Lead Dominic Mukwamba • Financial Capability Development Officer Mel McGinn Consumer Education Development Consultant • Abby Samuel • Financial Capability Development Officer

16. Presented by: Date: