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Financial capability forums

Financial skills for life (FSfL) is committed to working with others to help people develop their skills and confidence to avoid financial crisis. We promote and engage with interagency networking and projects at a national, regional and local level.

Overview

Since January 2007 Citizens Advice has supported 14 regional financial capability forums – in England and Wales through its Financial Skills for Life programme. This builds on the successful example of the north west forum which began three years previously. Read more about the north west forum celebrating it’s tenth anniversary

The forums are led by bureaux or other community partners and bring together key local and national players from every sector of government and society. Participants support each other by sharing information and experience and the emphasis in all forums is on involving everyone with an interest in delivering or engaging with financial capability.  

The forums have already attracted participants from more than 1,300 organisations through regular meetings in their area and have channelled more than £1 million of national funding to forum members to help them promote financial capability in their communities. For example, members have delivered projects such as Save Xmas and Energy Best Deal, and have provided training to more than 150,000 people. Forums also provide members with access to Citizens Advice training materials and programmes.

Why join the forum?

Whether your agency is already experienced in delivering financial capability, setting up a new service or just interested, the forum can help you to:

  • meet people from other organisations such as community advice agencies, housing associations, local authorities, credit unions, voluntary agencies, private sector funders, government departments
  • share ideas and experience
  • work with others to help people take control of their money
  • influence local policy and practice.

Finding out more about the forums

Find out what the forums do and read what members say.

A short film about members’ experience of being part of a financial capability forum is now on YouTube

The financial capability forum national newsletter is published quarterly and includes updates on forum partnership projects, individual forum members' work, Citizens Advice activities and national initiatives.

For more about the forums please contact your local forum coordinator or email Beth Bell, the national forums coordinator.

Citizens Advice