Emma RadmoreThe Money and Mental Health Policy Institute and the Money Advice Trust have jointly created a practical guide to understanding and evidencing customers’ mental health problems.
The guide is aimed primarily at those on the front line in debt collection teams. It aims to equip these staff with the tools to be able to understand the impact of mental health on a customer’s ability to manager their money and communicate with creditors.
The guide is split into the following sections:
- Section 1 – guides staff in the best way to have conversations with customers about mental health problems;
- Section 2 – discusses the pros and cons of requesting additional supporting evidence from customers. It looks at cost and inconvenience amongst other things;
- Section 3 – is an aide memoire for staff. It informs the user about the most common types of mental health problems together with the impact it can have on the customer’s ability to manage and earn money; and
- Section 4 – offers advice around crisis situations e.g. how to identify and react to a customer presenting as suicidal.