Support Framework for Independent Advice and Debt Services

Overview

The Department for Communities (DfC) is seeking views on draft proposals to support the delivery of independent advice and debt services in Northern Ireland.  For the purposes of this consultation independent advice and debt services refers to the Department funded community-based advice and regulated debt advice services. It does not include specialist Housing Advice delivered by Housing Rights.

The document puts forward draft proposals for how the Department will work with local government and independent advice providers to ensure that people can access consistent quality advice regardless of where they live in NI, with a focus on ensuring that the Department’s investment:

• supports independent advice and debt service-providers to meet needs on the ground;
• strikes the right balance between supporting frontline community delivery and regional services; and
• supports collaboration and joining up of services to minimise duplication, maximise resources and improve outcomes for clients.

Proposals are geared towards achievement of a cohesive partnership between DfC, the District Councils and the independent advice and debt sector, underpinned by ‘Guiding Principles’ that are a reference framework for how services should be delivered.

The Department is seeking views on these draft proposals through this questionnaire. If you are responding on behalf of an organisation, we would ask that only one person from each organisation submits a response.

For this consultation, a summary of responses will be published, all participants will be referred to as respondents. No consultees will be identified by the organisation they are responding on behalf of. A response document on the public consultation and final policy framework will be published in due course on the Departmental website.

The Departmental retention and disposal schedule will be adhered to in relation to the survey responses received.

Your response, and all other responses to this consultation, may also be disclosed on request in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR); however all disclosures will be in line with the requirements of the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA) and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (UK) 2016/679.

If you want the information that you provide to be treated as confidential it would be helpful if you could explain to us why you regard the information you have provided as confidential, so that this may be considered if the Department should receive a request for the information under the FOIA or EIR.

In order to facilitate the survey, Citizen Space, which is not operated by DfC, is used as a data processor. Details of Citizen Space's privacy policy can be found online at Citizen Space Privacy Policy. 

To find out more about how we handle your personal information, DfC’s Privacy Notice can be viewed online at DfC Privacy Notice.