PinnedDebt can happen to anyone. That’s why Debt Awareness Week 2023 is so important.Written by Gail Arkle, Director of Client Experience, StepChange Debt Charity Debt Awareness Week 2023. What is debt advice? The answer may seem obvious to those of us who work in or close to the sector, however our insight demonstrates that many people don’t understand the term or know that…Debt Advice3 min readDebt Advice3 min read
PinnedBreathing Space — how’s it really going?By Peter Tutton, Head of Policy, Research and Public Affairs As people in the debt advice world know, the Breathing Space scheme — the first ever statutory protection for people while they work through debt advice — has been running since May last year. Yet it’s attracted a share of…Breathing Space10 min readBreathing Space10 min read
May 17Mental Health Awareness Week 2023: A Look at Clients with Stress or AnxietyBy Asiya Uddin, Research and Insight Officer at StepChange Debt Charity This week is Mental Health Awareness Week (MHAW), hosted by the Mental Health Foundation, and the theme this year is anxiety. In this blog post we explore our client debt advice data from 2022, to highlight some key findings…Mental Health5 min readMental Health5 min read
Apr 24Why StepChange supports the Consumer DutyWritten by Richard Lane, Director of External Affairs and Operating Subsidiaries at StepChange Debt Charity The Consumer Duty sets higher standards and will require more of firms — we explain why the changes the Duty brings are vital for people affected by problem debt. Credit is, in the right circumstances…Consumer Duty5 min readConsumer Duty5 min read
Mar 29Statistics Yearbook 2022: 3 Key FindingsBy Asiya Uddin, Research and Insight Officer Today marks the launch of our latest Statistics Yearbook, which highlights the demographic and debt situations of clients who contacted the charity between January and December 2022 for their most recent advice session. Like many households across the UK, our clients felt the…Debt4 min readDebt4 min read
Jan 24Marking 30 years of free debt adviceBy Phil Andrew, CEO of StepChange Debt Charity This week StepChange will mark 30 years of delivering free, impartial debt advice to those who need it. It’s an extraordinary milestone and I reflect with pride on how we’ve supported millions of our customers while the world has changed around us…Debt3 min readDebt3 min read
Nov 24, 2022A fresh start? Responding to the Insolvency Service review of the personal insolvency frameworkBy Ed McDonagh, Senior Public Policy Advocate The Insolvency Service’s recent call for evidence on the personal insolvency framework provides an opportunity to assess how well the framework is working from first principles. It will be no surprise to anyone that we see significant problems in the insolvency sector. It’s…Insolvency4 min readInsolvency4 min read
Aug 18, 2022Our thoughts on HM Treasury’s SDRP ConsultationBy Peter Tutton, Head of Policy, Research and Public Affairs The HM Treasury consultation on proposed Statutory Debt Repayment Plan (SDRP) regulations closed on 5 August. A link to StepChange’s response can be found here. StepChange remains a vocal supporter of the debt respite scheme — Breathing Space and the…Sdrp5 min readSdrp5 min read
Jul 19, 2022Top tips for parents worried about finances over school holidaysBy Andy Shaw, Debt Advice Policy Officer With over a third of parents worried their finances will suffer this summer, StepChange Debt Expert Andy Shaw shares his advice for saving money, getting all the help available and securing the best deals for families. The school holidays are set to begin…Summer6 min readSummer6 min read
Mar 22, 2022Stepping Up: our new strategy to 2025By Phil Andrew, CEO This week, it has been my absolute pleasure to unveil our new StepChange organisational strategy for the years to 2025. Originally planned to launch last year, uncertainties in the debt advice funding landscape gave us cause to pause, until in the end we decided that we…Strategy4 min readStrategy4 min read
