Money Guiders Case Study - Rowena New
The Money Guiders Network is a free UK-wide programme designed to help individuals and organisations develop the skills and confidence to have effective conversations about money. Aimed at professionals whose role involved supporting others with money-related issues, the service provides practical tools to find information, explore options and access support for any kind of money matter.
We spoke with Rowena, a long-standing network member, about her journey with Money Guiders.
“I work in the primary care network. Which basically means the NHS joins 6 practices to make one network. I help people when they have debt problems, housing problems, long term health conditions, anything really.”
Rowena has been a member of the Money Guiders Network for most of her time in her current role, joining after a colleague recommended it.
“A previous colleague got me into it. I’ve been doing my job for 5 and a half years now, so probably about five years ago I joined the network."
As someone who regularly has conversations with people experiencing financial difficulties, Rowena found the network filled an important gap in her knowledge and helped build her confidence around Money Guidance.
“We don’t usually get lots of specialist training on finances, money management and debt benefits. But like I said, my colleague told me about it and my learning sort of went from there.”
We asked what the most valuable parts of the network, one session which stood out to Rowena focused on Personal Independence Payment (PIP), a topic she encounters frequently in her work.
“You did a session on PIP, which was really useful because people get all jittery at PIP reviews. We are not meant to help specifically with filling in the forms, but now I understand how to guide and help with ways to fill it in, and that really helps.”
Another memorable session covered the Mobility Scheme, giving Rowena knowledge she could immediately put into practice with patients.
“I have a patient I’m phoning today who was in a road traffic accident and now has some disabilities, so I feel I can now tell him things about the Mobility scheme, it’s really helpful.”
She encourages others to make the most of the opportunities available through the network and to take advantage of the resources on offer.
“I always make sure to make notes, even though I know you always send them on.
“I get your newsletter with the different events coming up and that’s really useful. I always go through that, and I use the e-learning throughout work too.”
For Rowena, the network provides not only practical support and learning opportunities, but also a valuable sense of connection with others in similar roles.
“I think everyone’s so down to earth. I work from home quite a lot, it’s nice to sort of have that connection with other people that might have similar roles. It’s like I’ve almost got to know you all there. I’ve been doing it so long.”
After more than five years with the money guiders network, Rowena continues to use the training, resources and supportive community to better support the people she works with every day.