Useful websites

DEBT AND MONEY MANAGEMENT
Community Money Advice (CMA)

Summary
Community Money Advice can provide you with the basic legal and practical steps to set up a Debt Advice Centre in your community, and will help you through each stage of the process.

Brief Description of organisation
CMA provides training, set-up, and ongoing support services for independent, affiliate, community debt advice centres. CMA Centres provide unconditional debt advice free to anyone in need. In October 2010 CMA gained the Charities Commission endorsed PQASSO Quality Mark - demonstrating the quality of CMA’s operations and services.

Start date of Organisation
2003, as a registered charity

No. of churches/ groups supported
98 (@ 10/2010)

Brief Description
CMA provide you with the legal and operational framework for running an effective advice centre, plus a range of benefits, services and direct support, in the context of a national community of advice centres.

Expected Results
CMA’s view is that ‘success’ comes with helping each individual in need, regardless of overall numbers, but typically a ‘mature‘ centre will have a ‘live‘ caseload of between 40 and 100 cases at any given time, with the clients’ debts being paid back, learning how to manage their money correctly for the future, relieved from stress and fear. It’s transformational work.

Advantages to church
The CMA model allows the flexibility to work according to resources available and the local community need, while having the support and credibility of being affiliated to a respected, national organisation.

Services provided by national organisation
We provide recognised training, policy and procedure formats approved by the Legal Services Commission, a free phone Adviceline (for your advisers’ use), case management software, support for CMA centres, free and automatic membership of AdviceUK giving access to a
free debt advice licence, discounted insurance, and free ongoing training. We also provide sector news, updates on legislative requirements etc, along with a range of web and paper based resources to support your work. Then through our local mentors, regional meetings, and national annual conference, you can meet others undertaking the same work, and feel part of an extended community with a shared vision.

Financial cost to church
Joining CMA costs (@ 2010/11) £775, with an annual renewal fee of £275 (by BACS or Standing Order).

Our two part (two day) Generalist Debt Advice Training course costs (@ 2010/11): £35 per head per day (phpd) for CMA members; £60 phpd for non-members. If you have more than eight people to train, our trainers will come to you (no travel costs for your team).

CMA’s Setting Up a Debt Advice Centre booklet includes a breakdown of likely total costs: Up to £3,000 to set-up from scratch, and approx. £1,000 to £1,500 pa thereafter, being
typical (including the CMA costs detailed above).

Non-Financial Requirements for church
Full requirements are detailed in CMA’s Setting Up a Debt Advice Centre booklet. Key points: Be sure you have the vision to do it and the commitment to follow through (it is a long-term commitment: a client may be with you for up to five years). There should always be more than one member on the team; we recommend a minimum of three. The average in a CMA centre is currently eight. You need a welcoming ‘meeting’ room in which to see clients, and office space for administration. The CMA model can also apply to a home-visit service, as required (Advisers must always visit in pairs).

If you are a church, we believe the support of the leaders/ministers is essential, and you need committed prayer support too.

CMA members must comply with all current debt advice legislation, and their service must be unconditional and completely FREE to clients.

Contact Details
John Franks, Operations Manager
Community Money Advice, c/o Illuminate, 18, Wyle Cop, Shrewsbury, Shropshire. SY1 1XB
01570 480584 john@communitymoneyadvice.com    www.communitymoneyadvice.com  

EMPLOYMENT/TRAINING
Spear Course

Summary
Spear is an interactive six week programme for 16-24 year old unemployed young people. It addresses the causes of underachievement, such as the absence of motivation, life skills and qualifications.

Brief Description of organisation
Spear aims to ignite a ‘vision of the possible’ in unemployed young people, to build their confidence and ability to effect lifechanging choices and to develop their leadership potential within their local neighbourhoods. It is part of Resurgo Trust based at St Pauls Hammersmith.

Start date of Organisation
2004

No. of churches/ groups supported
2

Brief Description
Spear is a highly interactive six week training programme that successfully helps unemployed people into work. It aims “to ignite a vision of the possible” in those it supports by strengthening their motivation, life skills, and other work-related competencies.

Expected Results

Each centre has capacity for 90 students per year. 

Advantages to Church
The issue of youth unemployment and lack of motivation is a problem for every church, regardless of location. Spear provides a centrally managed solution for up to 90 students per centre per year that can engage congregation members to volunteer, provide work placements, attend graduation, and support financially.

Services Provided by National Organisation  
All course content and hiring decisions would be made by Spear so as to maintain brand integrity. The church would be consulted on these decisions.

Financial cost to church
Varies dependent on duration and scope of course.
 

Non-Financial Requirements for church

The church would need to help in finding/providing a safe, clean and bright training room with IT facilities as well as office space for the trainers to work each morning.

Contact Details
Marianne Fryer
Resurgo Trust, The St. Paul’s Centre, Macbeth Street, London, W6 9JJ
Tel: 020 8237 8435        marianne.fryer@resurgo.org.uk             www.spearcourse.org

HEALTH
Parish Nursing Ministries UK

Summary
A church or group of churches can appoint a Parish Nurse who works part-time or full-time, on a paid or voluntary basis, developing a service that is complementary to NHS provision. The nurse could promote exercise, walking groups, healthy eating etc. and will also offer personal health advice, and promote the integration of spiritual care with physical care.

Brief Description of organisation
We exist so that people of all ages and backgrounds may find resources for whole-person health through local churches. We do this by recruiting and training registered nurses to build bridges in health ministry from their churches into the local community. We support and resource both nurses and churches as they develop this work.

Start date of Organisation
2004

No. of churches/ groups supported
50

Brief Description
A registered nurse, (who may already be in the congregation) is appointed by the church to lead a programme of health promotion and advocacy within both church and local community, coordinating volunteers to offer support to local people struggling with health-related problems. S/he may work anything from 4 voluntary or paid hours a week to full time.  Training, professional support and expenses are paid by the church. S/he builds good relationships with local GP surgeries so that where appropriate, referrals may be facilitated. Accountability is to the church and the Nursing and Midwifery Council. Professional supervision is arranged.

Expected Results
A nurse working 4 hours a week records an average of 400 significant interventions in a year. Around half of these will include prayer or discussion of faith, and at least one third of the interventions are likely to be with people who do not attend church.

Advantages to church
This is an extremely effective way of building bridges in the community; increasing the church’s links with health providers in the area; improving the health of local people and encouraging them to use their gifts to engage with the community in volunteering; providing additional support to existing pastoral care teams; and helping people discover spiritual resources and the gift of prayer at a point of need. The church may already have the resources in the form of nurses in its membership. They just need the training, commissioning and willingness of the church to share in this ministry.

Services provided by national organisation
PNMUK offers information-sharing meetings with churches and ministers; the initial preparation of one residential week’s training for registered nurses; an international certificate and badge once they have completed a portfolio of practice; ongoing national and regional study days for the nurses, a regional coordinator to give ongoing personal advice and support to both church and nurse; resources for documentation and policies; quality standard certification for church projects; liaison with national bodies like the Department of Health and the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

Financial cost to church

• Initial training currently around £550 including accommodation.
• Study days currently around £250 per year.
• Regional coordination costs, currently £360 per year plus donation to national development of Parish Nursing.
• If the nurse is not working in the NHS, annual fees for NMC and RCN membership which give insurance cover (currently totalling around £230).
• Start up equipment; e.g. locked filing cabinet, mobile phone, BP machine.
• Parish nursing daily expenses; travel, telephone, stationery etc.
• Although the nurse may want to work volunteer hours to start with, as the project grows the church may want to increase those hours by offering some paid hours.

Non-Financial Requirements for church

• A volunteer support team of six to eight people that meets about every two months.
• At least “hot desk” office space and a room for private conversations.
• Access to a computer and printer (for downloading resources, not for keeping records)
• A line-manager.
• Access to some but not necessarily all staff meetings.

Contact Details
Revd. Helen Wordsworth, UK Coordinator
Parish Nursing Ministries UK, 3 Barnwell Close, Dunchurch, Rugby CV22 6QH
01788 817292             helen.w@parishnursing.org.uk                www.parishnursing.org.uk