Capitalise Partners
Pan London
Broadway
Broadway has 30 years experience in providing advice to homeless and vulnerably-housed individuals, including debt advice. The charity has 10 years’ experience in providing specialist debt advice and has achieved the CLS Quality Mark. Broadway is leading the provision of money and debt advice services across the homeless and social housing sector, and will co-ordinate a team of outreach money advisers working across London. www.broadwaylondon.org
Royal Courts of Justice CAB
The Service was established in 1978 in recognition of the pressing advice needs of litigants in person in the Royal Courts of Justice. The pan-London service is the most comprehensive available in any High Court Registry. Its duty desk debt advice projects at both the Principal Family Registry and the Bankruptcy Court augment the other specialist and generalist money advice service operating out of its main bureaux office at the High Court. The RCJ CAB is also at the forefront of the development of pro bono services, working closely with 57 law firms, and is the biggest pro bono scheme in the country. www.rcjadvice.org.uk
East London
Toynbee Hall
Toynbee Hall will project manage the Capitalise programme, and will provide a team of outreach money advisers in East London. Toynbee Hall produces practical innovative programmes for young people and families, adults, and older people, to meet the needs of local people, improve conditions and enable communities to fulfil their potential. Current advice services include a Free Legal Advice Centre and Services Against Financial Inclusion (SAFE) offering financial education, advice, research and policy development.www.toynbeehall.org.uk
North, West and Central London
Mary Ward Legal Centre
Mary Ward Legal Centre (MWLC) has delivered debt and money advice pan-London since 1890, and is a top not-for-profit Legal Aid supplier of advice across four social welfare law areas. In addition to the Centre’s specialist debt unit, MWLC’s wider portfolio of debt services includes provision of training and group work, specialist second-tier support, face-to-face generalist debt advice sessions, and outreach projects for hard-to-reach clients in outer London boroughs. They have provided duty representation at Clerkenwell County Court in tenant and mortgage re-possession cases for over 20 years. Mary Ward Legal Centre will co-ordinate Capitalise across North, West and Central London, and co-ordinate a team of money advisers in these areas. www.marywardlegal.org.uk
Barnet CAB
Barnet CAB has been providing generalist advice for over 60 years. In the North West London area Barnet Money Advice Unit is leading the development of Court Representation work, particularly on Possession days at Barnet County Court. The Unit also assists litigants with ‘complex litigation’ matters in the area of ‘Consumer Credit’, ‘Mortgage Law’, Defended Bankruptcy’, and ‘Housing’ law. MAU works closely with Brent CAB and Harrow CAB and provides 2nd tier advice and assistance to these bureaux. Informal 2nd tier advice is given to numerous bureaux in the greater London area , and is working with large social registered landlords and a host of voluntary agencies via its 5 bureaux outlets. www.barnetcab.org.uk
Law For All
Law For All has been providing face-to-face debt advice since 1997, and currently delivers services from offices in Acton, Northolt, Ealing and West Ealing. Law for All also provides outreach advice services in community venues such as Southall Day Centre, Ealing Centre for Independent Living and Age Concern. In addition, Law For All has recently set up a specialist debt advice service in Uxbridge and at the Hounslow Law Centre. Law for All’s debt advice provision is delivered by both fully qualified and trainee solicitors (although applications are also welcome from people who do wish to become a solicitor). Law for All is badged at the Specialist level of the CLS Quality Mark. www.lawforall.org.uk
South London
Blackfriars Advice Centre
Blackfriars Advice Centre (BAC) has been involved in debt advice and income maximisation work since its inception as an advice agency in the early 1990s, and before that as part of Blackfriars Settlement. BAC currently serves the residents of Southwark and neighbouring South London boroughs via Generalist and specialist (Legally Aided) debt and income maximisation advice at our main site and in a wide range of outreach venues serving hard-to-reach communities; managing and staffing Lambeth County Court Duty Advice Scheme; co-delivering a training and policy initiative designed to reduce rent arrears and related legal action by RSLs; contracted-out debt advice training to agencies via Advice UK; drafting of information resources on debt issues for Advice UK. BAC will co-ordinate Capitalise across South London. www.blackfriars-advice.com
Lewisham CAB
In addition to its other projects and services, Lewisham CABx offers a rich portfolio of dedicated debt advice services, namely - a core money advice service including four telephone advice sessions per week and follow-up appointments; money advice development funded by EDF Energy Trust, providing a casework service for clients with energy debts; specialist debt and welfare benefits advice offered under Legal Aid contracts held for the last six years. www.lewishamcab.org.uk
Southwark CAB
Southwark CABx Service was established in 1939 and consists of 2 bureaux. These are located in Southwark Park Road, Bermondsey, and in Peckham High Street. Last year the bureaux handled over 20,000 enquiries for advice and information on a wide variety of subjects including social security benefits and debt. Since May 2000 the Service has held Legal Aid contracts to provide specialist Immigration and Welfare Benefits advice. The Southwark CABx team consists of paid staff and an increasing number of volunteers, who undertake advice, administration and social policy work. The borough of Southwark is an area of great cultural and ethnic diversity and typically for an inner city area, there are high levels of poverty, unemployment and poor housing. The CLS Quality Mark for General Help with Casework in debt was awarded in March 2006. www.southwarkcabservice.org.uk
Lambeth Law Centre
The Centre is based in Brixton and has good reputation within the borough. Lambeth has been identified as an area of high unmet need. Our main activities include specialist legal advice, casework and representation in housing, immigration, welfare rights, debt and employment (specialising in discrimination). We currently have a team of 3 housing lawyers and 1½ welfare rights and debt workers. The housing team takes an activate role in Lambeth County Court’s duty possession scheme specialising in rent possession hearings. The Law Centre has held specialist quality marks in all areas since 1998. The Law Centre is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. LLC contact
Centre 70
Centre 70 was set up in 1970 and comprises of an Advice Centre and a Counselling Project. We are based in South East Lambeth at 46 Knights Hill, SE27 0JD and also give advice at outreach venues. In addition to the Capitalise advice work, we have a contract with the London Borough of Lambeth to provide generalist advice services. We have a contract with the Legal Service Commission to provide specialist advice on housing, welfare benefits and debt and we hold Legal Services Commission Specialist Quality Marks in these areas. The Legal Service Commission peer audit of our debt and welfare benefits cases awarded us the highest grade of “Excellence”. We receive funding from The ScottishPower Energy People Trust to provide fuel debt advice. Telephone: 020 8670 0070 email: admin@centre70.fsbusiness.co.uk Centre 70 website
Meridian Money Advice
Meridian Money Advice has been delivering debt and welfare benefits for 15 years, and is badged at the General Help with Casework level of the CLS Quality Mark in these areas. MMA contact
Brixton Advice Centre
Brixton Advice Centre has been operating as a highly valued part of the community of Lambeth for the last 38 years, and offers specialist advice in the areas of debt, employment, housing and welfare benefits. www.brixtonadvice.org.uk
Greenwich CAB
Greenwich Money Advice Service (GMAS) provides specialist level advice on debt to people living and working in the Borough of Greenwich. GMAS has been running since 1990, and in 2005 was awarded the CLS Specialist Quality Mark in debt. In 2004-5 GMAS assisted Greenwich residents to deal with issues relating to over £7million of debt. www.greenwichcab.co.uk
South-West London Law Centres
From a historical base in Wandsworth and Merton, SWLC has expanded into the boroughs of Kingston, Richmond, Croydon and Sutton. The Centre’s main activities include specialist legal advice, casework and representation in housing, immigration, employment, welfare rights, community care and education; management of Housing Possession County Court Duty Advice schemes in Croydon, Wandsworth and Kingston; legal advice in most areas of law at ten evening surgeries staffed by local volunteer lawyers, by casework staff in social welfare law areas, and by volunteer lawyers from City law firms; specialist advice, support and training to frontline advice agencies on social welfare law areas and to community groups on matters such as employment, leases, constitutions and human rights law. www.lawworks.org.uk
Bexley CAB
Bexley CAB comprises of two Bureaux funded through Bexley Council. Each Bureau provides 27 hours a week of advice to clients plus regular outreach sessions in various locations. In addition to the mainly volunteer staff, there is a full time debt adviser who spends time at each bureau and represents clients weekly at Dartford County Court. One trainee money advice caseworker will be based at Erith CAB, the second at Bexleyheath CAB, and will provide outreach services in Bexley and neighbouring boroughs. Bexley CAB contact
Sutton CAB
Sutton CAB comprises three bureaux and a large specialist unit delivering advice on housing, welfare benefits and debt. The service offers advice via home visits and at a number of outreach locations, including local schools and HMP Downview Prison. All information and advice is free, confidential and impartial. The London Borough of Sutton is an attractive and historic area with pockets of serious deprivation. The borough is well served by public transport and all the CAB offices are staffed by a mixture of paid staff and volunteers. Successful applicants will be based at the Carshalton Branch but would work in a number of locations in the Borough of Sutton and in neighbouring boroughs. www.suttonadvice.org.uk
