Robert became a client of The Money Carer Foundation after a meeting with his independent advocate where it was highlighted that Robert needed help to manage his finances to avoid a crisis.

Robert has a brain injury resulting from an accident that has caused short-term memory loss and an attention deficiency, which his Community Psychiatric Nurse recognised was being exacerbated by the stress of worrying about managing his finances.

Initially following his accident Robert’s sister was his appointee until she was unable to continue in this role due to relocating with her family and there were no other friends or family that could act in this capacity. Robert lives in his own home and his independence is key but he feels intimidated by the thought of managing money. He is worried that he will not be able to overcome the temptation to gamble with cash and that he would not be in control of his finances without someone to help him.

Robert approached the advocacy service after trying to manage independently for several months as unfortunately bills were overdue and payments were being missed resulting in mounting debts. Following an initial consultation with Robert and his advocate it was agreed that Money Carer would become Robert’s corporate appointee to manage his benefits and look after his financial affairs.

Robert’s personal account manager contacted the DWP and arranged for his benefits to be paid into a secure account with Money Carer after the BF56 form had been completed.

Robert and his account manager agreed on a budget plan together that enables all of his bills to be managed and paid centrally by Money Carer. All the statements, invoices and correspondence from Robert’s creditors and utility suppliers are sent directly to his account manager who takes care of them as they arrive and arrears issues are managed on his behalf.

Robert’s advocate mentioned that he was concerned that Robert may have been overdrawn for several months and so Robert’s bank statements were reviewed with his agreement and his Personal Money Carer identified a significant amount of unfair penalty charges that will be reclaimed back from his bank on his behalf.

To help Robert maintain his independence Money Carer have provided a pre-paid MasterCard that is topped up on a weekly basis and managed centrally by Money Carer. This enables Robert to access cash and to buy items by secure chip and pin but without the ability to withdraw more than the agreed amount.

By working closely with Robert to understand his needs and to have a role in his recovery his account manager has helped Robert to maintain the agreed budget plan enabling him to establish an amount of savings each month.

Robert is entitled to disability living allowance which enables him to qualify for the Government’s Warm Front scheme so Money Carer have helped Robert to apply for a grant for new central heating and insulation for his home that will also help to improve his quality of life and reduce his home fuel bills.