Public Sector Toolkits

The Vulnerability, Economic Abuse and Communications Toolkits have been designed to help public sector creditors identify and support their vulnerable customers experiencing a range of difficulties. They may also be useful to other organisations and businesses.

These have been collaboratively developed by the government’s Debt Fairness Group, a partnership between central and local government, the debt advice sector, and the debt collection industry. The Government Debt Management Functional Centre established the Fairness Group in 2016, to recommend evidence based improvements to government’s debt management practices.

The Debt Management Vulnerability Toolkit is designed to help public sector creditors support their vulnerable customers. It provides front line staff with best-practice tools to identify and assist people facing physical and mental challenges, so recovery can focus on those who are deliberately trying to avoid repaying their debts.

The Economic Abuse Toolkit aims to help creditorspublic whosector arecreditors recovering debt to understand, identify and support people who may have experienced or may be experiencing economic abuse.abuse: Thewhether interactiveeconomic versionabuse caused the debts; made it more difficult for individuals to repay them; or is experienced by a member of staff. Noticing the signs and offering consistent, effective support can have a large impact on someone’s safety as well as their economic stability. The primary audience of this toolkit mustare onlypolicymakers beand usedservice bymanagers thosethat traineddesign inprocesses handlingto support victim-survivors of economic abuseabuse, callsfor inwhom the publictoolkit sector,provides organisations,recommendations - 6 steps to create a supportive culture and businesses4 ways to support a victim-survivor after disclosure - that will help them respond to victim-survivors most supportively. 

The interactive version of the toolkit is a tool for those handling calls to help identify cases of economic abuse.abuse, Noticingwhether in the signspublic andsector actingor onoutside. themThose canusing havethe ainteractive hugeguidance impactshould onbe someone’strained safetyin andhandling cases of economic stability.abuse sensitively before doing so.

The Communications Toolkit is published to help public sector bodies recovering debt to understand and implement effective debt communications. Effective communication can build trust and provide reassurance, encouraging people in need to seek support and facilitating debt repayment from those who can. The toolkit is the first comprehensive guide on debt communications for government and will provide a single point of access to the latest research in the sector.