Although it’s been widely known in the Advice Sector for months, DETI announced today that NIACAB have won the contract to provide money and debt advice in Northern Ireland for the next 2 years, until March 2008.
Debt is a rising and increasingly worrying problem for clients, advisors and our foster government, so the idea of a structured approach should be welcomed. House reposessions are taking place at the rate of 9-14 per week at the moment, for example.
Unfortunately, there doesnt seem to be a Freephone helpline for clients, so the service may remain elusive for many who would prefer telephone advice. The ROI introduced a MABS system several years ago, which is a comprehensive service that has bedded down and performed well. Lets hope that the CAB money advice programme can perform as well and deliver a much needed service.