About ELFI...
As an organisation
ELFI was established in 2004. We are a Not-for Profit organisation and part of Waltham Forest Citizens Advice Bureau Services, evolving from the agency's early involvement in on in the East London Debt Strategic partnership. Waltham Forest CAB comprises of two well-established Advice Bureaux, one at Walthamstow and the other at Leytonstone, plus ourselves as a sub-regional delivery arm.
Waltham Forest CAB has the CLS Specialist Quality Mark in Debt, Welfare Benefits and Immigration categories of civil law. Further details about Waltham Forest CAB and our sister Bureaux can be found at
www.walthamforestcab.org.uk
Further details about the history and work of the East London Debt Strategic Partnership can be accessed through the menu to your left.
ELFI's aims
We aim to deliver the East London Debt Strategy and co-ordinate the on-going work of the Partnership. In summary, what we aim to achieve is:
increased awareness of information, where to go for advice and appropriate financial services such as basic bank accounts, community savings schemes
earlier intervention when people experience problems
reducing action at 'crisis point' such as Court action
increased capacity of quality-assured advice providers
improved co-ordination and access between providers of services (including local and national services) to ensure "seamless service" for clients
debt prevention or reduction through information, education or policy work
Who we work with
Examples include staff and clients of:
'Early notifiers' and 'problem noticers' - Social Services, the Courts, social landlords, Probation Service, Sure/Early Starts
Gateway organisations - Connexions, JobcentrePlus, tenants organisations
Small voluntary and community sector organisations
Regional charities supporting people e.g. Gingerbread, disability groups, MIND
Local authority departments - rent and Council Tax collection, housing/homelessness, advice development
Financial inclusion initiatives for example, SAFE (Services Against Financial Exclusion), local Credit Unions, Community Finance Organisations and Community Banking Partnerships
Our services
Public information and raising awareness campaigns
These are aimed at local communities and delivered partnership with many organisations - community groups, lone parents groups, disabled and carers groups, refugee groups, tenants associations, social landlords, Social Services, Sure/Early Start initiatives, GPs surgeries and Health Centres, the Probation Service and Courts.
This area of work also includes establishing new community Information Points as well as developing advice provider and financial services directories.
Further details of specific work we have undertaken is available through the Raising Awareness section of our website.
Community education
We provide financial literacy and money management 'taster' sessions or training programmes. These are delivered in a range of accessible, friendly community settings and are individually tailored to meet client need and client interests.
Programmes are delivered in partnership with a range of organisations such as Libraries, Colleges, mental health support groups and employment projects.
Examples of some of the innovative learning materials and games we have developed can be downloaded from the Resources section of the website in the menu at the top of the page.
Training and support for organisations
Key aspects of our services include:
development of advice/casework services
training sessions in debt / money advice-related topics
structured consultancy support towards achieving the CLS Quality Mark, including Specialist Help Level
facilitation and participation in local advice fora
Policy work and promotion of good practice
We work with public administration departments, social landlords, financial services providers and regulatory bodies (such as banks, the Financial Services Authority) and local authority Rent Arrears & Council Tax departments to influence and negotiate change, including influencing policy or practice in supportive debt collection and enforcement methods, effective lending practices, etc.
We also work with regional and national stakeholders, for example through regional/national events and consultation responses to influence government policy and funding of advice and financial inclusion services.
Our current priorities in 2006 include influencing the adoption good practice with social landlords, including Local Authorities, in collecting rent arrears as well as in collection of Council Tax arrears.
Details of key pieces of work can be found in the Good Practice section of this website which can be accessed through the menu at the very top of the page.
Promoting energy efficiency and fuel grant take-up
This aspect of work includes money advice outreach sessions to provide help with fuel grant applications as well as seminars and training on fuel efficiency with vulnerable groups.
Increasing debt advice services across East London
An exciting new project that we have developed in conjunction with the Partnership to secure £2.4m funding from the Department for Trade and Industry's Financial Inclusion Fund to increase face-to-face debt casework.
We plan services will be delivered through a range of partner independent advice providers, CABx and Law Centres in each borough. It will provide some 33 new funded Debt Adviser posts (many to be recruited to the sector and trained up) and assist 7,500 new clients. Services will be delivered by outreach aimed to target at the most deprived groups or areas in East London.
As of March 2006, we are awaiting the outcome of our proposal.
East London Debt Strategic Partnership Steering Group
ELFI facilitates and supports the work of Steering Group, including producing research on unmet need and co-ordinating pieces of work prioritised by the Partnership.
For further details, refer to the About ELDSP section in the left-hand menu.
Contacts
If you are interested to find out more about our work or how we can help you or your organisation, please go to the Contact Team section in the left hand menu. Here you will find an at-a-glance list of who does what at ELFI and how to contact us by telephone or email.