Supporting debt advice clients through strong referral partnerships

This briefing presents new evidence about debt advice referrals, to stimulate discussion about how to ensure they work well for clients across a complex ecosystem.

Our analysis shows that referrals are an integral feature of debt advice:

• Three-in-five (59%) of StepChange Debt Charity’s advice clients have either been inwardly referred to the charity from another organisation or were subsequently referred outwards following their advice session.
• Many of these clients are in touch with multiple organisations: of those who were outwardly referred by StepChange, over a quarter (28%) were signposted or referred to three or more different organisations. This means that referral pathways can, by their nature, be complex and fragmented.

We put forward six elements in an effective referral pathway – with suggested next steps to put these into practice – that together form an agenda for change. These elements and suggestions are based on the evidence we have collected.

While we have addressed this agenda for change to debt advice services and debt advisors, these next steps may apply equally to organisations that make referrals into debt advice, such as financial services firms, utility companies, government agencies, health and social care organisations, and charities. Indeed, only with the engagement of all referral partners can we hope to improve debt advice referral pathways.