Welcome to fichampions.com
Dear Friend
Thanks for joining us on this website.
This website was set up and is maintained by the East and South Midlands Financial Inclusion Champions Team. The team is now led by Paul DiMambro who is based with the debt advice organisation Leicester Money Advice.
Our role as Financial Inclusion Champions is to work with organisations across the East and South Midlands that want to tackle financial inclusion. You might be the member of a local authority, a housing association, a CAB or Advice UK member, a credit union, PCT or the member of a Local Strategic Partnership. Whatever your interest, this website will have resources you can use to develop your own work.
The team is just one of 19 teams across England, Scotland and Wales that do similar work. We are funded by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) and we are accountable to the Financial Inclusion Taskforce that was set up by Government in 2004. Our work builds on the Government's Now Lets Talk Money campaign and we retain that branding.
Our understanding of Financial Inclusion follows the guidance set out by the Financial Inclusion Taskforce and can be understood as ensuring that everyone in the country has access to five basic services:
- affordable credit
- an appropriate bank account
- face to face debt advice
- basic home contents insurance
- savings facilities
We also believe people should be educated about financial products and able to make informed decisions, so to the above list we also want to add financial capability as one of our aims.
This website includes resources that we have come across that we think you should know about. In the East and South Midlands we are sharing the good practice of our partners and showcasing the works that's going on.
We also want to keep you aware of the picture nationally and so we'll be feeding you information from the Financial Inclusion Taskforce, Credit Action, the FSA and others.
To be kept up to date sign up for our e-newsletter by completing the boxes in the top right hand corner of our this page.
Don't hesitate to contact us if you have any or would like to add to our resources here on this site.
Best wishes
The Financial Inclusion Champions Team