Financial Health Check helps CAB clients in Scotland claim more than £1 million

Do you know what youre entitled to? It is estimated that around half a million people in Scotland are not claiming all that they should be which is why a Financial Health Check makes sound financial sense.

This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on items purchased through this article, but that does not affect our editorial judgement.

Citizens Advice bureaux across Scotland have helped put more than £1 million back into clients’ pockets in the last four months.

And it’s all thanks to a new service, Financial Health Check, which launched in November with funding from the Scottish Government.

From November 2 to January 31, the service supported 1740 clients.

Some 432 clients called the free helpline and 1308 accessed face to face services in local bureaux.

On hand to help...Robert Cameron, senior call handler in Falkirk, is one of nine CAB specialists working on Financial Health Check. He wants people who don't know what they're entitled to call the helpline today.

In just four short months, more than £1 million has been claimed by 366 clients; each being better off, on average, by £2700.

But with around half a million Scots not claiming all they are entitled to, Citizens Advice and the Scottish Government are now keen for more people to take advantage of the Financial Health Check service.

Launched in a bid to tackle child poverty, the government is particularly keen for families to access it.

Aileen Campbell, cabinet secretary for communities and local government, said: “We launched our Every Child, Every Chance plan last year, outlining ways of tackling child poverty in the next five years.

One call...is all it takes to find out what you are entitled to. It has already paid off handsomely for CAB clients in the last four months who have managed to claim back more than £1 million so surely it's worth a call?

“Poverty is fundamentally about a lack of income.

“And one of the best ways to tackle that is by trying to increase families’ household incomes.

“Working with Citizens Advice, we launched the Financial Health Check service in November in a bid to do just that.

“We know people are not claiming all that they are entitled to – be that benefits or grants such as Best Start.

Communities cabinet secretary Aileen Campbell is urging our readers to access the Financial Health Check service.

“The impact of welfare reform has led to detrimental changes for many people and they often don’t know what is available to them.

“So this confidential and personal service takes a holistic look at the person’s finances – everything from energy usage to benefits.

“It is tailored to each individual’s needs, recommending a variety of ways they can increase their overall income.

“Not everyone is eligible for benefits and grants but the service can also work with people to reduce their outgoings by looking at the likes of energy providers, insurance policies and mobile phone providers.

“It’s amazing how much people can save, simply by tackling these areas.”

It certainly appears to be working and the minister is delighted with the results.

She added: “The fact that more than £1 million has been recovered for clients in just four months shows how important it is for people to have a financial health check.

“There’s a significant number of people out there who need help and support to ensure they are receiving all that they are entitled to.

“We want to make sure that everyone knows that this free service is available to them – anyone, wherever they are in Scotland, can access the service.”

There are three specialist centres in Scotland – in Inverness, Falkirk and Dumfries – with nine CAB advisers handling calls from all over the country.