About this event and organisation

The Department for Communities is a devolved Northern Ireland government department in the Northern Ireland Executive.

Make the Call Wraparound (MtC) is a branch within the Department for Communities, providing help and support for individuals and families across Northern Ireland to access benefits, services and supports that they may have entitlement to. In doing so, it seeks to positively impact the lives of thousands of people, key findings from an independent Ipsos-MORI report published in 2021, found that 87% of those surveyed reported that their interaction with MtC had a positive impact on them.

Callers to the MtC Helpline receive a free and confidential needs assessment, to identify potential entitlement to benefits, supports and services.

The branch also has a team of community-based Outreach Officers who deliver presentations and information sessions to local community, charitable and voluntary groups, to raise awareness of the MtC service and potential benefit entitlements. They also undertake visits to individuals in their homes providing face to face assistance for customers who require support to make a benefit claim, and help customers access additional support and services.

Service Eligibility - This service is exclusively available to residents of Northern Ireland.

Sign Language Users For those who communicate via sign language, you can reach the ‘Make the Call’ service using either British Sign Language (BSL) or Irish Sign Language (ISL) through our video relay service.

Contact Information

• Freephone: 0800 232 1271 (Please note network charges may apply)
• Email: makethecall@dfcni.gov.uk
• Text “ADVICE” to 079 8440 5248 and someone will call you back

Learning Outcomes

Participants will leave with a clear understanding of how to access and maximize their entitlements through the ‘Make the Call’ service.

Who is leading the session?

Gary McGouran / Joanne McCaffrey

Who should attend?

All money guiders and practitioners are welcome to attend this free event. This could include (but not limited to) staff in Northern Ireland who are supporting service users with difficult conversations and anyone offering guidance to improve the financial wellbeing of the users of their service

Links to the Money Guidance Competency Framework

This event is designed to help you improve your money guidance practice, developing skills, confidence and knowledge around a specific money related area. Everything that the Money Guiders programme offers centres around the Money Guidance Competency Framework - it's there to help you better understand the full breadth and depth of money related issues that fall outside of the regulated financial advice service sector - the things you talk to your customers about.

Technical Domian 1. Knowing your customer Tier 1 and Tier 2.

Technical Domian 4. Welfare and Benefits

Foundation Level - Signposting customers: all practitioners – no matter their job role – must be able to elicit simple, information from the customer in order to signpost them to appropriate sources of further support, advice or information.

Before attending this session, you could spend some time considering the challenges you face in your work, specifically when you provide help and guidance to your clients or service users around money issues.

Accessibility

If you have accessibility requirements, please inform us when you register by emailing moneyguidersni@reed.com and we will do our best to meet them. Participants should always remember to keep their own client and customer details confidential and not disclose personal information about them.

Keep Up to Date with the Money Guiders Northern Ireland Network

· Contact: moneyguidersni@reed.com

· Register with the Money Guiders Northern Ireland Network here

· LinkedIn Page here

· Facebook Page here

· Twitter here
The Money Guiders Programme

Money Guiders is a programme run by The Money Pensions Service MaPS, which seeks to help money guidance practitioners improve their knowledge, skills and confidence. Everything that the Money Guiders programme offers centres around the Money Guidance Competency Framework - it's there to help you better understand the full breadth and depth of money related issues that fall outside of the regulated financial advice service sector - the things you talk to your customers about.