Introduction to MaPS Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) is an arm's-length body sponsored by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), and it has a joint commitment to provide access to the information and guidance people across the UK need, to make effective financial decisions over their lifetime.

Project Details This engagement is to develop a Wales-wide peer learning network as part of our recently launched programme- "Money Guiders", which seeks to help organisations and practitioners deliver money guidance well.

Phase 1 of the programme includes a pilot and evaluation stage concluding in September 2021, informing recommendations for a longer term Phase 2 change programme to be delivered across the UK.

Money plays such a huge role in the fabric of our lives.

When people reach out for help with challenging life events, money guidance often forms part of a wider, holistic service offered by, for example, mental health workers, housing officers and charity volunteers.

The organisations and individuals that deliver Money Guidance (i.e., anything about money in the non-regulated space) are incredibly diverse.

The vast majority of practitioners do not work in dedicated Money Guidance centres.

The objectives, focus, and key priorities of their organisations can be entirely different from one another; Money Guidance is just a 'slice' of what they do and so sometimes people find themselves without the necessary skills, knowledge or support that they need to provide really excellent quality help in this area.

The Money Guiders programme is funded by MaPS (so is free to participants) and comprises of: • A competency framework for all Money Guiders, no matter what their role • Guidance for organisations and individuals on how to use the framework • E-learning across the entirety of the framework (produced by Learning Pool) • Assessment and Award (endorsed by City and Guilds) • Research and evaluation (provided by Revealing Reality) • Money Guider Networks and Communities This engagement is for the Money Guider Networks and Communities strand.

Our ambition (eventually-over many years!) is to bring about large scale change that relies on tens of thousands of frontline staff and diverse cross sector organisations to make it happen.

For the pilot phase we intend to develop networks in Northern Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales.

They will be cross sector networks and will focus on sharing, learning and quality improvement and will be able to spread successful change quickly.

The network will be open to anyone delivering money guidance working at different levels, in all sectors.

They will offer a non-hierarchical environment that fosters personal interactions, trust and social capital, and the sharing of experience without the fear of being judged.

This is the start of a long term programme of change which we believe can make a significant contribution to the financial wellbeing of people across the UK.