Free advice service helps low income households save more than £6 million.
Low-income families who seek free financial advice from the Money Talk Team are on average now £1,850 better off.
The service offers one-stop, personalised advice on dealing with debt and ways to reduce household bills.
With around 450,000 cases of unclaimed benefits in Scotland, it also helps low-income families identify what financial support might be available. The service is supported by Scottish Government funding of £3.3 million over two years.
In the last nine months, the Money Talk Team has helped a total of 3,198 people be better off by more than £6 million – meaning households benefit by more than £1,850 on average. A total of nearly 8,000 people have accessed the service.
Launching a national advertising campaign to raise awareness of the Money Talk Team, Communities Secretary Aileen Campbell said: “The Money Talk Team is making a huge difference to the thousands of families that have already taken advantage of this free service.
“The friendly, experienced advisers talk callers through the options available, letting them know exactly what they are entitled to and helping them save money.
“But there are still too many families out there not getting what they should be.
“If you’re a parent struggling to pay the bills at the end of the month, you’re not alone. It doesn’t matter if you’re in or out of work, one call to the free phoneline is all it takes to get some advice that could be a massive help to your household.”
Money Talk Team is the new name for Financial Health Check, which started in 2018 and is delivered by Citizens Advice Scotland. It can be accessed through their free helpline on 0800 085 7145 or by visiting a local Citizens Advice Bureau.