Oxfordshire Advice Services Sector Engagement Event

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Oxfordshire County Council and partners are currently looking at the design of Advice Services across Oxfordshire. You are invited to help us shape the future of advice services from 2024. The link between financial hardship and health and wellbeing can be a vicious cycle, with both effecting the other. Financial hardship can result in households needing to make difficult choices about how they spend their limited income to try and cover key payments such as housing, energy and food costs. Advice services can be crucial to support households to access the support they need to maximise income and manage debts. The Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) 2019 show that Oxfordshire overall is among the least deprived areas of the country. However, one area in the county is among the 10% most deprived nationally and 16 areas fall within the 20% most deprived areas nationally. Therefore, despite the relative 'affluence' of Oxfordshire, support with benefits and financial issues continues to be needed by Oxfordshire residents. Oxfordshire County Council are planning to commission an advice service to provide free, independent and impartial advice to assist people with benefits, debt, budgeting and other financial and welfare issues, and specialist intervention, thereby maximising incomes and helping people to make the best use of the money available to them. The service will aim to reduce the health inequalities of individuals suffering financial hardship, by maximising service user's income and improving their wellbeing and health. The service is also intended to provide a county-wide digital connector and referral system for organisations. The Council aims to update its current service model by 1 November 2024. To support its development of the specification and the design of the service requirements to meet the needs of Oxfordshire residents, the Council will be hosting an Oxfordshire Advice Services Sector Engagement Event on Thursday 12 October 2023. The event will take place between 1pm and 3pm at: The King's Centre, Osney Mead, Oxford, OX2 0ES. Attendees must book to be able to attend the event. To book your place at the event, please contact Lorraine.Donnachie@oxfordshire.gov.uk Space may be limited so please get in touch as soon as possible confirming the names, roles, organisation and contact details of the delegates who you would like to attend.