Financial counselling program to support Australian families launches

Supported by the AMP Foundation, children’s charity Variety announced the free, year-long pilot program on Monday which can be accessed online and by phone.

“We are excited to partner with the AMP Foundation, who also understand that well-timed, one-on-one support from a financial counsellor can make a world of difference for families experiencing financial hardship,” Variety Queensland CEO Steve Wakerley said.

“Financial counselling is an important service we provide to many of the families we work with who often face financial challenges for a number of reasons such as the costs of raising a child or multiple children with chronic illness or disability, single-parent households, inability to work due to being a carer, ineligibility for NDIS funding and loss of income or reliance on government assistance.”

Variety financial counsellors will assist with managing debt and household budgets and can advocate on behalf of families in regard to accessing utility grants.

“This new program presents an opportunity to create real impact for families facing the high costs of raising a child with a disability,” Financial Counsellors Association of Queensland executive officer Jon O’Mally said.

“Financial counselling plays a key role in empowering families to secure a sound financial foundation and can improve outcomes on a range of measures, including financial capability and, consequently, health and wellbeing.”

Neil Griffiths

Neil is the Deputy Editor of the wealth titles, including ifa and InvestorDaily.

Neil is also the host of the ifa show podcast.