Renfrewshire’s school support service is making a “massive difference” for people, an elected member has said, as new figures show huge financial gains are being delivered through the advice service.
A report to Wednesday’s Fairer Renfrewshire sub-committee – a task force focusing interventions related to the cost of living – has provided an update on the initiative run by Renfrewshire Citizens Advice Bureau.
The project, which offers free, confidential and impartial advice on money, debt, benefits, housing and employment to families, helped 93 clients achieve a total of £262,386.01 in financial gains in 2024.
Councillor Graeme Clark, vice chair of the sub-committee, applauded the impact the work has had so far as he reflected on the data.
The politician told the Paisley Daily Express: “It’s a real benefit to them absolutely and it will make a massive difference. I’m really pleased with the figures coming out about the school support service.”
The service, which has run since August 2023, is funded by Renfrewshire Council and aims to provide support to people who may have money worries.
Pupils over the age of 16 can also use it to discuss other topics such as education maintenance allowance or support for young carers. The initiative can be accessed in secondary and additional support needs schools.
Councillor Clark, who is also a Labour representative for Paisley Northeast and Ralston, believes the local authority is starting to see the fruits of the project.
He added: “It started quite slowly but we’ve managed to make it more accessible to people. That has obviously brought about better benefits for those who have been able to come and use the service.
“We wanted to make the advice more accessible for people by putting it into schools and people were a bit reluctant to access that at first but I think if we can let people know about the benefits of accessing that service then more people will do that.”
It is complemented by the family advice service, run by the council’s advice works team, which provides help for families of primary, nursery and pre-school children.
More information about these initiatives can be found here.
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