Financial Counselling Australia LtdRegistered

FCA is the national voice for the financial counselling profession in Australia. It is a not for profit organisation that aims to: Provide resources and support for financial counsellors to help them in their jobs; Raise community awareness about the availability and value of financial counselling; Increase access to financial counselling through sustainable funding; and Improve creditor hardship processes for people in financial difficulty; and Provide input to government and industry policy development and advocate for a fairer marketplace. In the past year we have worked to achieve our aims by: promoting financial counselling via social media, engagement with mainstream media and via our online presence; enhancing the National Debt Helpline website, a resource for the general public, by updating and adding new content, and overseeing a national chat service via the website. running the Small Business Debt Helpline, a specialist financial counselling service for small businesses experiencing financial stress; Running the Steps virtual agency to help students to complete their placement hours for the Diploma of Financial Counselling; running a national conference for financial counsellors and the industries and regulators they work with; Implementing an appointment booking system between the National Debt Helpline and face to face agencies, piloted in WA and NT. continuing to work with industry stakeholders and government to develop an industry funding model.