Course outline

The ‘traditional’ method of prioritising debts based on their potential effects on home, liberty or essential goods and services is not always easily applied. In recent years there have been changes in the way non-priority debts are enforced; welfare reform has enabled stronger collection methods for benefit debts; and creditors are increasingly using High Court enforcement.
Advisers must be able to spot where a traditionally non-priority debt may lead to real
harm for clients. This highly participative course will explore how best to deal with such ‘square peg’ debts.

Who should attend?
This course is suitable for everyone giving debt advice and at any level of experience.

Learning objectives
By the end of the course, you will be able to:

• identify regulations and good practice guidelines applicable when prioritising traditionally non-priority debts,
•  list the common ‘square peg’ debts advisers deal with, and the enforcement options available to creditors,
• explain under which circumstances a normally non-priority debt might need to be prioritised,
• identify good practice and regulatory solutions to square peg debts.

Level: All
CPD: 4.5 hours