Research has shown that 32% of the UK’s 1.5m people who have a learning disability don’t have their own bank account, and 72% need help with everyday spending. We spoke with Victoria Turner, Occupational Therapy Assistant at Cefn Carnau Hospital, which supports people who have a learning disability, who are autistic and who have complex mental health needs, to find out how they are supporting service users in their financial independence to prepare them for the future.
“In my role, working alongside our in-house Social Worker, I have been learning how to help people open a bank account. It is not always easy. Some banks want different forms of identification, which are not always open to the people we support for different reasons. Our local HSBC have been very good in my experience, doing what they can to alleviate that problem.
“We have agreements now that if our doctor writes to say they know the person professionally, along with their benefits information, then that is enough to open a basic bank account. And they do it very inclusively. They fill the forms in alongside the person, they have sessions in quiet areas and the staff are all fully aware of the different needs of the people who are opening the account, so it can be done in a way that meets those needs.
“And the people we support who have had their accounts set up are really excited, it’s a positive step for them – one that gets them ready for their next step in being more involved in managing their budgeting and money. It helps them get ready to be more active in their community and more independent, especially as we all move towards becoming a cashless society – people will need to have access to, and be confident in using, cards.
“For some people, it is small things like not having been able to shop at a particular retailer online because they didn’t have a bank account. To be able to do so not only makes them very excited, it opens up a whole new world for them. So many venues and retailers are card only now, so to not have access to your own bank account and bank card is limiting.
“We have put in lots of preparatory work with people in advance to help them be as financially safe as possible. We work on community skills, budgeting, the importance of money, payment dates and other money-based skills. But these are everyday skills necessary for living in the community. When people have been supported in secure services for some time, those are skills they perhaps lose, or have never learned. They’re essential skills to have, and having a bank account – something we take for granted so often – is a vital part of those skills.”