Clean Slate has triumphed at the New Statesman Positive Impact Awards after helping 2,000 people on low incomes save an average £1,000 by rethinking their finances - that's £2 million of financial gains shared between them.

Bath-based Clean Slate Training and Employment has won a Positive Impact in Finance Award at the inaugural New Statesman Positive Impact Awards, held at Savoy Place in London on 6th December.

With big names like Martin Lewis winning in other categories and up against household names like Triodos Bank and Legal and General, the judges were impressed by Clean Slate's innovative approach to supporting people to improve their financial resilience.

Clean Slate helps people on a low income to improve their finances via money guidance, employment and digital skills. Quids in! is their publishing and money skills initiative.

A quiz in the company's Quids in! magazine became the framework for delivering money guidance when all support had to be delivered remotely during the pandemic. The Future-Proof Finance Quiz asks 25, simple, yes/no questions. It looks at income and expenditure, but also at attitudes and habits. For clients in crisis, the simple approach allows them to relax and build trust. Soon, they are able to experience 'quick wins.'

The quiz was developed in partnership with Mastercard and Good Things Foundation as part of the Nobody in the Dark campaign to address collectively financial and digital exclusion, with the steps of the quiz increasing client's digital and financial confidence.

The framework allows Support Workers to record financial gains next to actions. This might be people accessing benefits they are entitled to, changing their shopping habits or getting into work for example and 74.51% of clients say they now think carefully about their finances. On the question 'Could you manage meals if your income stopped or changed for a few weeks' only 16.9% of clients answered 'yes' the first time they took the quiz, jumping to 89.9% after receiving support.

Clean Slate runs regular drop-ins in the West of England where people who are worried about money can come for a chat or, for those who prefer, Clean Slate is able to support people over the phone. The quiz is offered free for anyone struggling with their money and can be found on the Quids in! website. 

Jeff Mitchell, Founder and Director of Clean Slate and Quids in!, said: "Extreme financial crises often go hand-in-hand with mental health and even physical health crises - it's an extreme stress response. We believe it makes sense to intervene before things reach this point. In a cost-of-living crisis, money guidance and financial resilience support is needed more than ever. We are ready to welcome people who need our help and we are also looking to expand our highly scalable model via a network of partners."

Debbie's story

Debbie left her job of 15 years, just before lockdown. Despite applying for hundreds of jobs, Debbie and her partner spent almost 6 months relying on food banks, going for long periods without electricity or heating.

"Katherine did Clean Slate's Future-proof Finance Quiz with me - one at the start and we repeated it when we finished working together. I got more points on the last one which gave me a bit of a buzz. It's good because it brings each thing into focus for you.

"Bless her, she sorted out the electricity. That was a major thing for me. It meant we could cook, it meant we could eat, it meant we could have a cup of tea."

Debbie and her partner are now receiving Universal Credit and Debbie started a new job in January 2022.