Money Guiders: Case study with Pembrokeshire FRAME

I work as part of a small team of two at Pembrokeshire FRAME and we’re the Community Fuel Guidance Team. The team is funded by Wales and West Utilities through the Vulnerable Carbon Monoxide Awareness (VCMA) project. We support people across Pembrokeshire who are experiencing fuel poverty or just need help making sense of things like their energy bills, benefit entitlements, or budgeting.

A big part of what we do is going out and meeting people face-to-face in their communities—we can’t really run a phone service with just the two of us. So instead, we meet people in community cafes, warm spaces and at events. It’s very informal, often over tea and cake, and that really helps people feel comfortable opening up.

We always approach things from a place of empathy—because we’ve all had to deal with life’s ups and downs. That shared humanity makes a huge difference.

I’d say around 75% of my role involves talking about money in some way. We actually did a bit of an exercise on this recently for some funding paperwork and that was the figure we came up with. The rest of the time is spent on admin, but even then, you're often having those conversations while doing the paperwork.

Sometimes people come to us and just unload everything at once. They’ve been carrying the weight for so long and finally feel safe enough to talk. But what’s interesting is that the biggest worry they bring up isn’t always the most important issue. You have to listen carefully and pick up on the small things. One person, for example, had sky-high electric bills—and it turned out their immersion heater was on 24/7. Just pointing that out and suggesting they only use it when needed made a huge difference.

Massively. I think money and family issues are the two biggest causes of stress and poor mental health. When you're financially stressed you might not sleep, which makes it even harder to think straight, make decisions, or even feel confident enough to ask for help.

I remember one lady came to us with a form for Adult Disability Payment. She was completely overwhelmed and couldn’t even look at it properly, all she could do was fill in her name and address. But when we sat with her and broke it down step-by-step, it became manageable. That’s the kind of support that helps ease anxiety.

It’s also about empowerment—encouraging people to take control, to look at what’s in that dreaded brown envelope instead of ignoring it. That first step, just opening the letter, is often the hardest."

Community is everything. Being part of a community means you’re visible, trusted and approachable. When we attend local events, we’re not showing up in suits with clipboards—we're there to chat, to listen. You might have someone come for the lunch or just for the social side, and they end up talking to us because they've seen us before, or because their friend introduces us.

We also work with other professionals - local councils, health boards, charities - sharing leaflets and making referrals. It’s about building that network. Sometimes we even hand out little “message-in-a-bottle” fridge pots from the Lions Club, which store medical information for emergency responders. Something that simply opens doors—people remember it, they trust us and then they start talking about their money worries or someone they know who needs help.

I’m a huge advocate of the Learning Hub. It’s hands-down some of the best training I’ve done in this role.

It’s simple, clear and the examples are really helpful. I also like that you can go back and refresh your memory - I can’t remember everything off the top of my head, especially when something emotional happens during a client conversation. Being able to revisit the training gives me a safety net.

Yes, the Money Guiders Wellbeing course really stood out for me. This job can be emotionally draining - sometimes you just want to cry with the person you’re helping.

The wellbeing tools I learned have really helped me cope with that and I still use them now. I also love being part of a wider network. Even though we’re just a two-person team, I know I’ve got people across Wales I can call on, and that’s so valuable.

It’s definitely increased my confidence. I like to think of it like having a toolbox - Money Guiders gave me more tools to use and helped me understand how to use them. It’s also helped me connect different areas of my work. I feel more prepared for complex conversations, and more confident signposting people to resources.

MoneyHelper is one of my go-to resources. The benefits checker and pension tools are excellent.

Another tool I’ve recently started using is IE Hub. It’s a secure, user-friendly budgeting tool that people can fill out themselves or with support. They can even share their budget with creditors directly, which really helps in explaining why they can’t make a payment. It also suggests things like social tariffs and benefits they might be missing out on.

If this is something you want to do—if you really want to help people—then this is a fantastic place to start.

Get stuck in. You’ll learn so much and you’ll be part of a community that genuinely cares and supports each other. We’re all in this together, and even small conversations can make a big difference.