Association For Real ChangeProviders of change

Banking Matters to Me Easy Read Guide

Contents

Introduction page 1

Background to the Project page 3

Inclusion for people with learning disabilities page 5

Conclusion and Recommendations page 6

Banking Matters to Me Easy Read Guide

Banking Matters To Me: Easy Read Guide

Banking Matters To Me: Easy Read Guide 1

Section 1 - Introduction

“My Name is Neil Jameson Rose, and I live a the David Lewis Centre. I am a member of the Macclesfield Speaking Up Speaking Out group. This is a self advocacy group for people with learning disabilities. I was voted the group’s treasurer. Alison (from ARC) talked to our group about the Banking Project before we became involved, and wanted to know if anyone from the group would like to take part. Jane, Liz and I said we would. We did some training with Alison and did some role play to practice interviewing. In the role play, Alison ignored me to show how some people might treat us. I thought the banking project was a good idea, just to find out how the banks would treat disabled people who are a lot worse off than myself. When we did the visits, I found it was interesting to find out the way banks and Post Offices worked. There are times when some of the banks and Post Offices were the soul of the community. I found that some of the banks were so keen that I had been picked to do this project. This made me feel proud. But some banks treated me as though I was not there. Some staff did not give me eye contact - which made me feel pretty low; they treated me like dirt and wanted me to get out before I got in. I don’t think they had time and did not know how to approach me. In one instance though one of my colleagues found it very hard; staff were unhelpful and off-putting. She felt so uncomfortable she decided to leave. Other banks treated me normally - this made me feel as though I wasn’t handicapped. I felt equal. Some banks asked me questions and my opinions.

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There are about one and a half million people with learning disabilities in the UK. About half of these people would like to have a bank account, but it is very hard for them to get one. The Government wants people with learning disabilities to be included in every way, including how they look after their money.

‘Banking Matters to Me’ looks at what it is like for people with learning disabilities to use a bank and its services.

Liz thinks Banking Matters has given people in the community an opportunity to learn more about how to approach people with learning disabilities. We think it would be good to do more work like this. Not long ago Macclesfield Speaking Up Speaking Out opened their own bank account, and the first cheque we had came from ARC for our work on this project.”

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Background to the project

In 2003 ARC got some money from the Government to write some policies about people with learning disabilities and their money.

Lots of people said that they were concerned about how hard it is for people with learning disabilities to open a bank account. People with learning disabilities are being given more control over their money and what they use it for.

It is important that you can also have more control over how your money is looked after. So ARC asked for more money to help them look at this problem.

In 2005, ARC started the ‘Banking Matters to Me’ project, about how people with learning disabilities use banks, building societies and the Post Office.

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We wanted to see how hard it was for people with learning disabilities to open a bank account. We had 113 people with learning disabilities helping us do this research. They visited 150 banks.

We wanted to know about the problems that they had when they tried to open a bank account. We collected about 160 stories.

We asked 16 different banks what they did for people with learning disabilities. What their policies are and what special help they can give.

Whilst working on this project ARC has been talking to lots of people who can help. People like the Employers Forum on Disability, the Disability Rights Commission, and advisory and advocacy organisations.

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Inclusion for people with learning disabilities and their money

In 2004, the Government wrote a report called ‘Promoting Financial Inclusion’ about the problems a lot of people have looking after their money.

We all need access to services to help us look after our money. People who can’t access these services can have problems getting jobs, and doing things that need regular payments. It’s also easier for them to have their money taken away.

The report said that a lot had been done to make things better, but that more needs to be done. People with learning disabilities are being given more control over their money and what they use it for. It is important that you can also have more control over how your money is looked after.

Because of the reports lots of work has been done to make things better. The ‘Banking Matters to Me’ project has done a lot of work on the report and on what is being done now to make things better.

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Conclusions and recommendations

“People who do not have access to banking services are limited in undertaking a wide range of everyday financial transactions. Those without bank accounts often lack security in storing money, leaving them vulnerable to theft or loss.”

The Government wants to half the number of people who do not have a bank account. They say that everybody has the right to have a bank account. Bank accounts help people look after their money and live normally with everybody else. The Government also says that banking needs to be more appealing to people.

We came up with some key ideas after looking at the experiences of people with learning disabilities who have used banks and tried to open bank accounts. And we have looked at what banks have told us.

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1 How you are looked after

The people with learning disabilities who visited different banks said that not all the banks said the same things. This is confusing. Even when staff are friendly and try to help they don’t always know what to say. It is hard for bank staff to help someone with a learning disability if they have not done it before. That means that banks need to train their staff more about what to do.

2 Physical access to banks and facilities

Banks have done a lot to make sure everyone can use their buildings and facilities. But there is still a lot to do. A lot of banks are in old buildings that cannot be changed. There are still problems with doors, and with cash machines and counters being too high for people in wheelchairs.

There need to be more low cash machines and counters for people in wheelchairs. And more signs to help people know what to do when they go to the bank. These things could help older people too.

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3 Talking to bank staff

It is sometimes good to talk to a member of the bank staff in another room, privately. This can make it easier for you to say what you need to and for them to understand what you are asking them. But it is still hard to say what you need to say because money things are complicated. The staff need more training in how to help people with learning disabilities. In some banks there isn’t always a person to talk to.

4 How bank staff treat you

In all the experiences where people with learning disabilities went to banks, the staff were friendly and tried to help. They listened and were respectful. It was especially good when one member of staff looked after the person with learning disabilities, and paid a lot of attention. The staff found it hard to talk to the people with learning disabilities and often talked to the Support Worker instead. Staff need more training to make this better.

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5 Checking who you are

Banks need to make sure you are who you say you are, so that other people cannot take your money.

It is hard for lots of people to prove whothey are. It is especially hard for people with learning disabilities because they do not have the papers the banks ask for. Like a drivers licence, a bill, or a passport with your name on it. Banks can look at other papers if you do not have these, but they sometimes don’t tell you that.

Banks should tell you why they need papers to prove who you are. They should tell you what papers to use if you do not have the ones they ask for.

6 Your account information

It can be hard to remember your special bank card number. You can tell it to somebody else, but that could put you at risk. You can have a card that you sign your name for instead, but banks often don’t tell you that you can do that. Banks need to tell people all the choices and help them choose the one best for them.

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7 Accessible information

Banks have worked hard to make information available in big writing, in Braille for blind people, and on tapes for people who can’t read. These types of information are not usually in the banks you go to. The information most banks have is not OK for people with learning disabilities. One bank that was visited had a leaflet especially for people with learning disabilities. But most banks don’t know that there is a special leaflet.

Banks need to know what special information they have so that they can give it to people who need it.

8 Choosing what you want

Banks should make it easy for you to understand what services they can give you. Buy people with learning disabilities are not always given a choice. The different choices were not explained in a way that people with learning disabilities could understand.

We want people with learning disabilities and organisations like ARC to work together to help banks make this better.

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9 Special things to help you

Lots of banks have special things to help you use their services. But bank staff and customer sometimes don’t know about these things.

There should be information about the things that can help people.

10 Training for bank staff

Banks do train staff to help people with learning disabilities. But they need to do more. Too many things can go wrong which can stop you from opening a bank account.

All banks need rules so that all of their branches say the same things.

11 Ability to look after your bank account

Some people think that people with learning disabilities can’t look after a bank account. This is not true. A lot of people who don’t have a learning disability find it hard too, but they can still have a bank account.

There are a few things banks can do to help you:

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• If the bank staff think you need help they should ask you. They should be friendly and respectful.

• They should offer for you to go into another room to talk about what you need. Or you could go back when it is quieter and you can get more help.

• They need to use simple language so that you can understand.

• They should not use long or hard words that confuse you.

• They should not tell you too much in one go. This will help you to understand.

• They could use pictures to help explain things to you.

The most important thing is that the bank staff treat you right. They should be friendly and respectful. They should make things simple for you to understand.

Staff need more training about how to help people with learning disabilities. And what to do if someone cannot have a bank account.

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Staff need more training about if it is OK for somebody else to open a bank account with you.

People with learning disabilities are being given more control over their money and what they use it for. It is important that you can also have more control over how your money is looked after.