Walking alongside our communities - the vital role Moneycare financial counsellors and financial capability workers play

Money challenges are often about stress and crisis, but sometimes it’s confusion, worry, or just wanting someone to understand. Salvation Army Moneycare free financial counsellors and financial capability workers are available for all of these moments — helping people make sense of their finances, build confidence and take control at their own pace.

After more than 20 years in financial counselling, Paula Kelly, who leads The Salvation Army Moneycare’s work across South Australia (SA) and the Northern Territory (NT), describes the role in simple, powerful terms — “We walk in front of, beside or behind, the people we support depending on what they need,” she says.

“If someone is so distressed that they can’t ‘lift their head’, then we ‘walk in front’. We’ll step in, advocate for them, and help stabilise the situation. Most often, we ‘walk beside’ them, making calls together or working through debts, supporting people to learn as they go.”

“And then we ‘walk behind’ when someone is ready to take the lead. They might say, ‘I’ll make the call myself,’ and our role is to offer support, such as reminding them what to ask, helping them follow up with banks or other creditors, and then checking in afterwards,” Paula explains.

For Paula, this gradual shift is the essence of the service. “It’s not about telling people what to do with their money. It’s about giving them agency, so they feel confident to manage their finances and their future.”

What financial counsellors and financial capability workers do

Moneycare financial capability workers and financial counsellors have different but overlapping roles.

Moneycare financial capability workers focus on going out into the community to listen and offer support. Moneycare financial counsellors are qualified professionals who also support people with mortgage stress, credit card debt, buy-now-pay-later debt, clarifying ownership of debt and helping them make money plans (budgets) and more (see table below).

Financial capability worker vs financial counsellor

Feature	Financial capability worker	Financial counsellor
Target client group	People wanting to improve money management skills or rebuild confidence.	People in financial difficulty, including those with complex debts or creditor pressure.
Delivery	Individual support and group education.	Mostly individual and family sessions, plus community education.
Core role	Build financial skills, confidence and resilience. Provide practical information and coaching.	Provide information, support and advocacy to help people overcome financial difficulty. Also build financial skills and confidence. Includes financial capability work.
Examples of work	Budgeting support Money planning Help with concessions and hardship programs  Assistance with forms and access to services General financial information and coaching	Does all services of a financial capability worker, plus: Assess financial situations including debts and entitlements Explore options and consequences such as negotiations or bankruptcy Advocate with creditors, banks and utilities Assist with complex documentation
Boundaries	Does not work with complex debts. Does not provide legal, bankruptcy or product advice.	Qualified to work with complex debt matters but does not provide legal advice.
Overlaps	Identifying spending leaks, strategies to increase income, using a personal money plan, referrals.	Same overlapping activities as financial capability workers.

How Moneycare supports your community

Supporting the community drives the work of Moneycare around Australia, with services in all states and territories except an in-person service in Tasmania.

In Adelaide, financial counsellors also answer the National Debt Helpline, taking 60 to 80 calls a day, and deliver one-on-one financial counselling and financial capability programs.

In Alice Springs and Darwin, in the Northern Territory, service delivery varies from the South Australian model, with a larger number of financial capability workers going directly into communities to build trust and hold conversations about money worries.

“The Northern Territory requires similar but uniquely tailored methods,” Paula explains. “We go to community instead of asking them to come to us, and we go to where there are existing groups.”

Building trust takes time, patience, and deep cultural awareness.

Paula tells of a financial capability worker who attended a community program every week, simply helping with coffee and sandwiches. “For five weeks, she did that before a group of men called her over and said, ‘We want to tell you our money story.’ That waiting is vital. You can’t rush it. You have to listen and build relationships until people are ready to talk about money,” she says.

No matter what financial situation you are facing, there is a way forward. Chat with us today on 1800 722 363 or, for online chat and more, visit www.salvationarmy.org.au/need-help/financial-assistance/financial-counselling/. You can also find free resources at www.salvationarmy.org.au/need-help/financial-assistance/moneycare-financial-resources/

In Alice Springs, a Moneycare team visits town camps, bringing food and the Salvos bus to make their presence visible. Employing Indigenous financial capability workers has been crucial, as they bring lived experience, language, and cultural knowledge that makes conversations possible and bridge cultural gaps.

Feeding your mob — a program developed in the NT, starts with participants sharing their own money stories before moving to practical lessons, such as comparing the cost of takeaway versus cooking at home, or spotting bank scams. With microfinance partners, Moneycare has also created optional cooking kits — one for households and a lighter version for people living on Country — to help put these lessons into practice.

Another initiative by The Salvation Army housing team and supported by Moneycare is the Passport to tenancy program, which covers 10–12 sessions on topics such as rent, Centrelink, identity documentation, and the financial responsibilities that need to be considered in order to maintain a tenancy.

As part of the program, Moneycare helps with money skills, connections to government support, and identification requirements such as birth certificates.

Steady advocates who believe in good for all

Across all programs and arms of the service, the aim is the same — building stability.

Paula is clear — “Financial counsellors are one of Australia’s best kept secrets. We’re advocates. We’re the ones who can stand in the gap when everything feels confusing. We can talk to the bank, we can explain the fine print, we can help put together a plan. And most importantly, we can walk with people until they feel strong again.”

Their work is not always well known in the community, but it is deeply important.

“You don’t do this if you don’t have a heart for it,” Paula says. “We’re here because we’ve been through tough times ourselves, or we’ve seen others go through them, and we want to stand with people until they find their feet again.”

Believe in good for yourself — take the first step toward clarity and confidence. Reach out to Moneycare today. Phone Moneycare on 1800 722 363 or, for online chat and more, visit www.salvationarmy.org.au/need-help/financial-assistance/financial-counselling/