The Story So Far
Credit counselling started in the USA in the 1940's to assist returning
ex-servicemen, and has since grown into a force for good.
Vic Ware O.B.E. and Malcolm Hurlston introduced CCCS into the UK in 1993
through a pilot scheme established in Leeds to test whether the approach, which
worked well in the USA, could be equally effective in the UK.
Development and pace gathered during 1996 with new centres opening in
Nottingham, Birmingham and Cardiff. This expansion has further continued with
centres opening in Glasgow, Newcastle, Chester and London and partnerships
developing with Direct Debt Line in East Sussex and the Limavady Community
Development Initiative in Northern Ireland.
The team at the Foundation for Credit Counselling office in Leeds has supported
this expansion by training new counsellors, as well as carrying out counselling
at the centre itself and providing a central support function.
Although the charity has greatly expanded from the original group of six
counsellors to a group many times larger operating from eight centres, the
management, training and systems have ensured no loss in quality. Each
counsellor is trained in counselling, debt advice and the operation of systems
specifically designed for debt counselling.
CCCS is now well established as an important and growing source of money advice
and the focus for the repayment ethic.
It is the leading debt management charity in the UK.