Category

• Promising Local Practice

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Poverty impact

• Mitigation
• Awareness

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Poverty driver

• Provide benefit in-kind (material)
• Provide benefit in-kind (experience)
• Increase income from benefits

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Keywords

• Cash
• Community Action
• Energy
• Stigma
• Social Security

Aim

To reduce levels of financial insecurity in Orkney by improving access to advice and cash support for people experiencing or at risk of crisis.

Summary

Orkney Money Matters (OMM) is a partnership project developed by a group of local third sector and statutory organisations in Orkney. As part of the local Community Planning Partnership and the Cost-of-Living Taskforce, it aims to reduce levels of financial insecurity in Orkney by increasing access to advice and cash for those experiencing or at risk of crisis. It does so by improving local advice- and cash-first referral pathways and supporting outreach and advice activities of third sector organisations across Orkney through outreach coordination, administration of a Flexible Cash Fund, and the trial of a digital referral platform.

What difference does it make?

The project has made a significant difference both for partner organisations and for the people they support. One of the biggest impacts has been the establishment of data-sharing agreements between partners, which have enabled more coordinated and transparent joint working. Support staff now have a clearer understanding of what information can be shared and how to do so responsibly. This has reduced duplication, improved communication between agencies, and ensured that support is better tailored to individual needs.
For clients, the shift to cash-first support has been particularly important. Providing cash rather than vouchers has given people greater choice, dignity, and flexibility in meeting their own needs. Feedback from service users has been very positive, describing the process as friendly, understanding, and easy to access, with more choice and a better overall experience.
The number of people supported has also grown substantially, roughly doubling over the past two years. This reflects not only improved coordination between services but also the continuing high level of need within the community.
While the project does contribute to tackling poverty, its impact remains limited in the face of the scale of the challenge. Orkney Money Matters is making a meaningful difference for individuals by providing immediate financial and practical support and helping people reduce their expenditure. It also ensures that households can access longer-term support that may be also available. However, these interventions can only go so far when the underlying issue is that many households simply do not have enough income to meet basic needs.
There are structural causes of poverty that lie beyond the project’s control, such as national welfare policy and income levels. Most people seeking support are on benefits, often Universal Credit, and still struggle to afford essentials. Orkney Money Matters can advocate for change and highlight these realities, but it cannot address the root causes of poverty, inadequate distribution of resources. Similarly, longer-term interventions, such as housing improvements, cheaper energy or transport and funding for training, are also dependent upon availability of wider resources and assets within both communities and households.
With limited funding, the project focuses on what it can influence locally - reducing household costs, improving energy efficiency and housing conditions, and connecting people to advice and employment support. These efforts help to stabilise households in crisis, but tackling poverty at its source requires broader, systemic change at the national level.

Key take-aways

• It is essential to recognise that people often prefer cash-based support and may find ways to convert vouchers into cash. This underlines the need to combine financial support with wraparound services. Bringing in partners such as the Alcohol and Drugs Partnership and the Blide Trust has helped ensure that individuals who need additional support, for example managing money or addressing underlying challenges, can access it alongside financial assistance.
• The project showed that effective joint working and clear data-sharing processes make a significant difference. Establishing the right IT infrastructure and coordination systems early on is key. Without shared processes agreed upon by all core delivery partners, collaboration can falter. Involving those directly delivering services in designing these processes ensures they are practical, efficient, and sustainable.

 

Organisations

Core Partners: • Voluntary Action Orkney (VAO) (Third Sector Interface) - Host organisation - administers funding, facilitates partnership coordination, and oversees central project costs. • Tackling Household Affordable Warmth (THAW) Orkney (Energy Advice Provider): leads on the Flexible Cash Fund and manages the operational side of the project by developing the online referral system that connects local pathways and manages data sharing. • Orkney Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) (Financial Inclusion Advice Provider): main frontline contact with two Money Matters Link Workers (funded until March 2026) employed to deliver navigational and same-day support for individuals experiencing financial crises. • Orkney Blide Trust (Mental Health Support Provider): provides advice and outreach through its Mental Health Support Workers, offering tailored mental health support in partnership with Orkney Money Matters. • Orkney Foodbank (Food Insecurity Alleviation): contributes expertise in crisis referral pathways and helps the partnership understand data on local need and patterns of food insecurity. Project Partners: • Orkney Islands Council, represented by the Housing and Homelessness Team and the Revenues and Benefits Team. • Orkney Housing Association Ltd. • NHS Orkney: Public Health Team leads on developing training for frontline staff. • Social Security Scotland. • Alcohol and Drugs Partnership.

Location

Orkney (all islands).

Contact