Our Impact Report for 2019

How we’re reducing the harm of problem debt.

Our work in 2019: How we're delivering against our strategic objectives

2019, itself an eventful year for StepChange, now seems a lifetime ago. Issues posing the most immediate risks have now been put in a completely new perspective by the coronavirus pandemic.

We could not have foreseen what was to come, but many of our achievements against our strategic objectives in 2019 will stand us in good stead to support the greater number of people needing financial support in the months to come.

"In light of the coronavirus pandemic, countless numbers of people across the UK will be facing unemployment or a significantly reduced income in the months ahead.

“That’s why in 2020 we’ll apply ourselves with even greater urgency to adapt to embed the significant changes we want to make, fine-tune our new technology and tools and fight for those in problem debt.”

Phil Andrew, Chief Executive

1. Providing free debt advice and solutions

In 2019 we continued to offer industry-leading debt advice and solutions, and supported people in persistent debt.

2. Being the most efficient and sustainable provider

We launched our new debt advice platform and with it we expect to be able to cope with anticipated increase in volumes. We led conversations around funding and expanded the number of organisations we work with across the sector.

3. Championing the cause by campaigning for change

We took a lead role in making sure a debt ‘Breathing Space’ is implemented by government and continued to campaign for the regulation of the bailiff industry.

We also developed further research into how people are affected by problem debt in the UK and will continue to gather insights to give us a clear picture on the impact of the pandemic on household finances.

"I’ve also been particularly proud that our policy and influencing working continues to exert an influence that belies the size of our team.

"From Breathing Space to bailiff reform, as well as new work on safety nets and subprime credit cards, our credibility and connections have never been stronger.”

John Griffith-Jones, Chair

4. Prevention alongside cure

We launched our new persistent debt services, which support those who have been trapped making only minimum payments for 18 months or more.

We’ve also continued to provide practical money advice and budgeting tips through our MoneyAware blog and debt management plan (DMP) newsletter.

5. Creating greater awareness of free debt advice

We secured lots of media coverage in 2019, with over 2,000 mentions in the press. We saw 3.1 million website users last year, that’s over 20% more than what we saw in 2018, and we also successfully tackled 97 instances of trademark infringing websites masquerading as StepChange.

6. Nurturing our colleagues

We launched our total reward strategy, which represents a multi-million pound investment to recognise and reward our colleagues’ achievements.

We also initiated a new leadership development programme, and began delivering our first ever graduate programme, helping graduates gain valuable experience in all departments of the charity.