This article explains how to track 1:1 financial counseling services. This is intended for Financial Counselors working with clients at CFS, CUAV, CCH, and C-Rent.
For staff at CFS, CUAV, CCH, and C-Rent click here for instructions on how to refer clients to 1:1 financial counseling services.
Accessing New Referrals
Referrals for 1:1 financial counseling and key details about enrollment and exit are all tracked on the INTERVENTION TRACKER on the client's case record. If the intervention STATUS is set to REFERRED, it means a new referral has been made and the financial counseling has NOT yet reached out to the client.
Option 1: Email Notification - Once a new referral is made, the financial counselor will receive an email with a link to the intervention tracker which contains details about the referral.
Option 2: Intervention List View - Navigate to the "Interventions" tab and select "Financial Counseling Referrals" from the drop down. You will see a list of all new referrals (all interventions with STATUS = REFERRED)
Option 3: Financial Counseling: Case Management dashboard - New referrals can also be found on the dashboard. Click on the "Intervention Name" link to open the referral.
Option 4: From the Case Record - Navigate to the "Intervention" related list and click on the "Intervention Name" link to open the referral.
Initial Outreach
UPDATE INTERVENTION TRACKER:
- Change the intervention STATUS from "REFERRED" to "INITIAL OUTREACH" when you're ready to reach out to the client to assess their needs and determine if they are ready to participate in 1:1 financial counseling.
- To do so, open the intervention tracker (using any of the methods described above) and edit the status field.
LOG ENGAGEMENT and ATTEMPTS:
- Log any engagement or attempts to contact the client as a Service Entry using Engagement Type = INITIAL OUTREACH.
Enrolling the Client
UPDATE INTERVENTION TRACKER: Change the intervention STATUS from "INITIAL OUTREACH" to "ENROLLED" as soon as the client has been enrolled in financial counseling services (using the same method as above).
If the client did not end up enrolling in 1:1 services after referral or initial outreach, change the STATUS to "NOT ENROLLED" and enter the "End Date" and "End Reason." See "Exiting the Client" section below for definitions.
Fill out the following fields on the intervention tracker:
- Start Date: Date the client is enrolled in 1:1 services
- Baseline Credit Score: Enter the client's credit score when they first start working with the financial counselor. Enter 0 if they have not established credit. Leave blank if unknown.
- Baseline Savings Amount: Enter the client's savings amount when they first start working with the financial counselor. Enter $0 if they do not have savings. Leave blank if unknown.
- Baseline Debt Amount: Enter the total amount of debt when they first start working with the financial counselor. Enter $0 if they do not have any debt. Leave blank if unknown.
Helpful hint! You can see a list all of your initial outreach and enrolled clients on Financial Counseling: Case Management dashboard or by navigating to the "Interventions" tab and searching for "My Open Interventions."
ADD FINANCIAL COUNSELING INCOME TRACKER: You will create a NEW financial counseling income tracker 1) at enrollment, 2) monthly thereafter, 3) at exit.
- Navigate to your client's Case Record.
- Hover over the Income & Non-Cash Benefits related list.
- Click the New button and select the FINANCIAL COUNSELING record type from the list. A new window will pop up. Fill out as much information as you have, with a particular focus on the "Debt and Savings" section. Fields with a red asterisk are required.
Key fields include:
- Assessment Date field defaults to today, so make sure to change that if needed
- Earned income amount: This is the monthly gross income for the client.
- Does family have savings? If you do not know or do not know the amount, select "Unknown"
- Monthly debt payments: Enter $0 if none and leave blank if unknown.
- Credit Score: Enter 0 if no credit established and leave blank if unknown.
- Total Savings Amount: Enter $0 if none and leave blank if unknown.
- Total Debt Amount: Enter $0 if none and leave blank if unknown.
- Debt, Savings & Banking Notes: Enter any notes relevant to the client's debt, savings, banking or credit.
- Number of Delinquent Accounts: Enter 0 if none and leave blank if unknown.
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Banking Status
- Unbanked/ineligible: Cannot become banked due to being placed on the Chex system due delinquent account
- Unbanked: Judgement/liens/child support arrears and/or discomfort with banks and/or cannot maintain a minimum balance
- Underbanked: Has an account but hardly uses and/or has Chime, Apple Pay, Zelle, PayPal, etc
- Banked: Has a checking account only that is actively being used.
- Superbanked: Has a checking and savings account with bank and/or has a money market, CD, retirement, or other account(s) with bank and/or makes regular deposits/has regular direct deposit
- Type of Bank Account: Select all that apply
Once saved, you can see the tracker by hovering over the Income & Non-Cash Benefits related list. If you need to edit the record, click on the link. You will only edit if you missed something or need to correct an error. You will create a NEW tracker every month and this is how we show changes over time.
ADD FINANCIAL GOALS: Create an action plan and track goals for the client.
- Use Goal Category = FINANCIAL COUNSELING and then select the corresponding sub category - Credit, Banking, Budget, Debt or Savings.
- If the case manager has already created an action, follow the instructions on "editing" your action plan.
LOG ENGAGEMENT and ATTEMPTS:
- Log 1:1 engagement or attempts as service entries with Engagement Type = FINANCIAL COUNSELING.
- If you speak with the client's case manager or other 3rd party about the client's case, use Engagement Type = COLLATERAL CONTACT.
Exiting the Client
UPDATE INTERVENTION TRACKER: Change the intervention STATUS from "ENROLLED" to "EXITED" as soon as the client has been enrolled in financial counseling services (using the same method as above).
Fill out the following fields on the intervention tracker:
- End Date: Date the client exits 1:1 financial counseling services
-
End Reason: Indicate the reason for ending 1:1 services
- DNR: Stands for "did not respond." Select when you have to end services due to lack of contact.
- Goal(s) completed: Select if the client has successfully completed the 1:1 counseling services.
- Ineligible: Select if the client becomes ineligible for services at any time. Use this option if the client exits CFS, CCH, or CUAV while enrolled in 1:1 financial counseling services.
- No longer interested: Select if the client is no longer interested in participating for whatever reason after enrolling.
- End Reason Notes: Provide any additional detail regarding the reason for ending the 1:1 services.
- End Credit Score: Enter the client's credit score at exit. Enter 0 if they have not established credit. Leave blank if unknown.
- End Savings Amount: Enter the client's savings amount at exit. Enter $0 if they do not have savings. Leave blank if unknown.
- End Debt Amount: Enter the total amount of debt at exit. Enter $0 if they do not have any debt. Leave blank if unknown.
- Opened bank account? Select "Yes" if the client opened any type of bank account while enrolled (regardless of whether or not they had an account when first enrolled.)
- Opened credit building account? Select "Yes" if the client opened a credit building account while enrolled.
Additional exit items:
- Log a final financial counseling income tracker
- Go into the action plan and make sure to close out all goals. Change the "Goal Progress" to "Not Completed" or "Completed" and add the "Actual Completion Date."