Joshua Aspden – a specialist in financial inclusion among refugee and asylum seeker populations joins Chris Fitch to talk about his work in helping helped thousands of people to make sense with not just a new country and culture, but with an entirely different system of financial and essential services. Josh talks about his own experience of being new to the UK, his work with asylum seekers and refugees, and the difficulties and vulnerabilities that people can experience with money. Josh can be found at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-aspden-0730423b/

Best-selling author Tim Farmer joins Chris Fitch to chat about mental capacity, decision-making, and his latest book “Grandpa on a Skateboard. The practicalities of assessing mental capacity and unwise decisions”. Clinical Director at Comentis, Tim takes Chris on a tour of the practical action needed to identify and support customers with decision-making limitations (both online and off-line), as well as explaining the definitions and law that can surround and cloud this topic. More on Tim and the work of Comentis (the cognitive assessment specialists) can be found at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timfarmertsf/

Steve Donovan from Ovo Energy talks with Chris Fitch about a tool that everyone working with customers will use every single day, but which most of us probably don’t give enough attention, care, or love to: our voice. Steve walks Chris through the Ovo training team’s ‘tone of voice’ model (covering pitch, pace, volume, energy, and articulation), talks about using this with vulnerable customers, and shares his top tips on how to protect and look after our voices. Steve is Vulnerability Lead at Ovo Energy and can be found at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-donovan-865a40131/

Rose walks our host Dr Chris Fitch through the science, experience, and impact of ‘being cold’. Explaining how the cold affects us in physical, mental, financial, and social terms, Rose outlines the actions that staff can take to help customers likely to experience detriment from colder temperatures and fuel poverty. Inclusive designer and researcher for a fair, low carbon energy future, you can find out more about Rose and Energy Systems Catapult at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rose-chard-35526625/

Elizabeth discusses her own experience of chronic pain, how it affects millions of customers in the UK on a daily basis, and how organisations can work to support customers living with it. Advocate, policy specialist, and writer, you can find out more about Elizabeth at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabethblakelock/

Phil shares new research data on what essential service firms are saying their biggest themes, fears, and challenges are for consumer vulnerability in 2023/2024. Senior Training Consultant at the Money Advice Trust, Phil can be found at: https://www.moneyadvicetrust.org.uk/vulnerability

Sarah talks about working more effectively with trans customers, life as a transwoman, and how she is bringing about change herself. Co-founder of Simply Equality and Joint Head of Equality and Diversity at Oxford University, Sarah can be found at: https://www.simplyequality.com/

Back in February, The Financial Conduct Authority published its finalised vulnerability guidance. As firms continue their work to translate these expectations into practical action, it is made clear by the FCA that firms need to be able to evidence that their outcomes for vulnerable customers are as good as those of other customers. So, just what is an 'outcome' and how do we decide which outcomes we need to monitor? Why do they matter so much when it comes to vulnerability? and most importantly, how do firms go about doing all of this? Joining Vulnerability Lead Consultant Chris Fitch to answer these questions and more are: Peter Tutton - StepChange, Head of Policy Jane Rodrick - Lloyds, Head of Customer Vulnerability Ian Phillips - Vulnerability Academy, Co-Facilitator. Find out more about the Vulnerability Academy in partnership with UK Finance here: https://www.ukfinance.org.uk/events-training/vulnerability-academy-improving-outcomes-customers-vulnerable-circumstances

‘Expert by experience’ is increasingly recognised as an approach to help ensure markets are inclusive, especially for customers in vulnerable circumstances. Charities and people with a lived experience of vulnerability want to increasingly shape the thinking and practice of organisations. Most regulators (including the FCA) recognise this and expect firms to consider such an approach. However, just how do organisations practically do this when there are 28 million vulnerable customers (all with different needs) and just 24 hours in a day to make this all work? Our latest podcast recorded as part of MALG's Virtual Connect, brings together five experts to explain just what an ‘expert by experience’ is, how organisations go about selecting which experts and charities to work with and what difference this engagement can make to the way in which organisations operate. Joining our Vulnerability Lead Consultant, Chris Fitch are: Multi award-winning disability campaigner and Euan’s Guide Ambassador, Jon Attenborough. Head of Customer Vulnerability, Strategy, Insight and Engagement at Lloyds Banking Group, and Vulnerability Academy graduate Jane Rodrick. Chair of the Money Advice Hub, St Georges House Leadership Fellow, and service design innovator, Sam Nurse. Managing Director at Three Hands, an organisation that brings people with lived experience of vulnerability with organisations who want to understand and connect with the lived experience perspective, Jan Levy. Head of Corporate Engagement at Fair By Design (funded by the Barrow Cadbury Trust), Carl Packman. www.moneyadvicetrust.org

To mark the release of the finalised FCA vulnerability guidance, the Money Advice Trust held a special webinar to discuss what the guidance means for firms and how you and your organisation can change the regulator’s expectations into reality for your customers. Joining Vulnerability Lead Consultant, Chris Fitch for a very special discussion on the content of the FCA guidance are: - Sarah McKenzie - FCA, Head of Consumer Strategy and Policy - Mike Songer - Lloyds, Director Group Customer Vulnerability - Fiona Turner - UK Finance, Head of Vulnerability - Tim Hawley - Capital One, Head of Customer Vulnerability - Ian Phillips - Vulnerability Academy, Co-Facilitator Listen for insight, practical discussion, and the opportunity to hear directly from the FCA what your firm should do in response to vulnerability. You can also download our new free whitepaper to help your firm meet the FCA expectations and achieve positive outcomes for your vulnerable customers here: https://mailchi.mp/fd7a2c10e676/meeting-expectations-and-achieving-outcomes