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Same household, different bill: How sectors are tackling financial hardship together A customer is never just a customer of your organisation. They are also a member of a bank, a resident to a local authority, and a customer for water and energy providers. While we often view vulnerability through our own specific lens, a customer in arrears with one provider is likely to be struggling with more than one debt. We are all looking at the same person, yet we often operate in isolation.

There is a common perception that the responsibility to identify and support vulnerable households sits solely with central and local government. Policy in Practice partners have demonstrated the powerful impact organisations can achieve by proactively supporting households in financial distress. This approach creates positive outcomes for individuals and benefits the wider network of organisations including banks, water, energy and debt enforcement.

In this webinar, we place the customer at the centre of the conversation.

We will showcase the different journeys that various sectors are taking to identify and support the same individuals. By viewing the customer through a different lens, we can move beyond fragmented support systems and ensure fewer people fall through the cracks.

What we will explore:

• The shared customer: Recognising that our customers are the same people being serviced by multiple organisations across the UK
• Beyond silos: How different sectors are taking unique approaches to income maximisation and financial support, and help individuals before they reach a point of crisis
• Panel discussion: A collaborative session focused on the impact of embedding support directly into the customer service journey
• Case studies in connectivity: Insights from Southern Water and a financial organisation on their journeys to support vulnerable households

Who should attend?

This session is designed for vulnerability leads, collections managers and strategic heads within financial services, utilities, energy and debt collection agencies who want to collaborate on tackling financial hardship.

3/6/2026

10:30am BST

1 hour

Linking household benefits, financial precarity and child welfare

Financial precarity drives child welfare involvement. Proactive income maximisation can support families, ease parental pressure, and significantly reduce the need for Child Protection plans.

The research

Led by Professor Rick Hood and funded by the Nuffield Foundation, this newly published research highlights the direct link between financial hardship and child welfare involvement and dives deep into the realities faced by struggling families and the resulting strain on local authorities.