News

• The Vulnerability Registration Service has launched a Support Network for vulnerable people to get help and support in one place
• Individuals registering with the Vulnerability Registration Service identify with an average of five characteristics of vulnerability, ranging from financial difficulty to mental and physical health, accessibility issues and difficulties caused by life events

The Vulnerability Registration Service (VRS), the UK’s cross-sector, central database, alerting companies to customer vulnerability, has launched a support network to allow consumers to access help in one place.
This is the first phase in ensuring that people can access comprehensive and relevant help through one route, avoiding the need to trawl the internet to identify support channels when life is at its most challenging.

The sole purpose of the Vulnerability Registration Service is to allow vulnerable individuals to alert banks, utilities, government departments, housing, insurance and financial service providers to their circumstances, tell them what help they need, and enable organisations to provide a tailored and appropriate customer experience.

Helen Lord, CEO of the Vulnerability Registration Service said:
“It is difficult to use labels when it comes to why an individual is vulnerable – it is usually a complicated mix of mental and physical health, accessibility challenges, financial difficulty and life events, all combined with a dose of human emotion. People identify with an average of five characteristics of vulnerability when registering with VRS.
“We believe that people should be able to freely and easily find discounts, benefits and the help they need when they are possibly overwhelmed and struggling. Through our partnership collaborations, we are leading people to help that includes debt management and income and expenditure, identifying eligibility for benefits, specialist assistance for unpaid carers and linking to a host of support groups, all in one place”.

VRS has collaborated with strategic partners meaning that through the VRS Consumer Portal, consumers can:
• Access the National Support Network Support Hub providing an all-in-one vetted directory of national services
• Contact StepChange Debt Charity which provides free and non-judgemental debt advice, helping people take back control of their finances and their lives
• Through the Healthy Homes Solutions Vulnerability Initiative, find out what funding and support is available for home heating and powering homes, get assistance registering with energy providers’ Priority Service Register and benefit from their direct referral partners such as Cruse Bereavement, Alzheimer’s Society, Kidney Care, MS Society, Policy in Practice, Warm Wales and Independent Age
• Link to My Care Consultant, an award-winning, independent, service to help members of the public navigate a less stressful path to affordable and suitable care, working with many organisations throughout the UK, providing experts to support family carers or those in need of care themselves.
• Connect to IE Hub, which provides a secure, user-friendly platform for individuals to complete a Standard Financial Statement (SFS) compliant Income and Expenditure, in their own time, share it with creditors to avoid the need to repeat circumstances to multiple creditors
• Access money management for vulnerable individuals through Money Carer
• Identify eligibility for benefits, social tariffs and grants with the Inbest Benefits Calculator

VRS allows anyone to register for free so that the information can be shared with their service providers to act upon. Consumers can select from vulnerability flags to highlight how they are vulnerable – these flags include mental and physical health; financial difficulty and capacity; life events such as bereavement and providing unpaid care; accessibility issues ranging from hearing or sight impairment, dyslexia to technical capability.
Those who register can also use the service to communicate to service providers, how they can be helped e.g. their communication preferences or how they can be helped with financial management.

Cat Divers, Founder and CEO, National Support Network said:
“ When a customer registers their vulnerable circumstances, it is powerful to know that, in that very moment, they can be connected to trusted support to help them resolve or better manage their situation. We are proud to be working with VRS to extend their offering and help those in need.”

Derek Owen, Managing Director, Healthy Home Solutions said:
“At HHS our goal is simple: make it easier for people to get the right help, first time. Partnering with the VRS means residents don’t have to repeat their story – we can securely register their need once and ensure they’re prioritised and protected across our essential services partner network.”

Jacqueline Berry, Founder, My Care Consultant said:
“Families are having to navigate the plethora of ever complex rules and processes across the UK care systems, at a time when most are trying to address urgent needs, have no prior experience of doing so and are often in a state of stress and anxiety. My Care Hub enables us to make the extensive knowledge we have built up over time available to a far greater number of people. It provides valuable support for individuals, offering 24/7 access to much needed online information and guidance.”

Download: Press release – Vulnerability Registration Service Launches Consumer Portal Support Network

For more information or to arrange an interview with Helen Lord, please contact Simon Towers at simon.towers@the-vrs.com or info@the-vrs.com

For more information about our partners:
www.stepchange.org
www.mycareconsultant.co.uk
www.iehub.co.uk
www.moneycarer.org.uk
www.healthyhomesolutions.co.uk
www.nsn.org.uk
www.inbest.ai