Consumer and creditor law

Consumer and credit law is constantly evolving, and this training keeps financial counsellors up to date with what’s new and what it means in practice. It covers recent and emerging changes, including reforms to consumer credit, unfair contract terms, hardship and enforcement. We'll unpack how these shifts affect your advocacy, conversations with creditors and options for clients. With a strong focus on practical impact, the training helps you translate legal updates into confident, timely action that improves outcomes for people experiencing financial hardship.

Beyond language - working with culturally and linguistically diverse clients

Working effectively with people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds is an essential part of financial counselling and financial capability practice. This training supports financial counsellors and capability workers to build culturally safe, respectful and effective responses by strengthening understanding of how culture, migration experiences, language barriers and systemic disadvantage can shape financial stress and help-seeking. With a practical focus, it explores the use of interpreters, culturally appropriate communication, and strategies for building trust, reducing misunderstandings and improving outcomes for clients from diverse communities.

Recognising business-related financial abuse

Business-related financial abuse is an emerging and complex area of practice for financial counsellors. This session explores how business structures, debt and commercial arrangements can be used as tools of coercive control, creating risks that differ significantly from traditional consumer debt work. Drawing on frontline experience, the session will help practitioners recognise red flags an understanding business and government systems.

Money and menopause

With more than 70% of the financial counselling workforce being women, and the median practitioner being aged in their early 50s, menopause is an issue that should firmly be on our radar. Yet its financial implications are often overlooked. This session explores how menopause can affect income, employment, superannuation and financial security, and how it intersects with work, caring responsibilities and financial stress. It will consider what this means for financial counsellors and capability workers supporting clients, and offer practical insights to support informed, empathetic and effective responses.

Working with veterans and service people

Do you have clients who are veterans? How do you know? Join us for an interactive session to develop and share understanding of veterans and veteran families, and a bit about the complex landscape that surrounds them.

​

We’ll share some stories, look at case studies and how the role of financial counsellors interacts in this space.

Gambling harm, everyday stress and art 

The session will explore how art can support people affected by gambling harm, while also highlighting how it can help manage everyday stress. 

Navigating insurance claims and AFCA: practical advocacy in action

Insurance claims are one of the most challenging areas of financial counselling practice, particularly after disasters. This session demystifies both the insurance claims process and the Australian Financial Complaints Authority’s (AFCA) role, using a real case study to illustrate how a matter progresses from the initial claim through to resolution.

We’ll look at how financial counsellors can help clients prepare strong claims, work effectively with insurers, recognise when a claim is going off track, and understand when escalation to AFCA is appropriate. The session blends AFCA expertise with insights from experienced financial counsellors and is suitable for practitioners at all levels.

AI at work

AI is starting to show up in everyday workplace tools, often quietly and sometimes before we’ve had time to really think about it. This session creates space to explore what that means for our sector in a practical, grounded way. We’ll look at where AI can genuinely support your work, from reducing admin burden to helping us analyse information, and where care, judgement and clear boundaries really matter.

Getting to know the Code of Ethical Practice

The new Code of Ethical Practice sets a shared foundation for ethical, professional and client-centred financial counselling across the sector. This training supports financial counsellors to understand what the Code means in practice, from managing conflicts of interest and maintaining professional boundaries to confidentiality, cultural safety and accountability. Through practical examples and real-world scenarios, it helps embed the Code into everyday decision-making.

Making Credit Reports work for your clients

Credit reporting issues are a common but often hidden barrier for clients, frequently only emerging when they apply to refinance or access new credit. This session explains how credit reporting operates in practice from a consumer perspective, what credit reports actually show and why clients are often unaware of problems until late in the process.

​

It will focus on the practical steps financial counsellors can take to challenge and amend credit report information, including issues that are inaccurate, misleading, out of date or beyond a client’s circumstances. Using real-world examples, it will cover what to look for in a credit report, what evidence and language matters, and the pathways through lenders, Internal Dispute Resolution and the Australian Financial Complaints Authority to help clients move forward.