Financial Basics Community Foundation

The Financial Basics Community Foundation was launched by Financial Basics Foundation (FBF) in 2009 with a specific focus on developing programs and access to services which support disadvantaged young people in the wider community to increase their financial capability and financial wellbeing.

FBCF sees an opportunity, not currently being addressed, in working in the community with young disadvantaged people. The result is a program that explores financial capability and wellbeing as a life skill rather than a component of a curriculum area, Ca$hEd Up – Developing Financial Skills for Life.

Background

In 2017, seven schools in Queensland participated in a ‘Ca$hEd Up’ pilot program and by December 2020, twenty schools from Queensland, Western Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia had participated in a Ca$hEd Up trial. These schools were selected as having met the criteria of being located in regional, remote areas and/or having an ICSEA score below 1000.

The *Index of Community Socio-educational Advantage (ICSEA)* is a scale of socio-educational advantage that is computed for each school). The trial was conducted in Australian secondary schools and was enabled as a result of the existing relationship between the schools and FBF.

Looking forward

A decision was taken by the Board to pause the Ca$hEd Up trial in schools as of December 2020 in order to undertake a review of the outcomes and consider next steps. In 2021, a further trial, known as the Ca$hEd Up community trial commenced. In this instance, the course was delivered to young indigenous boys through The Clontarf Foundation and young people in the youth justice system though the Queensland Department of Children, Youth Justice and Multicultural Affairs.

Results from Ca$hEd Up community trial suggest that the current version of Ca$hEd Up needs further development and modification to meet the needs of this cohort. Whilst Ca$hEd Up is suited to traditional classroom settings, further effort and adaption of the resources is required to meet the needs of young people who have left school and have low literacy and numeracy.

Seeking further funding

Addressing low literacy and numeracy in community settings requires specialised expertise. Moving forward, FBCF will seek funding to engage a specialist advisor/writer to fine-tune topics within the Ca$hEd Up course to better suit the needs of young disadvantaged young people. Modifications to the material will be made with reference to the learnings from the trial and advice from the specialist advisor.

Donations

The Financial Basics Community Foundation is a tax deductible charity registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (https://www.acnc.gov.au/)

For information about how to make a donation, please contact us directly on 0433 477 FBF (323) or email: info@financialbasics.org.au