The CAP Money Course
The CAP Money Course is a free course that will teach you budgeting skills and a simple system to successfully manage your money.
No matter how large or small your problem is, we can help. Our free, expert debt help will support you all the way to becoming debt free.
The first step is often the hardest, but it’s really worth it. Asking for help can be daunting, particularly for many people who have reached a crisis point before calling to book an appointment.
Our friendly New Enquiries team is the first port of call. We’d love to listen to you and see how we can help get you started on your journey out of debt.
Find your local CAP Debt Help
In the past when I was all on my own, I thought that there was never any hope and it was always dark. Now I’m living a brighter, bigger, more colourful life.
Sharon, from England, now debt free
Routes out of debt
There are many different routes to get out of debt. We’ll help you understand your options and choose the best route for you to become debt free.
Debt Management Plan
Available in: Scotland, England, Northern Ireland, Wales.
Many people choose to repay their debts over time, with CAP’s help. We can set up payment arrangements with your creditors and distribute the payment that you make each month.
Debt Relief Order (DRO)
Available in: England, Northern Ireland, Wales.
This is for people with a low income and a low level of debt. You pay a fee of £90 to the Insolvency Service, and many debts can be cleared this way. We can help you with the application and submit it for you.
Bankruptcy (Sequestration in Scotland)
Available in: England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland.
This legal process results in your debts being written off. CAP will explain the consequences and help you through the whole process of preparing, completing and submitting an application.
Minimal Assets Process (MAP)
Available in: Scotland
This is a version of bankruptcy, typically for those receiving benefits or lower incomes, with relatively small amounts of debt. CAP will check that you qualify for this before helping you with the application and submitting it for you.
Protected Trust Deed
Available in: Scotland
This is a legally binding agreement between you and your creditors. You make regular payments for a fixed time, after which your remaining debts will be written off. CAP can check if this is a suitable option and find an appropriate agency to create this for you.
Individual Voluntary Arrangements (IVA)
Available in: England, Northern Ireland, Wales.
This is an agreement with your creditors to pay towards your debts for a period of five to six years. After this time, the remainder of your debts will be written off.
Administration Order
Available in: England, Northern Ireland, Wales.
You can pay back your debts through a plan overseen by the court, which protects you from any further action from your creditors. We can help you apply for an Administration Order if it’s the best route for you.
Full and Final Settlements
Available in: Scotland, England, Northern Ireland, Wales.
If you have a lump sum of money, this could be used to make full and final settlement offers to your creditors.
Debt Arrangement Scheme (DAS)
Available in: Scotland
CAP can help you apply for a debt payment plan under a DAS. This scheme is set up by the Scottish Government to allow you to repay your debts with a single monthly payment. It also stops creditors from taking further action against you.
It can be really worrying when someone you care about is going through a difficult time. We understand that many people will speak to friends and family before they speak to a debt professional.
To find out how you can support a friend, click the link below. To get practical help for someone you care about, enter their postcode and see if there’s a CAP Debt Centre in your area. If there is, encourage them to get in touch (they must do this themselves, although you could offer to be there and support them during the call).
Use our postcode search to find your local CAP Debt Centre
Go to the postcode search
Now I feel in control. I don’t have to choose between petrol, food or heating.
Edith, from Northern Ireland, now debt free
About Christians Against Poverty
Christians Against Poverty (CAP) is a charity that provides free debt help across the UK, and we’ve been helping people for over 25 years.
Our mission is to see transformed lives, thriving churches and an end to UK poverty.
Learn more about CAPAcross the UK in 2021:
13,907
people were supported by CAP Debt Help
1,877
people became debt free
2,576
people started their journey out of debt
We won’t just support you in resolving your problem debt. We’ll empower you to break free from worry and fear, finding confidence and hope again.
All our services are completely free! We are able to provide free services because CAP is a charity and receives donations from churches and individuals who want to help people.
No. CAP will help anyone regardless of their religious beliefs.
We monitor our services to make sure that everybody receives the same caring services regardless of race, nationality, religion, age, gender, marital status, sexual orientation or disability.
No. Sorry, we are unable to help those who are self-employed. We advise contacting another organisation like Business Debtline or PayPlan.
No. You may access our Debt Help service no matter how much debt you have.
What others say about our free, professional debt help
Hear from our UK Chief Executive, Paula Stringer, and some of the many people we’ve helped take the first step on the journey out of debt.
Paula: Hello there, my name is Paula Stringer, and I have the privilege of being the UK Chief Executive of Christians Against Poverty.
First of all, I want to say, well done for taking the first step towards finding help with your debt. You’re probably feeling pretty weighed down by your finances, and probably struggling to see any way out, and I want to tell you that we are here to help you.
And the truth is, there’s always a solution, a future, and a hope, no matter how bad things look right now. And I can tell you I know this, because I’ve been there too.
My husband and I, we went through a very difficult bankruptcy several years ago, and it was a very dark time, and we are so thankful for the support that we received, in particular, support from our local church and close family.
That’s exactly why I’m passionate about the work of CAP, and about making sure that we can support you, but not just you, the thousands that we help every year, all the way through their debt journey.
Lorraine: Hadn’t paid my Council Tax, hadn’t paid my car insurance, I hadn’t paid the dog’s insurance, I hadn’t paid anything, anything at all, nothing.
Sharon: And when the letters used to come, they used to be like jubady-jub to me, all on a piece of paper, it was just like, wow.
Reg: We just didn’t know where to turn. I mean, we didn’t know what we’re gonna do here, you know? We can’t go on like this.
Maurice: It’s an unreal situation and you run away and you put your head in the sand.
Paula: Now, if we have a Debt Centre in your area, one of our amazing Debt Coaches will come to your home and visit you. We will explain how CAP could help you get out of debt, and then we’ll gather all of your financial information and send it to our head office in Bradford.
We actually have a team of over a hundred trained and understanding compassionate Debt Advisors who will put together a budget that’s just for you.
Janice: When we knew there was somebody who was going to come to the house, it was all confidential. You didn’t have to go anywhere. That was a real selling point.
Sharon: She got them there to help with your debts, and there’s not a cost, it’s done by a charity, I was like, what?
Lorraine: They picked everything off up that porch, put it in the thing and they walked out of the door with it. They just left with it, and just like, we’ll sort it all out for you, and then we’ll get back to you.
Maurice: But what’s the catch? There’s no catch, you know? And then all of a sudden, the creditors stop calling you.
Paula: You won’t have to deal with any of your creditors anymore. We’ll take care of all of that for you, and then we work out the best options for you to become debt free.
When you’ve decided the option that’s right for you, we then make sure that you have all of the support you need all the way through to becoming completely debt free. And our service is completely free of charge, and that’s because we’re funded by churches and people who care.
What’s more, I can tell you you’ll never be judged and you’ll always be listened to. After over 25 years of empowering thousands of people to get out of debt, people just like you, we’ve seen it all.
We simply want to help you because we believe that debt should not be the end of your story. No one’s story. And we want to give you the opportunity to have a debt free fresh start in life.
Sharon: I got phone call to say like, you are now debt free, and it was so amazing when you hear the bells ringing, and everybody cheering in the background going, yay.
Lorraine: He was more excited than I was as well. We were both like, on the phone going yay. It was such a relief.
Maurice: I honestly feel it now, the weight coming off of you. From being lost and in a downward spiral to seeing a way forward.
Sharon: So it doesn’t matter whatever situation you’re actually going through. Pick up the phone, call CAP, and they can change your life.
Paula: If you want to be one of the thousands that we help every year, simply call us today and please don’t wait for debt help. Let us help you.