Guidelines for closing a client case

Procedure for closing client cases

Your work with a client needs a definite conclusion – it should not just peter out. These guidelines will step you through closing a client case.

Step 1 – Is the time right?

You should not encourage a long term involvement with clients. The objective is to educate the client, give them the knowledge and power to make choices and decisions, and then get out of their lives as soon as possible.

Look back at your intake form. What were the client’s goals? If you have achieved those goals, or have a settled plan in place to work towards them, it’s probably time to close the case.

Step 2 – Is the client ready?

Review how things are going by talking to the client. This discussion should include:

• Understanding of agreed budgeting procedures and maintenance.
• The need to review priorities regularly with other members of the family and agree on new budgeting goals and to keep the budget up to date and relevant.
• Understanding of banking procedures.
• Not to enter into any financial commitments without a thorough review of a 12-month budget.
• The effect of buying on credit and the pros and cons of various sources of credit.
• If your client has not returned since their previous appointment, and can no longer be contacted, skip to step 3.

Step 3 – Complete the client completion form

Ideally you will complete the completion form with the client present.

• Closed date: this is usually today’s date.
• Adviser name: this is the name of the adviser who did the budgeting work with the client.
• Reason for closure: tick whichever most accurately reflects the client’s outcome. The client will tell you if their needs were met, or not.
• Presenting debt: this too comes from the debt schedule – the first debt schedule that accurately captured all the client’s debt when they first came to the budgeting service. This information may not be available from one-off clients and statistically speaking is not required from one-off clients.
• Total debt repaid (payments made by clients or otherwise settled):
  1. If your client has made payments towards their debt, include that total here. This is calculated from whatever form of debt repayment plan you have arranged with your client. (This could be a cashflow, budget worksheet, or other document.)
  2. If you or the client have successfully negotiated with the creditor to reduce a debt, include the total settled here as well.
  3. This amount includes any arrears. This information may not be available from one-off clients and statistically speaking is not required from one-off clients.
• Engagement level: choose one-off or ongoing. If you have offered any other specialist advice, note it here.
• Total debt breakdown: this information comes from the first debt schedule that accurately records the debt the client had when they came to the budgeting service. Go through the debt schedule and add the same creditor types to arrive at the totals for this section of the form. This information may not be available from one-off clients and statistically speaking is not required from one-off clients.
• Did the client achieve their goals: refer back to the client’s goal on the intake form. Consider whether the client has achieved this goal, and discuss with the client. If the client has achieved their goals, consider how that could be proved. For example, if the client’s goal was “To pay back my parents” and that debt has now been cleared, a suitable answer could be “Parents paid back”. However it’s trickier to answer a goal such as “To feel more confident managing my money,” as this is much more dependent on the client’s feelings. A suitable answer could be “Client says they feel much more confident managing their money.” Further detail could be added under ‘Evidence of greater financial confidence and competence.’ If the client did not achieve their goals, detail why not in a similar manner to the above.
• Evidence of greater financial confidence and competence: This is where you expand on the brief answer above. If your client now feels more confident, describe how. For example: “Client feels more confident with her money and has been managing with little supervision for two weeks now. She has taken ownership of her debt repayment plan. Client told me that now she has a plan she feels much more in control. Client has demonstrated competence by managing her money for the past two weeks without mistakes, and can describe how she will continue doing this.”

Step 4 – Return the client’s records

All records belonging to your client should be returned to them.

The things that should remain on an ongoing client file include:

• Initial interview form / notes
• Client intake form (signed) *
• Budgeting Agreement (signed) *
• Initial draft budget worksheet
• Revised budget worksheet
• Balanced budget worksheet
• Debt schedule
• Cashflow
• Debt repayment plans
• Evidence of goal setting
• Interview notes from each appointment
• Bank statements
• Letters to/from creditors
• Notes of conversations with creditors

* Those required to be in hard copy are marked with an asterisk. (They require signatures. All other material can be kept in whichever format your service chooses.)

Step 5 – Leave on a positive note

By now the client knows their case is being closed and has had a chance to digest that information. All the paperwork has been completed and the client is ready to go.

The client may feel a sense of trepidation as they leave, knowing they’re now “on their own”. You don’t want to encourage the client to call back unless it’s a serious problem, or else you risk them becoming a chronic client. You want to encourage the client to continue using the skills they have learnt to make positive financial decisions.

To do this, it pays to reinforce what the client has already achieved, and the plan you’ve worked out together. Going over these details reinforces the knowledge and power the client has and inspires confidence for the future.

Leave on a positive note and your client will have positive feelings about the budgeting service, their Financial Mentor, and most importantly, themselves.

Step 6 – Tidy up

Now your client has left it is time to tidy up. Notify any creditors you have been dealing with that you are no longer working with the client.

Inform your coordinator the client case has finished, and turn in any paperwork required. File any paperwork remaining securely.