Chairperson's
message

1999

Part of the remit of Kildare Money Advice is to increase awareness of money management. This is done by providing talks to community groups on a request basis. In 1999, these included:

• Naas Urban District Council New Tenants Apartment Complex Naas
• Kildare County Council Housing Estate Caragh
• Curragh Schools C.E. Scheme
• Baltinglass Women's Group
• Family Support Workers - Kildare Area

Representatives from Kildare County Council approached us to discuss the possibility of the service providing a talk to new council tenants who were moving or had recently moved into new council accommodation. Kildare Money Advice now meets with all new council tenants to inform them of our service and the assistance we provide in regard to debt advice and money management.

Our presentation cover of the following items:

• Introduction to our service
• Details on assistance we provide
• Role of credit unions in money advice
• What we do at a practical level
• Aim of our service
• Budgeting skills and money management

In 1999 we gave talks to new tenants in Naas, Prosperous, Leixlip and Caragh. This proved quite successful and we also obtained a number of referrals to our service.

1998

There were frequent media features during 1998 on the work of Kildare Money Advice in local media, including the Kildare Nationalist, Kildare Times, Leinster Leader, Liffey Champion and Carlow Kildare Radio (CKR). We also provided an interview for a reporter from the Leinster Leader.

The 1997 Annual Report and 1998-2000 Strategic Plan was launched by the Minister for Finance, Charlie McCreevy in December 1998. This generated a lot of media coverage.

During the year, Kildare Money Advice provided community education to various groups throughout Kildare. The following are some examples:

• Citizen Information Centre, Newbridge
• Eastern Health Board Kildare Network Group
• 6th year class, Holy Family Secondary School, Newbridge.
• Community employment programmes:

Lucan Resource Centre
Salesions College,Celbridge
Celbridge Scheme
Curragh Camp
Scoil Dara, Kilcock


Kildare Money Advice also participated in the Newbridge community information day, in St. Conleth's College, Newbridge. There were 60 community groups with stands and 650 people attended.

We purchased a combination tv and video to help with presentations to groups. This was bought with a grant provided by Action South Kildare and we would like to acknowledge with thanks their support.

During 1998, Kildare Money Advice had on-going contact with the following agencies:

• Eastern Health Board family support workers, social workers and community welfare officers
• Department of Social, Community & Family Affairs
• Society of St Vincent de Paul conferences in Naas, Newbridge, Sallins, Kildare, Clane, Prosperous/Caragh, Celbridge, Maynooth, Leixlip.
• OAK Partnership
• Action South Kildare
• Kildare Women's Network
• Maynooth, Naas and Newbridge Citizens Information Centres
• FÁS
• Irish National Organisation for the Unemployed
• Hasset House Counselling Service
• Rape Crisis Centre
• Kildare Local Employment Services Network
• Kildare Resource Centre for the Unemployed
• Newbridge Law Centre

This contact is frequently a two way process whereby Kildare Money Advice takes referrals from theses agencies and, on occasions, Kildare Money Advice refers clients for specialist advice and assistance.