Mental Health Crisis Breathing Space User Research and Evaluation

Breathing Space is a Treasury (HMT) policy which began on 4th May 2021. It gives customers protection from creditor interest, charges, enforcement activity and collection communication, enabling them to stabilize their financial situation, engage with advice and find a solution. There are two types of Breathing Space: standard Breathing Space and Mental Health Crisis Breathing Space. Mental Health Crisis Breathing Space is accessed through a debt adviser with some key differences to how standard Breathing Space is accessed, with a single point of entry webpage and certification by an Approved Mental Health Professional that the customer is currently receiving mental health crisis care.

The Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) has agreed to support HMT with the implementation of the Mental Health Breathing Space policy by providing a single point of entry, making it clear for referrers to understand where to send referrals, and commissioning a specialist debt advice provider to process referrals and deliver associated debt advice services for at least the first year of the policy's implementation.

MaPS is treating the first year of implementation as a pilot year, and therefore requires an evaluation partner to work with us and our delivery partner to conduct an evaluation of the pilot phase of Mental Health Crisis Breathing Space.