About this resource
A budget helps you plan your money. This Easy Read guide explains money coming in, money going out, needs and wants, saving and where to get help, followed by a simple weekly budget table to complete with support.
Purpose
To explain budgeting in accessible language and support people to make their own simple budget.
Who it is for
Primary profession: Disability support workers. Also relevant for NDIS providers and support coordinators, community services and case workers.
Client or participant group: Adults with intellectual disability or low literacy who want to manage money.
Practice setting: Home, supported living and day programs, with a support worker.
Suggested uses
- Money skills sessions
- Planning weekly spending
- Building independence goals
- Supporting choice and control over money
Instructions for practitioners
- Read through together at the person's pace.
- Use the person's real income and spending where they agree.
- Respect the person's right to make their own choices with money.
- Raise concerns about financial abuse according to your organisation's procedures.
Instructions for clients or participants
- Read each part with your support worker.
- Fill in your money in and money out.
- Choose something to save for.
Accessibility considerations
Easy Read layout with one idea per line and symbols. Should be user tested with people with intellectual disability.
Scope and limitations
General Easy Read information. It is not financial advice and does not assess financial capacity.
Research basis
Debt and financial stress are strongly linked with poorer mental and physical health, so practical financial support is part of holistic care. Easy Read standards and disability rights frameworks support people's right to accessible information; test Easy Read materials with the people who will use them. Active support, which gives people real opportunities and just-enough help to take part in everyday activities, increases engagement for people with intellectual disability.
- Inclusion Europe. (2009). Information for all: European standards for making information easy to read and understand. https://www.inclusion-europe.eu/easy-to-read-standards-guidelines/
- Mansell, J., & Beadle-Brown, J. (2012). Active support: Enabling and empowering people with intellectual disabilities. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
- Richardson, T., Elliott, P., & Roberts, R. (2013). The relationship between personal unsecured debt and mental and physical health: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review, 33(8), 1148–1162. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2013.08.009
- United Nations. (2006). Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/convention-rights-persons-disabilities
What is included
A 3-page printable A4 PDF, including a practitioner notes page with the research basis (version 1.0).
Originality
Original Practitioner Plus content: wording, activity structure, layout and icons were created for this resource. No third-party worksheets, illustrations or text were reproduced. Symbols are original line drawings created for Practitioner Plus.
