The Development of Financial Counselling in Australia

A current concern of social workers and other professions in the field of child and family welfare in Australia is the development of programmes of family support. Financial counselling has been extensively promoted as one such programme, and under a variety of auspices, financial counselling services have been developed in many parts of Australia. This article provides an historical perspective on the emergence of this type of family support service. The development of interest in and support for financial counselling programmes is traced and discussed, and the current range of activities is described. Finally, the implications of the pattern of historical development for the future of financial counselling as a family support strategy is considered.