Caroline Bielanska, the author and tutor for the STEP Advanced Certificate in Advising Vulnerable Clients, shares her insight into the field and the importance of supporting vulnerable people.
Who are vulnerable customers?
Some of our customers are vulnerable to harm, loss or disadvantage and many have risk factors that increase their vulnerability, such as health or physical disabilities or they may have experienced a difficult life event, such as bereavement.
We, as professionals are expected to take into account the personal situation, needs and circumstances when acting for each client. Risk factors are not always obvious but do affect the advice clients need and the way in which that advice is given. Gaining a greater understanding of vulnerabilities, advice needed and how it needs to be given improves outcomes for clients and enhances professional skills and reputation.
Why I do what I do
Very early on in my career, social services referred Mary to me. She had dementia and had been self-neglecting. She was very confused, frail and underweight. Her eyes were vacant. Her home reflected her state of mind, there was no heating, lighting or food in the house and it was in a state of extreme disrepair. She had no known relatives or friends to care for her.
I was appointed by the Court to act on Mary’s behalf, and whilst clearing her home I found her poetry and pictures of her in her youth, her parents, and her dogs. Mary had clearly been very loved by them. I was called by the hospital as Mary was not expected to last long. No one should die alone, so I immediately went to the hospital, taking her photos with me. Mary’s eyes were open and I showed her the photos. She smiled and for the first time in a very long while she seemed to connect with what she saw. I put the photos around her bed and sat.
She passed away quickly.
This event, more than any other, made me appreciate that our professional role is not simply about giving great advice, but about how we connect to others and that making a difference is often in the small things we do.
Moved by Mary’s story? Learn more about the STEP Advanced Certificate in Advising Vulnerable Clients.