"Pay me don't feed your kids" - how Loan Sharks work and how to stop them

This session will explain the secretive world of Loan Sharking and how to help people who have been trapped in it. Loan Sharks operate in all communities and are often friendly to begin with. There is rarely paperwork, it is a criminal offence and a Loan Shark will aim to extort as much money as possible for as long a time as possible.

Legal credit is increasingly difficult to get and many people have few places to turn if they need money in an emergency. We will look at real life cases and explain how we can conduct an investigation whilst maintaining the safety and dignity of those affected. We'll look at ways in which staff can begin conversations to uncover this and explore the different ways that Loan Sharks work from local communities, to workplaces and even Online.

Health and Wellbeing is seriously affected in these situation and there is a lot of fear. We will explode some myths and look at sustainable ways at supporting people towards a healthier future.

We will also look at how this kind if predatory behaviour presents in a range of communities. Publicity materials will be available in a range of community languages and further support can be offered for no cost to organisations.