Debt Free Advice celebrates national technology award shortlist for Toynbee Hall’s Video Advice Kiosks

Debt Free Advice, a service led by Toynbee Hall for 20 years, is celebrating national recognition for technology created by Toynbee Hall to improve access to free, confidential advice.

Toynbee Hall has been shortlisted for Best Use of Technology at the UKCCF Awards 2026 for its Video Advice Kiosk programme.

The nomination recognises Toynbee Hall’s development and deployment of the technology, which is now being used by Debt Free Advice and other Toynbee Hall-led services to improve service delivery and connect people directly with qualified advisers in locations where conventional advice can be difficult to access.

The kiosks are currently supporting people in prison, NHS staff and people affected by cancer who need help with debt, financial wellbeing or understanding and claiming the welfare benefits available to them.

Bringing advice to where people are

Toynbee Hall began rolling out Video Advice Kiosks in community locations across London in 2021.

The model was developed in response to a straightforward access problem. Many people who need advice do not have a suitable device, reliable internet access or somewhere private to discuss their circumstances.

A kiosk provides a dedicated route into advice. Depending on the location, it can take the form of a screen or tablet in a private room, or a fully enclosed and soundproof booth.

The on-screen journey can be adapted for each setting. This includes the branding, information displayed, type of advice offered and the way people connect with an adviser.

Someone can begin a secure video consultation immediately or request a callback if they do not have enough time to complete a full appointment there and then.

Supporting people in prison through Debt Free Advice

In March 2024, Toynbee Hall installed a dedicated Video Advice Kiosk at HMP Brixton, allowing people in prison to speak confidentially with a qualified Debt Free Advice adviser.

Debt Free Advice has been led by Toynbee Hall for 20 years and brings together a partnership of organisations providing free, expert debt advice across London.

People entering prison can leave behind unresolved rent, council tax, utility, benefit and credit issues. Without early support, these problems may continue to grow and affect housing, family relationships and financial stability after release.

The prison kiosk model was therefore designed around privacy, security and the operational requirements of each establishment.

Following the initial deployment, the programme has expanded across 13 prison sites. By June 2026, kiosks were live across the full pilot estate, with more than £610,000 of debt being actively managed. Adviser intervention has also helped, in some cases, to prevent people from being released into homelessness.

Two years of learning in healthcare settings

Toynbee Hall’s Video Advice Kiosk technology has also been deployed in healthcare settings for the past two years through its work with Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust.

The kiosks formed part of the Money Coaching Service launched for NHS staff in 2024, providing confidential access to support with financial wellbeing, money management and debt.

Healthcare settings required a different approach. Staff may work long or irregular shifts, have limited breaks and move between hospital sites.

The kiosk journey was therefore adapted so staff could either connect with an adviser or request a callback at a more suitable time.

This work also provided important learning about the need to identify suitable private locations, secure reliable connectivity and design the service around the daily realities of a busy healthcare environment.

Expanding support for people affected by cancer

Toynbee Hall is now building on this experience through Macmillan Money and More, a pan-London welfare benefits service for people affected by cancer.

Toynbee Hall is the regional lead and accountable body for the London partnership, which began delivering the new service in June 2026.

As part of the programme, Video Advice Kiosks are being introduced into healthcare settings across London.

The aim is to make specialist welfare benefits advice easier to access for people attending hospitals and other healthcare services following a cancer diagnosis.

A diagnosis can result in a sudden reduction in income, increased household costs, travel expenses and uncertainty about what financial support is available.

Through the kiosk, someone can connect with an adviser while already at the healthcare setting. Where they have an appointment to attend, feel unwell or do not have time for a full consultation, they can request a callback instead.

The screens can be designed specifically for the service, helping people understand what support is available and choose the route that works best for them.

“Every deployment has made the model stronger”

Matt Dronfield, Interim Chief Executive of Toynbee Hall, said:

“This shortlist reflects several years of practical learning about how technology can help people reach advice.

“Every deployment has made the model stronger. In prisons, the technology must provide secure and confidential access within a tightly controlled environment. In hospitals, it needs to work around appointments, shift patterns and moments when somebody may have received life-changing news.

“Our flexible screen journeys and callback options mean people can ask for support when they encounter the kiosk without being expected to complete a full consultation immediately. Through Macmillan Money and More, we are now using that experience to help people affected by cancer access welfare benefits advice across London.”

Toynbee Hall will now take part in the final judging stage for the Best Use of Technology category, demonstrating how technology created by Toynbee Hall is being used by Debt Free Advice and its wider services to improve access, strengthen delivery and help more people receive the support they need.