“We will probably all need some support around money at some point in our lives,” said Catherine Connors.
Born to a Salfordian dad, Catherine has spent years helping Salford residents navigate financial hardship through her role as a service manager for Salford City Council’s Welfare Rights and Debt Advice Service.
“Social security is there at those points in people’s lives to provide that safety,” she added. “We’re there to support people to navigate what is a complex system when they need support in their lives.”
Her interest in the welfare system first began during her time studying Politics at the University of Sheffield. As someone whose parents benefited from the Welfare State’s free education and healthcare, she became increasingly interested in understanding the rights people fought for and the security those systems were designed to provide.
Her breakthrough into the sector came when she saw an advertisement for people to volunteer at an advice centre in Sheffield. “I learned loads,” she said. “There were two women who were paid workers at the centre, and they took me under their wing.”
The experience opened doors that she never knew existed. “They gave me loads of opportunities such as going to court,” Catherine said, smiling as she reminisced.
She laughed as she recalled having to catch long bus rides from her student housing in Sheffield to the other side of the city for an unpaid voluntary role. “I just got so immersed in it and that’s when I decided I wanted to work in the field.”
After several years working in different roles within Salford City Council, Catherine became a Service Manager for the Welfare Rights and Debt Advice Service. The team works to ensure that residents receive the financial support they’re entitled to, helping maximise incomes, deal with debts, and provide advice during times of financial difficulty.
“It involves a lot of trusted conversations because people can feel a lot of stigma around money, and sometimes people just don’t want to tell you why they are struggling,” she said.
A defining moment in her career came during the Covid-19 pandemic when she was only just a year into her new role and had to move the whole service online and support people over the phone. It was a time that herself and many other council staff realised the important role they played in supporting families and communities in a crisis.
“People were in really difficult and desperate situations, and a lot of people had never claimed social security benefits before.” She expressed that many low-income families have ways of managing their low income, including going to extended families’ houses to eat, and Covid stopped that.
“When Covid hit and people couldn’t go around and use their support in the community like they did before, it really showed,” she added.
During lockdown, Catherine and other staff members worked extended hours to ensure that they helped as many people as possible with securing financial assistance. “You are with people at the most difficult times of their life,” she said.
“It’s a huge responsibility, being able to play a small role in taking away some of the anxiety about money – it’s amazing really.”
Alongside her role, Catherine occasionally helps out at the University of Salford, speaking to undergraduates and master’s students about welfare rights and connecting them with people with lived experiences in Salford.
When asked about her future aspirations, Catherine revealed that she’s planning to do an apprenticeship, learning how to become a coach alongside her busy schedule. “One of the huge issues which affect the work that we do is that we’re not seeing younger people coming into [the profession],” she said.
“I’m one of the people who became interested in the role through volunteering and those opportunities don’t exist in the same way they did when I first started out.” Catherine expressed the need for more experts in the field to mentor students and increase the visibility of the different council roles.
“Unless you’ve had experience yourself or have a family member that has used the service, but not many people know about [the roles],” she added.
“But one day you might need it, and I hope that it’s still here for people to use.”
