ACO award nominations and the people behind them
We’re pleased to share that we’ve been shortlisted for three awards at the Association of Charitable Organisations (ACO) awards: Charity of the Year, Campaign of the Year and Outstanding Achievement.
These nominations are more about the people behind the work; those who reach out for support, those who want to but aren’t quite ready yet, and of course the colleagues who help them along the way.
The winners will be announced on the 17th of September, as part of the ACO’s annual conference.
Charity of the year
Making support easier to access
People within the ICAEW community are increasingly being faced with difficulty, whether that’s money worries, uncertainty about work or rising stress.
We recognised that as life got more difficult, the support we have available – and the way in which it’s accessed – need to adapt. The first port-of-call was introducing triage coordinators, who are the friendly, reassuring voices you’re met with when you first call. Their primary role is to make taking that first step feel as easy and safe as possible and remove any barriers that might be in the way of someone asking for support.
This was just one of the ways we improved how we do things at caba; we’ve brought in more digital systems to make accessing support easier and more seamless.
Since we’ve brought in these changes, the people we support have reported improved mental health and financial situations. More specifically, some of the people who come to us have had their lives dramatically turned around.
Jane’s story
Jane* came to us after her business failed. Her relationship was breaking down and she was facing homelessness, alongside £62k of debt.
With a combination of support, including debt advice, Jane was able to secure a £56k debt write-off.
For Jane, this wasn’t just about reducing the balance on paper; it was about helping her maintain the stability and security she was at risk of losing.
Stories like Jane’s show why making support easy and accessible matters so much.
Campaign of the year
Helping people recognise our support is for them
While we updated to make reaching out accessible, there’s also the issue of people feeling as though they can reach out in the first place.
Unfortunately, many people struggle to ask for help, either due to stigma surrounding it, or simply because they don’t see themselves in traditional descriptions of someone who needs support.
Richard, an accountant, from our People Like Me campaign
Our People Like Me campaign was developed to combat this; different people told their different stories, bound together by their ability to talk about, and take steps to overcome, their challenges.
The campaign shared the experiences of three people from the ICAEW community – Richard, Victoria and Rowena. Their circumstances were very different, but each had reached a point where support from caba made a meaningful difference to their lives.
Outstanding achievement
Recognising the people behind the support
Behind everything we do are the people who do it. The support people receive is dependent on knowledgeable, caring individuals with best interests at heart. One of those is Outstanding Achievement nominee and Support Officer Mel Smith, who’s spent 18 years supporting the ICAEW community.
Mel Smith, caba Support Officer
Mel specialises in welfare benefits, debt and care-related matters. Her knowledge of the welfare system has helped people identify additional income they may be entitled to, contributing to caba almost doubling the amount of additional income identified for clients between 2025 and 2026.
More recently, Mel has expanded her expertise into debt advice, helping people navigate difficult financial circumstances. Keen on continuing to develop her knowledge, she will soon begin the Institute of Money Advisers’ Certificate in Money Advice Practice, while also developing her understanding of social care and immigration issues.
In Mel’s words:
“Times are difficult for many people within the ICAEW community right now. I, and caba, want to do everything we can to help and, while there are still many people we need to reach, this nomination shows that we're taking the right steps to help those who need it.’’
What do the nominations really mean?
These nominations aren’t just about caba. They’re about the people behind caba. With colleagues like Mel guiding people through difficult moments, and community members like Jane, Richard, Rowena and Victoria sharing their stories and proving that it’s OK to reach out, caba can help more people with each passing year.
We’re grateful to everyone who makes that support possible, and pleased that their work has been recognised by the ACO Awards.
You can view our people like me campaign on our website. If you want to get in touch to access any of our services, visit our contact page.
*Name has been changed to protect identity