Financial Empowerment and Resilience Network (FERN)

Increasing financial wellbeing and resilience

The Financial Empowerment and Resilience Network (FERN) was a program providing interactive online financial capability workshops, support and referrals for people wanting to increase their financial wellbeing and resilience. The program commenced in 2021 and was relaunched in 2024 after a brief pause, before concluding in mid-2025.

FERN was distinctive in that, despite its focus on working with people on low incomes, it had no eligibility restrictions. It aimed to addresses the gap between support for those in urgent financial crisis who may meet eligibility criteria for emergency support and those in a position to seek financial planning advice.

This model was informed by:

• the Capability Approach (Sen 2001)

• BSL’s financial wellbeing framework

• MoneyMinded, flexible adult financial education resources developed by ANZ and others.

In surveys from December 2022 and April 2023,  participants in the program reported  having changed their behaviour around money, having started a budget, having changed their spending habits and feeling more confident understanding their bank statements.

In 2025, drawing on participant experiences of the FERN program as a case study, we explored the financial capability needs of people on low income and how financial education can effectively meet these needs.