Holloway Friendly has launched a 24-hour advice and information service for its income protection policy holders.

Advisers can access the Care First package for their clients through Holloway’s ‘member support package’.

Holloway has teamed up with Care First an advice, information and support service that can be accessed online or via telephone, typetalk and minicom for people with hearing difficulties. It is available for every policy holder free of charge as part of Holloway Friendly’s ‘Members Assistance Programme’.

The Care First information and advice specialists are on hand to help policy holders find practical ways forward when they feel overwhelmed by problems and will provide a serious added benefit for advisers to offer their clients alongside the usual Holloway benefits of guaranteed premiums for the life of the policy, no occupational loading and the same underwriter from beginning to end. In addition all Holloway Friendly policy holders become a member, or part owner of the society.

The trained Care First advisers will help policy holders with all work place issues, from bullying to sick pay; with debt problems and with family and personal issues covering everything from divorce and bereavement to childcare and community care.

Policy holders will have access to a professional counselling service; dedicated telephone advisers will provide information and support, while a wealth of resources are also available on the specialist Care First website.

Advisers get direct access to the underwriter of their clients’ policy and a guarantee of no dual pricing as Holloway Friendly only sells through advisers.

Mat Manser, sales and marketing director for Holloway Friendly, said: “As an income protection provider, Holloway Friendly looks after clients in times of stress and so recognises the huge affect this can have on personal and professional relationships we therefore understand the value that access to this sort of service can add to someone’s life when they need it most.

“Holloway is always looking for more holistic ways to support its membership and the advisers who introduce them to us. Our members are usually in touch with us at difficult times, their circumstances may have changed and they sometimes find it hard to plan or deal with these changes.

“The launch of this new support package gives members professional advice and support whenever they need it, whether or not they are making a claim and it gives advisers a value add to provide their clients with.”