The College and University Support Network's 2009 Report was released this week.
The report suggests that the recession is continuing to affect employees in post-school education with a 26 per cent increase in grants awarded by the charity compared to 2008.
£57,492 was awarded last year to help college and university staff members experiencing a wide variety of financial difficulties, increasing from £46,198 the previous year. In addition, the amount of money advice given also increased, with a 27 per cent increase on 2008.
Service use figures for CUSN again remained high, with the charity supporting staff in the adult, further and higher education sectors 9,406 times during the course of the year.
Interactions with staff members came either via CUSN's free, confidential, 24/7 Support Line or the charity's online services, such as the InfoCentre, which contains hundreds of factsheets of advice and information.
Demand for support in three areas in particular grew during 2009. As well as money advice, 'personal' and 'people skills' enquiries also increased, by 40 and 38 per cent respectively.
The report also shows that 2009 saw a massive increase in demand for services across the Teacher Support Network Group, with total service use increasing by 84 per cent. The Group also includes Teacher Support Cymru, the Teacher Support Scotland and services for teachers in England.
Julian Stanley, Teacher CUSN Chief Executive, said: "We're pleased that our services have been able to support so many educational professionals across
the country, but the figures remind us of how much more work there is to be done.
"2010 represents a crucial year for the charity. For the last six months, we have been researching demand for our services and looking at ways of spreading the word about our existence. This work will culminate with the relaunch of CUSN under a different name in May. Under this new guise we hope to provide support to a wider section of the sector, improving the wellbeing of staff members through the worlds of adult, further and higher education."
