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If you think you may qualify and would like to apply or you know someone who may, then please contact us. Even if we are unable to help, we will do our best to direct you to another organisation that may be able to assist you.
 Q. What is a means tested benefit?
A. A means tested benefit is either Income Support, Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit, The Society only gives to those families in most need, and to qualify, families are admitted to the scheme only if in receipt of one or more means tested benefits.
Q. How do I arrange for someone to visit me?
A. If you think you may qualify then contact us and we will arrange for an experienced visitor to call at a convenient time.
Q. Who will visit me?
A The visitor will either be a member of staff from the Sailors’ Families’ Society or someone from your local area connected to one of the organisations we work closely with.
Q. Do you offer any other support other than financial help?
A. Yes. We realise that families have problems other than just financial ones. We have built up an extensive network of organisations that may be able to help with different types of queries you may have. There is a lot of help out there and we will do our best to put you in touch with an appropriate organisation, whether it be to do with bereavement, debt management, or other issues you may face. (Please look at the links page).
Q. How long does it take for an application to go through?
A Most applications are dealt with promptly, usually within four weeks of receiving the application from the visitor. Should your application be successful we will inform you and the visitor who forwarded the application on your behalf.
Q. If I am eligible for a grant, how will this be paid and for how long?
A Once a family has been accepted onto the Family Support Scheme, payments are transferred automatically into your bank account, usually about the 5th of every month. We will continue to monitor your financial situation and when it improves we will consult with you and advise you when any grants will cease. A family’s situation will automatically be reviewed when any child reaches 16 yeas of age. We ask that a family keeps us up to date with their situation and should it change please inform us accordingly.
Q. Will anyone keep in touch?
A. Yes we will keep in touch on a regular basis. We believe it is very important that each family has a local contact. This is often from the organisation that has referred the family to the Society in the first place. Often these visitors are very experienced in providing help and support to the families. At least once a year we request that each family is visited so that we can receive an update on, not only the financial situation with the family, but also how the children are progressing. We are always interested to know how they are doing at school, their hobbies and interests. The more we know about the children, the more we may be able to help. |
