THE PERCY BILTON CHARITY
GUIDANCE NOTES FOR GRANTS TO INDIVIDUALS IN NEED
who are on a low income and have a serious, long-term illness/disability or
are over 65 on low income
This is a guide to the policies
and procedures of the Charity. If you have any questions
regarding the suitability of your application or the information
required, you are welcome to telephone or write to us for advice and
guidance and we shall be happy to help. |
Who may apply - IMPORTANT
* Only Social Workers, CPNs or Occupational Therapists working
within the Local or Health Authority may apply on behalf of individuals
who are on a low income and have a serious illness, disability or are over
65 on low income
* We are not able to help individuals outside the above groups
* We do not accept or acknowledge applications made by individuals
directly or from any other agency
* Please do not reapply for the same person within 12 months of any
previous grant
* Applications should always be first made to statutory sources and any
appropriate specialist charity (e.g. Medical charities, employment related
funds, armed forces funds).
The programme's aim
The aim of this programme is to provide urgent one off financial assistance
for essential items to the beneficiaries defined below.
Who may benefit
The Charity will consider giving assistance on a one-off basis for specific
essential items to individuals in the U.K. on low incomes and in distressed
circumstances and who are within the categories stated below:
| Older People |
Individuals aged over 65 on low income |
| Disabled People |
Children or adults with a physical/learning
disability or serious illness on low income or
adults with severe and enduring mental health
problem which prevents them
from working. |
| Amount of grant |
Up to £200 only. |
| What we can help with |
Essential items of need such as:
Laundry equipment
Cooking appliances
Heating appliances
Essential furniture, beds & bedding or floor
coverings
Essential clothing and footwear |
The assistance we give is only suitable
for items costing up to £200.
In particular, the Charity CANNOT help with
- General financial hardship for those outside the categories stated
- Payment towards items costing over £200 e.g. electric wheelchair,
riser/recliner chair or bed
- Dishwashers
- Travel expenses, sponsorship, holidays or respite care
- Educational grants, computer equipment or software
- House alterations and maintenance (including disabled facilities work
and decorating)
- Debts of any kind, including telephone, gas, electricity and rent
arrears
- Reimbursement of cost for articles already purchased
- Garden fencing or clearance
- Motor vehicle purchase or expenses e.g. repairs/road tax/insurance
- Nursing and Residential Home fees
- Funeral expenses
- Removal expenses
- Medical treatment or therapy
- Course fees including driving or IT lessons
How to apply
Social Workers should contact the Charity by phone for an application form
which should be completed in full and sent by post to us together with a
covering letter on Local or Health Authority headed notepaper. Incomplete
application forms will not be considered or acknowledged.
When to apply
You may apply at any time during the year.
How we deal with your application
If your application is successful and the grant has been approved, we will
send a cheque with the letter notifying you of the conditions on which payment
is made.
We receive a large number of applications and in order to contain costs, we
are unable to respond to applications that do not meet the Charity's beneficiary
or funding criteria or if made by anyone other than a social worker or
occupational therapist. Please help us to keep costs down by familiarising
yourself with our policies and procedures before applying.
Points to note
- The Local or Health Authority must have a bank account in its own name and
be able to bank and administer grants on our behalf as we cannot make
payments to any other agency and not to any individual.
- We rely on those third parties who apply on their clients’ behalf to
notify/obtain their explicit consent so we may legally process information
in accordance with the Data Protection Act (see below).
- All applications are determined on their merits and the Charity's decision
is final
- The Charity receives more applications than it can fund and regrettably we
cannot always assist.
Terms and conditions
- The grant must be used only for the purpose for which it is paid
- The Charity reserves the right to take action against anyone who uses the
grant (or any part of it) for any other purpose without the Charity's prior
authority.
Date Protection Act 1998
If you intend to apply to the Charity for funding please draw your client’s
attention to the Data Protection notice set out below.
If your social or health worker applies to us for a grant, we
require certain personal information about you to ascertain whether you are
eligible for a grant. When we receive an application on your behalf,
we shall open a file for you. This file will contain the grant
application made on your behalf and any correspondence and information that
we receive from others such as social workers, health visitors and local and
health authorities. It will also contain details of any payments that
we may make to you.
The information in your file will be used to determine whether a
grant can be made to you by the Charity and to maintain financial records as
required by law.
We keep all such information confidential and will not pass your
details to any other person or organisation, except where we are required by
law to do so or to comply with the Charity Commission’s requirements.
We may disclose the amount and purpose of the grant made to you in our
annual report for accounting disclosure purposes, but not your name and
address. We keep records for 6 years and destroy them after that time.
When you make an application to us for grant assistance, we shall
deem that you consent to our keeping your personal data on file (including
information that may be sensitive personal data within the meaning of the
Data Protection Act 1998) and to process such data for the purposes stated
above unless you inform us otherwise.
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