The latest news and updates for all activities within the Care Wellbeing and Inclusion Fund Project
Care Wellbeing and Inclusion – at the heart of caring for our nuclear community members
General
The NCCF won it’s bid for the funding of Phase II projects in 2017. Because of the need to make all necessary arrangements for the transfer and investment of the endowment, the funds did not arrive in the NCCF accounts until November 2017.
This has had a significant impact as the monies will need to be invested for twelve months to produce a usable return to fund Care Wellbeing and Inclusion Fund grants.
Meeting on the 14th December 2017 the Trustees of the NCCF agreed on the following measures to ensure fund availability for the neediest in our nuclear community using the remaining Phase I monies to span the hiatus:
Care, Wellbeing & Inclusion Grants – Cap at £15,000. Only one grant per 18 months. Simplified Applications (for measures under £300) Scheme suspended. For review in December 2018. On lifting of suspension the scheme to be restricted to purchase of adaptations that directly address health and wellbeing issues.
Assistance to Attend Events – No funding available throughout 2018. No schemes will be created.
If you have a care, wellbeing or inclusion issue please do not hesitate to contact us.
CWI Fund User Experience Survey
Around the time this article was published in our magazine, we will be conducting a survey amongst everyone who has been involved with the CWI Fund. Whether an applicant has received a grant or not their input is valuable, we need to look at the entire experience.
We have already implemented a number of changes and introduced new controls like the Reviews and Appeals function but with the help of those who have used the system, we want to make it better.
We will be sending the survey to everyone we know who asked for a main grant application form. Some people from the earlier days of the scheme asked for a form but did not make an application
If you fall into this category and do not receive a survey form in the next few weeks please contact the NCCF at our PO Box and ask for the survey as we really need to understand why you didn’t submit an application. All survey replies will be anonymised and the data collected together to help us understand problem areas with the scheme and process.
Urgent & Time Critical Applications
The members of the Grant Panel meet four times a year so if an application is received shortly after a meeting it may be three months before the panel review the case. In many situations, this is not a great issue however in around 5% of applications the provision is needed much sooner. This is where the Urgent/Time Critical system comes into play.
If you know there is a time constraint relating to your application or that your situation makes it urgent then please tell us when making the application. We can take the application directly to the Grant Panel Chairman to see if we can get an urgent/time critical processing agreed.
Key Points about CWI Fund Grants
The monies won by the NCCF do not come without condition or accountability. When assessing each case the Grant Panel must keep in mind the following conditions.
There is no duplication of State Funded Provision. If you can obtain the goods, service or therapy from NHS, Council or other Government organisation then we can not use monies from the fund to duplicate this. There is a minor exception and that is if the state provision is not available within a reasonable period of time and lack of access to that provision is causing daily suffering.
There is no reimbursement for purchased goods, services or therapies. There is a twofold reason for this: The fund is not allowed to make cash grants directly to individuals and the tactic of pre-purchasing and then asking for support places an undue burden on those trying to make an objective decision.
We have a number of suppliers for specific provisions that we have built a relationship with that benefits both the fund and our beneficiaries.
We often engage the services of a professional Occupational Therapist service to conduct a full review of applicant needs in and around the home. This gives both the applicant and the Panel an objective professional view on any measures that can be provided to tackle the issues addressed by the fund.
The Grant Panel do not know the applicant’s identity. This is essential as we need to make completely objective decisions. Every application is anonymised and the relevant information from the application is processed into a standard format for presentation to the Panel. Occasionally factors relevant to the decision-making process may hint at the identity of an applicant. Should a Panel member suspect they know the identity of an applicant they declare a conflict of interest and absent themselves from that particular case consideration.
Openness and Honesty is the best policy. We do conduct checks upon applications to test claimed facts. You may think that an aspect of your application may prevent you from getting help and so try to obscure it.
This is not a good idea, very often omitted information will come to light during the initial processing which then delays your application whilst we establish a true picture.
We do not cap applications based on wealth. Because the scheme is to reduce suffering and increase wellbeing we have to balance the ability of a person to address their need against their situation. If someone could easily afford to fund the solution to their issues from their disposable income or savings then they are not suffering as much as a person who can not afford it. We prioritise to help the most needy.
We can not give grants for property maintenance. We can only fund measures which directly address the reduction of suffering regarding Care Wellbeing and Inclusion issues.
We have published a Care Wellbeing and Inclusion Fund Case Study which shows how the system works and the types of things you can get help with.
If you have any questions about the Care Wellbeing and Inclusion Fund please write to:
The NCCF CWI Fund
PO Box 8244
Castle Donington
DE74 2BY
or email: office@thenccf.org
You can also get help with assessing your situation and learn how to submit an application on the NCCF Care website
