How To Get Help

Home | How To Get Help | The application process

The application process begins when an individual, or someone acting on their behalf, contacts the Society’s office and requests an Application Form. These forms are not made available electronically and by doing this we can identify to whom forms have been sent out, so that if they are not returned we can follow up with offers of help to complete them, or answer any questions the enquirer may have which has prevented them from applying.

When we receive an application form an acknowledgement letter is sent out and the application is considered by the Welfare Manager to assess whether it meets the basic criteria for admission. 

One of the most common difficulties at this stage is a failure, where relevant, to provide copies of Divorce documents, Separation Agreements or bank statements.  We cannot progress applications in such instances until these documents are provided.  Details of how to obtain replacement documents can be found here.

Once the Welfare Manager or Chief Executive is satisfied that an applicant appears to meet all of the objective admission criteria, we will arrange for a Caseworker to visit them, discuss their application form in more detail and check financial statements. If their Visit Report does not raise any queries, the application is taken forward to the next meeting of the Society’s trustees...which we refer to as a "Case Meeting".

Even if an applicant appears to meet all of the Society’s criteria, the decision to admit an applicant to the Society’s Roll of Beneficiaries lies entirely at the discretion of the trustees.