See also:

• Debtline & Debtclinic

• Welfare Officer Report to AGM - 2006

Welfare

- and where to get it!

UNISON provides a wide range of Welfare benefits as part of its services to members, at National, Regional and Branch level.

Any member is eligible, as may be any dependants depending on the circumstances.

UNISON Welfare is a registered charity which is run at national level and which assists members and their dependants in times of crisis such as bereavement, redundancy, illness, personal injury, relationship breakdown and financial difficulty.

Both the region and the branch can offer assistance in cases of poverty or distressed circumstances.

This Branch has its own Welfare Fund, confirmed at each AGM.

What form does it take?

The form of assistance depends on your application and although it is usually financial, it can cover many other areas.

• Where the matter is financial, it is usually either in the form of grants or loans, usually for unforeseen hardship.

• It can be for
  
  • property repairs
    
    
  • funeral expenses
    
    
  • services provision
    
    
  • household items.

How do I apply?

• Always contact a member of the Welfare Committee first - see names and numbers below. You can forward messages through the Branch Office if you wish.

What happens then?

• Usually a member of the Committee will telephone you (either at home or at work, at your convenience) to clarify the basis of the case and outline whether or not assistance is likely to be appropriate.
  

• Following this they will visit you at home, although it could be at work or indeed on neutral territory of your choice, and help you to fill in a form from National UNISON Welfare which details what you wish for and also details your personal circumstances so that a decision may be made.
  

• The Committee member will then discuss your application with you and indicate what may or may not be able to be done and where is the best place to obtain the type of assistance that you need.

What happens next?

• The Committee meet every month and your application will be discussed at the next meeting. However, sometimes matters have be decided immediately in which case the committee members contact each other to try and resolve problems.
  

• If they feel that your application should be dealt with at Regional or National level they will pass it on immediately. If it goes to either of these, then the Branch takes no further action, although Committee members will be happy to follow things up. Occasionally in very special circumstances the Branch may agree to give special assistance in advance of decisions by region or national, but this is only in extremely exceptional cases.
  

• If the application remains within the branch, then you will be informed of their decision immediately after the Committee meeting.

Your Welfare Committee members are:

• Royston Davis
  ☎ Tel. 01392 688205 (work)
  e-mail:

• Dave Parsons
  ☎ Tel. 01392 382267 (work - County Hall)
  Fax: 01392 382268
  e-mail:

• Colin Willetts
  ☎ Tel. 01392 382530 (Branch Office)

• Pauline Roberts
  ☎ Tel. 01392 682090
  e-mail: pauline.roberts@devon.gov.uk

• Debbie Affleck
  ☎ Tel. 01884 244644
  e-mail: debbie.affleck@devon.gov.uk

We strongly recommend that you contact us when problems start. We are always willing to discuss concerns and give advice.

All requests are dealt with in complete confidence. Only the Committee members see details or discuss them. The Branch Executive sees the minutes only, which do not reveal names or personal details other than any sums of monies used from Branch Funds.