 The Carr-Gomm Client Development Fund posted: 14 January 2010
The Client Development Fund used to be called the Welfare Fund. It is a limited pot of money made available to help clients. For example we might assist a tenant who is suffering hardship, or help someone to buy textbooks for a college course. The Welfare Fund was also used to help clients to celebrate Christmas by giving each client £10... but this accounted for the biggest part of the money in the fund. It didn't leave very much for other purposes.
We wanted to find ways to help us make better use of this money so we carried out a review in 2009, and clients helped us with this. We sent out a questionnaire to all our clients and asked for your help in deciding what changes to make. An online version appeared on CGtell as well. We had a really good response and have included a summary of the key findings at the bottom of this page.
What’s changed?
- We will use the Fund to
- assist clients with taking part in outside activities to help with achieving support plan goals – for example doing things that will help with developing more confidence in dealing with the outside world, learning a skill, or getting in touch with friends and family
- assist clients with skills to live more independently
- We will also continue to use the Fund for things like
- help in emergencies
- small expenses like flowers for clients in hospital
- Staff will work with clients to help find money in other ways, instead of having to rely on the Fund. For example
- applying for benefits or grants from Government (e.g. the Social Fund)
- local fundraising which staff and clients can do for special events or special purchases for the Carr-Gomm house (some Carr-Gomm staff and clients already do this and as a result have been able to buy things such as a snooker table for the house)
- We will no longer be giving every client £10 at Christmas. However, the policy gives staff information and advice on how to work with clients to do things like saving up as a group to pay for a special celebration meal. (This doesn’t just have to be at Christmas – it could be at other festival times or for other celebrations.)
- We will also start suggesting to some clients that they take out loans from the Fund which have to be paid back, instead of grants. We’d only suggest this if we can agree a sensible repayment plan which the client can afford.
We believe that making these changes will mean that the Client Development Fund will stretch much further and more clients will be able to benefit from it.
If you have any questions about the Client Development Fund, please ask your Project Worker.
What you told us about the Welfare Fund policy
- The majority (92%) thought it was either a good idea or OK to use the Fund to help clients build their confidence, learn skills and take part in outside activities
- The majority (80%) thought it was either a good idea or OK to stop giving clients £10 at Christmas, but instead staff could help clients to save up
BUT some of you were concerned about clients who don’t have family or friends
- The majority (84%) thought it was either a good idea or OK for clients to have loans instead of grants (as long as they could afford to repay the money)
BUT some of you were concerned about clients who would have problems paying back loans
- The majority (83%) thought it was either a good idea or OK for us to give the Fund a new name, and that the new name should be The Client Development Fund
What we’ve done:
- Asked staff to talk to clients about what they’d like to do at Christmas and to be aware of clients who don’t have family or friends
- Told staff they should only offer loans to clients who should be able to repay the money (with support) and remind them that sometimes grants may be the best option
- Re-named the Fund the Client Development Fund
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