1. Applicants (i.e. the beneficiaries - not the advocate) must be resident in Dublin city or county.

2. Aid should be for severe distress such as a crisis precipitated by unforeseen/chronic illness/financial hardship. Particularly favourable consideration will be given where aid can contribute to getting the recipient back on their feet and achieving self-sufficiency.

3. SIRKS expects advocates to recognise that its funds are limited (approximately €150,000 in total annually) and that a strong case for assistance needs to be made in every case. For example, if it is clear that the applicant has a significant net weekly income, a request for financial help will need to be justified by reference to exceptional circumstances.

4. Statutory sources of aid and entitlements must first have been applied for and found inadequate.

5. SIRKS can only help with relatively small amounts of financial help or store vouchers. However, experience in reviewing applications has shown that such assistance on its own may not help the applicant. In such cases, the advocate should demonstrate that a holistic approach (possibly involving other agencies) is being adopted to address all of the issues facing the applicant, e.g. that the Money Advice & Budgeting Service (MABS) will provide advice in relating to managing household finances.

6. While aid is normally given to a family/individual once only, repeat applications in cases of particular need may be considered. No ongoing commitments can be entered into, though aid may be dispensed on a phased basis if this is deemed best.

7. Requests for aid must be accompanied by a fully completed Application Form, (Mar. 2023), including a fully completed GDPR Consent Form, provided by SIRKS and a brief typed covering letter on headed notepaper signed by the advocate, showing their job title and CORU number and/or qualifications. If the advocate has neither of these, their line manager should co-sign the letter authorising that person to make the application, and they should quote their own CORU number and/or qualifications.

8. The year of birth of the applicant must always be given.

9. The covering letter should be brief, detailing the enclosed documentation in bullet point format e.g. Application Form, Invoices/Quotations/copy Utility Bills and Consent Form.

10. Requests for utility bill payments must be accompanied by copies of the relevant bills. Estimates/quotes for new or replacement items such as furniture and white goods must also be provided, and the advocate must ensure that the supplier would accept a third-party cheque from us if assistance were granted.

11. In respect of education and training, applications for assistance will be considered for the last year of the course if it is multi-year, or the full cost of the course if its duration is of one year or less.

12. SIRKS provides financial assistance on a wide variety of requests. Whereas all applications are reviewed and considered on their individual merits, SIRKS reserves the absolute right to refuse any application, and will not enter into any discussions in respect of its decision. In particular, requests for assistance will not be accepted in respect of the following: funerals, rent and deposits, rent and mortgage arrears, credit card payments, loans, and holidays.

13. Medical records, bank statements or anything showing the applicant’s PPSN should never be sent to us, for GDPR reasons.

14. The personal phone number of the applicant should not be sent to us, as we never make make direct contact with the applicants.

PLEASE NOTE: The provision of the information outlined above, and in the manner requested, will help SIRKS to review and respond to your requests in a more efficient manner.