Have you got the time to make a big difference?

For more than 50 years the Merchant Navy Welfare Board has worked closely with its Constituent Member charities to provide assistance to individuals and families in need. In recent times the value of visiting those seeking help within their own homes has been widely accepted as best practice by the nautical charities. This enables trained caseworkers to gain a better understanding of an individual’s or a Family’s circumstances.

In recent years the Board has provided training for volunteers and staff among its Constituent charities to carry out home visits to those applying for help. The trained caseworker can properly assess the true needs, assist with completing the necessary application forms and where appropriate, provide help with obtaining statutory entitlements. As a result there is now a good network of caseworkers in and around most ports.

The nautical charities recognise that it is often difficult to organise a suitably trained person to make a home in many other parts of the United Kingdom. SSAFA Forces Help is a leading national charity with an extensive network of trained volunteer caseworkers among its many Branches and Divisions. That organisation, although primarily an armed services charity, has always assisted merchant seafarers and fishermen who have served in wartime. Because of these connections SSAFA Forces Help has been a long standing and highly valued Constituent member of the Board. Following agreement, their network of caseworkers have been made available to the nautical charities, with the Board acting as a co-ordinator. This effectively means that a home visit can now be carried out to a merchant seafarer, or their dependents, anywhere in the U.K. In these cases the Board reimburses the modest costs.

Both the Board and SSAFA Forces Help would welcome more suitable volunteer caseworkers with an understanding of the background and needs of merchant seafarers and fishermen. The intention is that as many SSAFA Forces Help Divisions as possible will have, among their volunteers, a person that specialises in seafarers needs. In addition, as with all their volunteers he or she would also be asked to carry out visits to other SSAFA Forces Help clients as well. The organisation provides extensive training and ongoing support. The commitment can be from just a few hours of your week, or more if you can spare it. This is an opportunity to provide some real help both to the seafaring community and to the wider public in general.

For more information contact Ann Needle at SSAFA Forces Help by phone on 020 7463 9223, by e-mail ann.n@ssafa.org.uk or visit their website at www.ssafa.org.uk

For information about the nautical charities contact the Merchant Navy Welfare Board by phone on 023 8033 7799, by e-mail enquiries@mnwb.org.uk or visit our website at www.mnwb.org

Posted: 2005-01-19

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