Charities


 

The CSIS Charity Fund makes a regular annual grant to the POA Welfare Fund which is then used in assisting the relief of need, hardship and distress amongst POA members who are in need of support through welfare grants or workplace support.”

Visit the Discount page in the members area to access this benefit

N.B The CSIS Charity Fund DO NOT provide financial support to individual members for such assistance see The Charity For Civil Servants and The POA Welfare Fund below:

 

Back to top 


 

 


 

The POA Welfare Fund Charity works closely with The Charity for Civil Servants.

Did you know that as a POA member who currently works or has previously worked within the Civil Service you are entitled to access help and assistance from The Charity for Civil Servants? And that you can benefit from its services and advice for life.

The Charity has recently updated the types of assistance it offers into three areas - Health, Wellbeing and Money and Debt Advice. They’re still here offering financial assistance to those in need but just as importantly, are now supporting staff with information and advice that should result in a more long term solution to any difficulties.

Visit the Discount page in the members area to access this benefit

Back to top 

2016 Prison Officers_information.pdf

pdf, 587.8K, 10/11/16, 2107 downloads


 

 

The POA Welfare Fund is a registered charity and was set up in 2003. The Charity's objects are the relief of the poor and of sickness.  The Charity  satisfies these objects  by making grants of money in the form of, weekly allowances for a limited period to meet a particular need, grants to relieve sudden distress, grants toward the purchase of specialist equipment, grants towards travelling expenses for visiting people, for example in hospital, convalescent home, children's home etc.

The Welfare Fund committee meets on a monthly basis to consider applications for assistance from contributing members in distress and those needing to attend the Fire Fighters recuperation centres.

To receive assistance from the Charity you must be a contributing member.

The charity cannot consider applications that are to assist with debt.

 

Visit the Discount page in the members area to access this benefit


 

Back to top 


 

The POA has launched a confidential telephone helpline offering a Free service to members suffering from stress and in need of support. If you're affected by stress and would like to get help and support, call 0800 107 6585. Lines are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Do you need to talk to a Counsellor right now? The POA confidential stress & support counselling phone line gives you the chance to talk to a professional counsellor from a place where you feel comfortable at a time to suit you.

 

Visit the Discount page in the members area to access this benefit

Say you are a member of POA, you will then be transferred to a counsellor.

It's as simple as that. Callers can talk to counsellors from the comfort of their own home at a time that suits them.

Members also have access to the Health Assured portal, if they prefer not to talk to someone. The portal contains lots of wellbeing resources and emotional health support. The portal can be access by logging in to the following link https://wisdom.healthassured.org  

You will need to enter organisation code MHA020664 to register

Log in details can be found at POA Circular 059/2020

We understand that trying to get counselling can be a challenge in itself. Arranging everything through a GP can take months and at a time of crisis it is important to speak to someone who can listen and provide counselling immediately. 

Through the POA confidential stress & support counselling phone line you can talk through your problems with a professional as soon as you need to, at a time to suit you.

The fully qualified Counsellors will deal with your call in the strictest confidence. Details of your call will not be passed on to any third parties under any circumstances.

Visit the Discount page in the members area to access this benefit

 

Back to top 


 

Prison Service Trust

The Prison Service Trust is a charity which was set up in Northern Ireland in  2002 with government funding, primarily to look after the needs of widows/widowers of deceased N.Ireland Prison staff, and also staff who have been medically retired from the Northern Ireland Prison Service. 

Whilst the inspiration for the establishment of the Prison Service Trust was the need to look after the families of our murdered colleagues who had been neglected, the Prison Service Trust has grown from strength to strength and can now also assist serving Prison staff and age retired Prison staff in Northern Ireland, providing they fulfil certain criteria. 

Visit the Discount page in the members area to access this benefit

 

 

Back to top 


 


Physical Rehabilitation Services for the POA


The POA is delighted to announce a major new service to members. You can now benefit from professional therapy and rehabilitation courses.

The wellbeing of our members is of paramount importance to us. It is a sad fact that - owing to professional or personal circumstances – many of our members are in need of rehabilitation services. The POA are determined to address these issues, by providing assistance to those in need.

The rehabilitation courses can help with a wide variety of conditions. Typically, the courses can help people with physical conditions – for example back injuries, chronic pain and mobility problems, including those who need additional psychological support. Nursing and recuperation services are also available, to assist with post-injury or post-operative recovery.

The rehabilitation is in the form of a one or two week residential course, run by The Fire Fighters Charity, who have unrivalled knowledge of how to treat injured professionals. The therapy programmes are a mixture of individual and group sessions, but are tailored specifically to your condition. Once your needs are assessed you will join a structured programme, utilising the state-of-the-art facilities and benefiting from access to a highly experienced team of therapy professionals. The aim of the programme is to improve your condition, but there is also an emphasis on education and self-management. At the end of your stay, a discharge summary is provided, designed to help you manage your condition more effectively in future.

This new service is free of charge to members contributing to the POA Welfare Fund. The POA Welfare Fund Charity will fund your place on the therapy programme, but with a limited number of places available, the POA will assess every application on a needs basis, and will allocate places as fairly as possible, based on individual need.

Visit the Discount page in the members area to access this benefit

 

 

 

Back to top 


 

 


The POA is working with the UK's leading debt management charity, StepChange Debt Charity, to provide practical help and support for members who may be experiencing financial difficulties in the current economic climate.



StepChange Debt Charity provides free debt help to over half a million people each year, they provide free, impartial and confidential debt advice, debt management plans (DMPs), welfare benefit checks, bankruptcy advice & support, IVA's, mortgage arrears support, equity release advice and debt relief order (DRO) applications.

 

Visit the Discount page in the members area to access this benefit

Representing over 30,000 Prison, Correctional and Secure Psychiatric Workers, the POA is the largest UK Union in this sector, able to trace its roots back more than 100 years.