Instant Support Policy
Organisation Name: Just Penny CIC
Effective From: 18/09/2025
Reviewed: 18/08/2025
1. Purpose
This policy sets out how Just Penny CIC provides instant support to households experiencing food poverty or financial hardship. It ensures fairness, transparency, and accountability in the use of funds granted to us by donors and corporate partners.
2. Principles
- Dignity: Support is provided without stigma or discrimination.
- Fairness: All households are assessed against the same simple criteria.
- Transparency: Records are maintained for every distribution and can be audited.
- Proportionality: Support is modest and intended as short-term relief.
- Safeguarding: We protect personal data under UK GDPR and never share it without consent.
3. Eligibility
Households may qualify for instant support if they:
- Self-declare financial hardship (e.g. insufficient income to cover food/essentials), or
- Are referred by a trusted partner agency (e.g. Citizens Advice, local council, food bank, school, GP).
All applicants must complete a simple intake form (online or paper) including:
- Name and contact details
- Household size and dependents
- Income source (benefits, wages, etc.)
- Declaration that information provided is true
4. Types of Support
- Supermarket / food vouchers
- Dry ration / food parcels (covering 3–7 days’ meals) Normally sent to elderly and disable individuals to their door step.
- Other essentials (nappies, toiletries, sanitary products), where appropriate.
5. Support Limits
To ensure fairness and sustainable use of funds:
- Single adult household: £20–£40 voucher / equivalent parcel value
- Household with children: £40–£80 depending on family size
- Frequency: normally one-off emergency support, maximum [e.g. 2 times per household per year] unless further need is evidenced by a referral partner (e.g. Citizens Advice, local council, food bank, a trusted agency like Turn2Us, Trussell, school, GP etc).
6. Record-Keeping & Audit Trail
We maintain a secure beneficiary register recording:
- Unique ID number (not full names in reports)
- Household type (single / family)
- Support provided (voucher value, parcel type, date)
- Referral source (self-declaration or partner agency)
Personal data is held securely, in line with UK GDPR, and only for as long as necessary. Reports to funders show aggregated data only (e.g. number of households supported, total spend, case studies with consent).
7. Monitoring & Review
This policy will be reviewed annually or sooner if funder requirements change.
Random checks may be carried out on a sample of beneficiaries (e.g. request benefit letter or partner verification) to ensure accuracy of self-declarations.