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By Dermot Carey, Welfare Officer, CIF Benevolent Trust
Readers (hopefully!) might remember me from my 25 years working with the CIF. I retired in 2024… early, I wasn’t quiet the retirement age.
While contemplating all the free time I now had, I was approached by the Trustees of the CIF Benevolent Trust to enquire if I would be interested in working with the Trust as a Welfare Officer.
Truthfully, even though I had worked in the CIF for almost quarter of a century, while I was aware of the Trust, I wasn’t totally aware of the good work that it does and the support it offers to people in the industry who have hit hard times and need a leg up.
Also, I didn’t know what a “Welfare Officer” did!
If I in my position was this unaware, I’m sure there are many people in the industry who are as unaware as me. I’m hoping to put that right with this short piece and if there are people who need the support offered by the Trust, they will be directed our way. I’m particularly hoping that any human resources professionals, from the sector, reading this will take note and if help is needed in the future, they will have the information at hand.
The core of what the Trust does
The CIF Benevolent Trust offers a unique and confidential financial support service for business owners, directors and senior managers in the construction industry, when life takes an unexpected turn.
Established by the CIF in 1982, it is dedicated to the relief of financial distress for families of employers, directors and senior managers (past and present). This could be a result of a bereavement, serious illness, mental health issues etc., impacting the financial stability of the family.
The goal of the Trust is to make life easier for the beneficiaries and their families. This could be in the form of a one-off payment, regular monthly payments, funeral expenses, nursing home fees or respite care etc.
Currently, the Trust is supporting 16 families across Ireland.
To qualify for support, an individual must be or have been, working in the construction industry (either member or non-member of the CIF) and they need to make contact (confidentially) with the Trust. This is important – the potential client most make the contact.
I have been working along with the Board now for just over a year, and in that time, I have visited recipients of the Trust’s support packages and see the difference financial support can make to the quality of life for these families. There are some heart-breaking cases, usually involving an early bereavement where the partner (generally a woman) is left with expenses and costs and wondering where the money will come from. In these scenarios, the Trust can step in and offer assistance greatly improving that family’s situation.
In one case I dealt with, the main breadwinner unfortunately died young, and his wife had previously given up work to study and look after their two children. When her husband unexpectedly passed away, she had no income and had to step away from her studies. The Trust assisted by providing financial support to the family, allowing the mother to return to finish her studies with the intention of re joining the workforce. While not being able to remove the obvious grief at the loss of a husband and father, there was considerable relief that their financial worries were addressed.
The Trust’s focus is providing financial support in times of need – its worth noting that the organisation also partners with the Lighthouse Charity where the client needs mental health support. In scenarios where this type of help is required, the Trust assists the client (if they agree), with seeking support via this route.
The year of working with the Trust has opened my eyes to the support that is available to families in need – hopefully readers now are informed also.
More information
Should you be aware of anyone who may meet the above criteria and could benefit form support, please pass on the contact details below or indeed, if a reader would like to talk to me for more information, feel free to make contact using the contact details below.
For more information, email: [email protected]; or telephone 01-4066068.
All enquiries are dealt with in confidence.