Information Services

The Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed (INOU) are recognised as specialists in the field of Welfare Rights and Welfare to Work information provision. We provide a free, confidential and impartial Welfare to Work information service to individuals and affiliated organisations.

If you contact us, we do not need your name, address or PPS number to provide any information, and we do not share any information on your query with any other agency.

We recognise the importance of the provision of accurate, complete and relevant information in supporting and asisting Jobseeker's in returning to work and accessing return to work opportunities, inclusive of education, training and work experience.

Jobseeker's:

As part of our service we provide information on:

• Applying for / Accessing Jobseeker's payments - moving to a Jobseeker's payment from another payment
• Applying for / Accessing Jobseeker's payments - after losing your job or becoming redundant
• Accessing Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) while awaiting processing of a claim
• Dealing with issues affecting Jobseeker's payments - taking up work / education / training / means testing / etc.
• Issues affecting payments if working (self / partner) while in receipt of a Jobseeker's payment - means test etc.
• Back to Work Supports and options for Jobseeker's
• Work Experience options for Jobseeker's
• Education and Training Supports and options for Jobseeker's
• Enterprise Supports and options for Jobseeker's
• Secondary Benefits for Jobseekers taking up employment, education or training - including HAP, Rent Supplement, Medical Card, Fuel Allowance, Back to School Clothing and Footwear, etc.

 

Other Social Welfare Recipients:

The INOU also recognises that persons in receipt of other Social Welfare payments may wish to take up work / avail of allowable employment, education, training or work experience opportunites while in reciept of their primary payment. In such instances they may need information in relation to their options and may need support in accessing those options.

The INOU can provide Back to Work / Welfare to Work information in relation to a range of Social Welfare payments, including the following payment types:

• Disability Allowance
• Invalidity Pension
• Illness Benefit
• Carer's Allowance
• Carer's Benefit
• Domicilliary Care Allowance

 

Our Service:

As part of our Information Services, our staff can engage with you and support you in a number of ways including:

• assisting you with information about payment types and how work / education / training / work experience could affect your payment
• working out basic calculations in relation to any change to payment, and secondary benefits, based on your actions
• listening to what you think about what’s happened to you and why it has happened
• helping you to understand information about any decision or situation that has been arrived at
• explain the relevant Social Welfare Legislation and Operational Guidelines as may apply or be relevant to your situation
• explain the options available to you in seeking to address or resolve any issues or concerns
• helping you to idenitfy relevant and appropriate information and detail in support of your circumstances
• identify and plan how to progress the situation and what you can do next
• support in requesting reviews and taking appeals to the Social Welfare Appeals Office - click here for more information

 

Contact Us

Telephone

You can speak, in complete confidence, to an Information Officer in the Information and Advocacy section directly at 01 - 856 0088 or 01-5842417, Monday - Thursday 9.30 am to 5.00 pm and Friday 9.30am to 4.00pm.

You can leave a message and we will get back to you.

Online

Use the online Contact Us forms on the INOU website

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