This update gives information on the number of people who have been in touch with, and made applications to, Caranua between January and May 2014.

The number of applications and calls that we received is higher than expected, and getting staff in place took longer than expected.  As a result, we have not been able to get through applications as quickly as we would like.  We expect to see a speeding up of responses in the next month.  We would like to thank those of you who are waiting for your patience, and to say that if your needs are very urgent, for example if you are very ill, please call Caranua so as we can ensure you are spoken with sooner.

Are many people are contacting the Caranua office?

We get about 100 telephone calls every day.  We have just two people answering calls so it isn’t always possible to answer every call straight away.  We make three attempts to reach callers who have left a message. During May, 3,219 phone calls went through the Caranua office.

How many applications have been received so far?

Caranua has received 2,762 applications since the 6th January 2014. The largest volume of applications were received in January, which accounts for nearly half of the total number of applications received so far. Below is a breakdown by month of the number of applications received.

Total received by month

January          1,298

February           628

March               422

April                 250

May                  164

Total received January to May 2014:   2,762

How are people sending in applications?

Applications are coming in by post, through the website and by email. We divided the applications below by the way we received them, and also by month. As you will see, the majority of applications come in by post. A high number also come in through the website and a much smaller number are received by email.

Total received by month           Post               Web          Email

January                                   1,298                           797                477           24

February                                    628                           477                 147            4

March                                        422                           336                  84             2

April                                          250                           193                  54             3

May                                           164                           117                  46             1

Total receivedJanuary to May     2762                         1,920                 808           34

Where are people applying from?

People have applied from 19 different countries. 2,092 people have applied from Ireland, 604 from the United Kingdom, and 66 from countries outside Ireland and the United Kingdom.

How many applicants were eligible?

To be eligible to apply, you must have spent time in an institution as a child, and received an award through settlement, Court or the Residential Institutions Redress Board in relation to your time in an institution. Since the 6th January, 2,762 applications were received. It is our policy to reply to people within ten working days of receiving their application, and we are meeting this standard. 2,601 people were eligible, and 116 applications were still being processed. 45 applicants (2%), were found not to be eligible to apply.

How many people have sent in their identification?

After it is confirmed that an applicant is eligible to apply, Caranua writes to ask for copies of identification documents to verify that nobody else is applying in the applicant’s name. From 6th January to 31st May Caranua sent out 2,601 letters asking for this information. 1,712 applicants have sent in their identification documents. It is our policy that applicants receive a reply within ten working days of Caranua receiving their identification documents, and we are meeting this standard. 1,139 people have had their identification documents verified.

How many people have spoken to an Application Advisor?

The next step after your identification documents are verified is to speak with an Application Advisor, who explains what we are able to help with and will provide any assistance with making an application. By the 31st May, the Application Advisors had been in touch with 201 people.

Has anyone accessed the Fund?

Yes, payments are being made. We are working with people to help them access services based on their individual needs. For some people this part of the process may consist of one payment and they may know exactly what they want, but for others it may involve many conversations with their Application Advisor and they may access a number of services. So far, 163 payments have been made to 71 people.