At Buttle UK, we call the person who makes an application to us a ‘referrer’ – they are a supporting professional working with the child and family. School teachers and school support staff make excellent referrers as they know the children really well, can see how a crisis has impacted their education and wellbeing and therefore can identify what they need to help them move on from the crisis.
Here are a few pointers to make applying easy.
What makes a great referrer?
- Be sure to read our criteria to understand who we can and cannot support. Also look at what kind of items/services we will fund. If you’re not sure, or need guidance, you can call to speak to your local Grant Development Officer (GDO) before you make an application.
- Make sure the family are involved in making the applications, and that you make a request for items and activities that will make a difference to them. It is always a delicate balance between speaking with a child to understand what they need, while also not over-promising, in case an application is unsuccessful.
- If your application is successful, your GDO will speak to you about how to manage the funds and will suggest if there are any provider that we can use to minimise the work for you – this might mean using Buttle’s partnerships with AO, BT or Explore Learning.
- Most of Buttle’s grants are issued via a prepayment card, sent to referrers by post. Be sure to keep it safe; it has your name on it, so it cannot be given to a colleague or to the family to use. Treat it like you would your own credit or debit card.
- The prepayment card can be used nearly everywhere, both in store and online, but to make life easy for yourself, consider using a UK based reputable retailer that sells a variety of items, to minimise the number of orders you will need to make.
- You will have up to 8 weeks to spend the funds and upload receipts back onto the Buttle application portal, and we recommend uploading the receipts as you go. Buttle UK needs a record of everything that is purchased so we can demonstrate to our funders that their funds have been used responsibly. If you need support with uploading your receipts, your GDO will be able to help you.
- If something is no longer needed or you would like to change what you have been awarded, please contact your GDO before purchasing anything different. Buttle UK will always try to understand changing situations and accommodate changes where possible.
- Prior to making any purchases, we suggest discussing with the family your availability, i.e. can you take them shopping or is it easier to purchase everything online.
We very much appreciate the extra work school staff take on to support children while also managing funds responsibly. We couldn’t reach the thousands of children and young people we support and help without building trusting relationships with our referrers. We hope that you will find the process easy and see the impact on the child rewarding.
Jan 2025 feedback from a referrer on the best item they purchased
“The school uniform, as it enables the children to attend school without feeling less than their peers, as they would be wearing non-school uniform or lost property donated uniform. This gives them a more even starting point with their peers, with something that can be immediately noticeable- appearance. If they are able to feel more confident in navigating this space, this can only improve the wellbeing of the children.”