Section 8 of the Freedom of Information Act 2014 requires FOI bodies to prepare and publish as much information as possible in an open and accessible manner on a routine basis outside of FOI, having regard to the principles of openness, transparency and accountability as set out in Sections 8(5) and 11(3) of the Act. This allows for the publication or giving of records outside of FOI provided that such publication or giving of access is not prohibited by law. The scheme commits FOI bodies to make information available as part of their normal business activities in accordance with this scheme.

Please find Western Care Association’s FOI Publication Scheme below. Each link in the table leads to a page comprising relevant information in the category as well as links to relevant information on our website. If the information you require cannot be found here, you may wish to contact our FOI Officer on 094-9025133 or on foiofficer@westerncare.com
If the information is not currently made publicly available by Western Care Association, you may consider making an FOI Request.

  • Mission Statement
  • About Us
  • Establishment /History of the Organisation
  • Membership of the Management Team
  • Roles, Responsibilities & Functions of the Management Team
  • Classes or Records held by the Organisation
  • Policies
  • Codes of Practice
  • Annual Report
  • Organisation & Pay /Grading Structure
  • Service Level Agreement
  • Location & Contact Details for the Organisation
  • How to Make a Complaint
  • Links to other Agencies /Bodies under Western Care's remit
Click Here to view this information

  • Child & Family Services
  • Adult Services
  • Community /Support Services
  • Financial Services
  • Training Services
  • Human Resources Department
  • Organisation /Administration Services
  • Volunteering
  • Fundraising & Development
  • Special Schools
  • Location of Services

Click Here to view this information

Decision Making Process

In the provision of day to day services and support, staff actions are guided by a set of detailed policies, procedures, guidelines and protocols. A full listing of our policies and procedures is provided here. Click below for a description of the process for developing policies and how people are involved in this.

In relation to major decisions affecting the strategic direction of the organisation, the process is led out by the Executive Management Team and published periodically in a strategic plan.

  • For a copy of our current Strategic Plan, please email - info@westerncare.com

We endeavour to ensure that staff are recruited and appointed in line with best practice and legislative requirements.  We do so in accordance with our Recruitment Procedure which you can access by clicking on the link below

Access to our services is in accordance with our Referrals and Admissions Policy. Click below for access to the current referrals policy

  • Financial Information
  • Plans for Major Capital Expenditure
  • Payments or Purchase Orders for Goods and Services
  • Governance Board Member Remuneration
  • Funding /Sponsorship of non-public Bodies
Click Here to view this information

Section E – Procurement

Please click on the link below to access our Policy on Regulation for Purchasing, Goods Received and Invoice Purchasing

Current Tender Competitions

This relates to current tender competitions over €10,000 for ICT and €25,000 for all other competitions. http://www.etenders.gov.ie/

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION GUIDELINES FOR CONTRACTORS/SUPPLIERS

The Freedom of Information Act 2014 applies to all information held by public bodies. It also applies to specifically designated private companies that perform public functions and, in a limited capacity to private companies that contract to public bodies. The legislation gives anyone anywhere in the world the legal right to request and receive a copy of recorded information held by, or on behalf of, a public authority. The emphasis is always on disclosure of the information rather than withholding it.

All of the information that Western Care Association holds about your company is covered by Freedom of Information (FOI), as is any information that you hold on our behalf.

If a contractor is employed to undertake a service on our behalf the information they produce in relation to that service is subject to FOI legislation. The responsibility for compliance with the legislation remains with the public authority.

If Western Care Association receives a request for information held about any of its contractors all such information will be considered for release under the FOI Act. That does not mean it will automatically be released if it is requested as one of the exemptions may apply. Wherever possible we will seek the contractor's views before making a decision on disclosure of information that might affect their rights or interests. Although the contractor's representations will be taken into account the law makes Western Care Association are responsible for making the final decision regarding disclosure.

Under the FOI Act 2014, Western Care Association has to under the Model Publication Scheme publish details of the following:

  • Payments or Purchase Orders for goods and services

Details, on a quarterly basis, of payments or purchase orders for goods and services of more than €20,000 (to include the name of the company /supplier and description of goods /services received)

  • A link to all current tender competitions on the eTenders website

Details of current tender competitions over €10,000 for ICT and €25,000 for all other competitions are available on www.etenders.gov.ie

  • Public contracts awarded including contract type, contractor, value, award date, duration and brief description (tabular format) over €10k for ICT and over €25k for other contracts

On a quarterly basis, details of public contracts awarded for values over €10,000 for

ICT and €25,000 for all other contracts (exclusive of VAT) should be published including:

  • Whether this is an award for a single contract or an award from a framework,
  • Name of winning contractor and legal address,
  • Value of the contract (exclusive of VAT),
  • Type of Contract (works, supplies, services),
  • Contract Award Date,
  • Duration of contract in months,
  • Brief description of contract.

What is a record as defined under Freedom of Information?

The FOI Act gives a broad definition to the term ‘record’. The definition covers all document types and does not distinguish formats, being equally applicable to documents created, maintained and stored manually and/or electronically. The Act includes:

"… any memorandum, book plan, map drawing, diagram, pictorial or graphic work or other document, any photograph, film or recording (whether of sound or images or both), any form in which data (within the meaning of the Data Protection Act, 1988) are held, any other form (including machine-readable form) or thing in which information is held or stored manually, mechanically or electronically and anything that is part or a copy, in any form, of any of the foregoing or is a combination of two or more of the foregoing …

For any queries or comments please contact the Freedom of Information Officer at Western Care Association or by emailing foiofficer@westerncare.com

FOI Legislation

Freedom of Information Act

How to make an FOI Request – FOI Access Form; Main File Access

Routine Access & Routine and Administrative Access

Frequently Asked Questions – FOI

Disclosure Log

Contact Details – FOI

Data Protection Statement – see also Data Protection Policy

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

Data Protection Acts /GDPR

Your Rights under Data Protection /GDPR

Personal Data Security Breach Management

Frequently Asked Questions – Data Protection

Data Protection – Useful Links

Contact Details – Data Protection

Information Regarding Eligibility to Western Care Services

How to Make a Referral to Western Care Association

Staff Numbers

Positions within Western Care Association

Careers at Western Care Association

How to Make a Complaint

Confidential Recipient for Vulnerable Persons

Useful Links

Click Here to view this information