Veterans News and Communications Hub

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This collaborative project is delivered by Defence Relationship Management and Cobseo (The Confederation of Service Charities). The Hub enables forces-friendly organisations across all sectors to showcase the continued value of the UK’s highly skilled veteran community.

Latest news

£2.8 million awarded in the final round of the Reaching and Supporting Armed Forces Communities programme

The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust (The Trust) has announced the allocation of over £2.8 million to 32 targeted projects in the final round of the Reaching and Supporting Armed Forces Communities programme. This brings the total grant funding to more than £11.8 million since the programme’s inception in April 2022.

The projects include:

Race Council Cymru - awarded £99,851 to establish a support network for ethnic minority veterans and their families in Wales
The Poppy Factory received £100,000 to expand the Families Employment Service, providing specialist employment support for adult family members of veterans
Beyond the Battlefield’s project, ‘Pace’, has been awarded £100,000 to develop a sustainable support structure for LGBT+ veterans and their families in Northern Ireland
39 Engineer Regiment was awarded £50,000 to deliver 4 off-grid respite pods at Kinloss Barracks in Scotland, providing soldiers with a space for socialising and relaxation

In total, the programme has supported 126 projects across the UK, addressing a wide range of needs within the Armed Forces communities. These projects have made improvements in areas such as mental health, social isolation, employment, and physical health.

Visit the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust website for more information and latest updates.

Regional Support Services - The Association of Service Drop-In Centres (ASDIC)

With 170 members in 230 locations around the UK, the Association of Service Drop-In Centres (ASDIC) supports the rapidly growing network of small organisations supporting veterans and their families in the community across the UK.

These organisations can vary, from the highly evolved which are able to provide clinical support, to the activity-based organisations ideally suited as a social prescribing solution, to the small Drop-Ins and Breakfast Clubs.

ASDIC brings cohesion to this network providing guidance, support, and establishment of best practice. Sustainability of the Centres is also a longer-term benefit of ASDIC’s work.

ASDIC also delivers the ground-breaking ‘VetCheck’ service in partnership with Veterans UK (MoD), enabling ASDIC to verify service for our members within 48 hours. The ASDIC network frequently provides the entry point to the support provided by the senior stakeholders and statutory services from across the veteran welfare landscape.

Sacha Moravek from the ACDIS said:

What starts with a cuppa and simple camaraderie can often develop into bringing a veteran together with the support they may not have realised they needed or were entitled to, providing a vital gateway to those who may be wary of authority when seeking support. This is vital, especially for those dependent on our centres for support. Our member organisations are frequently dealing with suicide prevention, or issues around drug and alcohol abuse, and the loss or collapse of this lifeline can trigger crisis or worse for an individual.

Find out more at www.asdic.org.uk.

Armed Forces & Veterans Breakfast Clubs

The Armed Forces & Veterans Breakfast Clubs (AFVBC) is now the single largest veterans organisation in the UK, and membership growing weekly.

With over 400 clubs nationally and 15 overseas, the AFVBC seeks to end social isolation for veterans. The clubs bring people with a connection to the UK Armed Forces together and offers a chance to reminisce, share stories and interact with a community that is missed by most when leaving the Armed Forces.

The AFVBC is also conducting five pilot programmes in HM prisons across the UK, building a Armed Forces community within HM prisons. These pilot programmes help with social interaction, rehabilitation and a support structure for veterans who are currently within the criminal justice system.

Lindsay Beadnall from the AFVBC, said:

“The AFVBC acts as a beacon of hope and a landmark for those who are at HMP Stocken. It gives them a community, purpose, a chance to learn new skills. And somewhere to head to when they leave HMP Stocken. Our young veterans are gaining awards and are developing their skills for employment on their release. It gives most a second chance.”

Find your local AFVBC

HM Armed Forces Veteran ID Card

Veterans from across the UK can now apply for their veterans ID Card. The roll-out, which started in January, enables veterans to apply for their card digitally.

The new digital verification service includes:

online applications via GOV.UK
identity checks using GOV.UK’s new One Login service
automated service checking to confirm veteran status for most applications using MOD service records databases
increasing MOD’s secure card-printing capacity to deal with the expected applications using a new high-capacity card printing machine

A paper-based application process is also available for veterans who are unable to use the online service.

Find out more information about the Veteran ID card.

Grants and funding

The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust (the Trust) supports the Armed Forces Covenant by delivering funding programmes that create real change to Armed Forces communities across the UK.

The Trust is a charity and are classified as a Non-Departmental Public Body, or NDPB. The Trust looks after the Armed Forces Covenant Fund, worth £10m each year.

The Armed Forces Covenant Fund has four broad funding themes now and in future years.

1. non-core healthcare services for veterans

2. removing barriers to family life

3. extra support, both in and after Service, for those who need help

4. measures to integrate military and civilian communities and allow the Armed Forces community to participate as citizens

Find out more about eligibility and grant support

What is a veteran?

Veterans are defined as anyone who has served for at least one day in His Majesty’s Armed Forces (Regular or Reserve) or Merchant Mariners who have seen duty on legally defined military operations. There are currently 2.4 million veterans in Great Britain.

There are 2.4 million veterans in Great Britain. 40% of veterans are 16-64 years old. The percentage of working age veterans is set to increase to 44% by 2028. 60% of veterans are over 65. 75% of veterans own their home or have a mortgage. It is estimated that 3% to 6% of those sleeping rough have served in the armed forces. 75% are healthy, 17% have fair health and 8% have bad health. Want to learn more? Tune in to our ‘being forces friendly’ podcast’.

Listen to our team of veterans talk about their experiences: transitioning from the UK Armed Forces and what the word ‘veteran’ means to them.

You can find and listen to all of our Being Forces Friendly podcast episodes on Anchor.

Share your story: what does the word “veteran” mean to you? Use the hashtag #ProudToBeAVeteran on the platforms below:

X (Previously Twitter)
LinkedIn

Veterans’ Strategy Action Plan

Top commitments in the Veterans’ Strategy Action Plan include:

• employment and skills

• healthcare

• understanding the veteran community

View ‘Veterans’ Strategy Action Plan: 2022 to 2024’.

Veterans’ employment

An employer’s guide to hiring veterans

The employers’ guide to hiring veterans (published by the OVA) was launched by the Rt Hon Johnny Mercer MP, Minister For Veteran Affairs at the Federation of Small Businesses HQ in London.

The guide provides support to organisations that seek guidance and best practices for the employment, retention, and career development of veterans. Case studies from existing organisations are included, providing tips and lived experiences.

Read the employers’ guide to hiring veterans

Career Transition Partnership

The Career Transition Partnership (CTP) is a partnering agreement between the Ministry of Defence and Right Management Ltd, who are global career development and outplacement specialists and part of the ManpowerGroup. CTP provides resettlement services for those leaving the Royal Navy, Army, Royal Air Force and Marines. Regardless of time served, all members of the Armed Forces can benefit from CTP support when leaving Service. In addition, they operate as an intermediary service for employers wishing to hire Service leavers.

To date, they have assisted over 235,000 Service leavers with the transition to civilian life and supported thousands of organisations looking to employ ex-Service personnel.

Find out how CTP can help your organisation harness military talent

CTP employment fairs connect employers with skilled and experienced individuals who have un-paralleled transferable skills in planning, communication, teamwork and leadership, along with adaptability, drive and resilience.

Career Transition Partnership leaflet (PDF, 95.2 KB, 1 page)

The Reed Group

The Reed Group has recently been awarded the Gold Employer Recognition Scheme Award.

The Reed Group has created an internal Armed Forces Veterans and Reservists Group (AFVR), a Group-wide community for Armed Forces/ex-Armed Forces staff to connect.

The AFVR Group’s benefits include:

offering employees a support group of people with similar experiences
recreating a sense of camaraderie that they may be missing from their time in the forces
offering an optional buddy system for mentoring new staff, especially when this is a member’s first civilian job
sharing Armed Forces events, news and experiences

Joanna Chapman, Reed Group business development manager, has said:

This shows our commitment to supporting Armed Forces personnel and ensuring they are not disadvantaged by their Service. We work continuously to create new and improve existing policies and initiatives that support those who have served and those who continue to serve, including guidance documents for our recruiting staff and job application support for those applying to work for Reed.

Their working group will also hold group-wide talks to raise awareness for employing the Armed Forces Community, the benefits they bring to employers, and how they can be supported. Reed opens group talks to external stakeholders to host and bring their expertise, and they welcome anyone who would be interested in attending. If you would like to participate, email the Reed Armed Forces Community at ArmedForces.Community@reed.com.

The Forces Employment Charity

The Forces Employment Charity stands by ex-Forces personnel through a range of programmes and practical support. Supporting anyone who has served at least one day in His Majesty’s Regular Armed Forces, or Merchant Mariners who have seen duty on legally defined military operations. Support is delivered by experienced advisors, many of whom also served. The Forces Employment Charity advisors are committed to helping veterans succeed through their working lives.

The Forces Employment Charity programmes provide a range of practical tools and advice to help veterans use their military skills to stand out from the crowd.

The support provided includes:

Advice on career choices
Researching the job market
Job matching
Advice on training
Recommendations for courses and education
Support for writing a CV
Advice on interview techniques
Expert industry knowledge and updates
Events and employment fairs

For more information visit The Forces Employment Charity.

Forces Friendly employers

More than 10,000 organisations have committed to improving the lives of service people and their families, with John Lewis becoming the latest signatory to mark this major milestone.

Since 2011, when the concept was enshrined into law, the Covenant reinforced the moral obligation between nation, government and Armed Forces which has since seen UK organisations of all sizes commit to treating our Armed Forces Personnel, and their families, fairly.

In addition to fostering commitments to the Covenant, the government has committed millions of pounds in funding to ensure veterans’ mental health, accommodation, and childcare, among other issues, is well catered for and funded.

Read more about Forces Friendly employers

Veteran education

High Ground

High Ground helps service leavers, reservists and veterans assess their military skills and experience and how these apply to the land-based sector. It also offers many opportunities for employment and self-employment.

High Ground offers Rural Weeks: 5 fully residential days at an agricultural college for 8 service leavers, reservists and veterans to learn more about the land-based sector from subject matters experts.

Rural Weeks are run by our Rural Employment Manager in conjunction with the delivering agricultural college.

Veterans and small business

Veteran owned UK group signing the Armed Forces Covenant in March 2020. MOD Crown Copyright 2020.

Veterans: A Force for Business

X-Forces Enterprise (XFE) and the Federation of Small Business (FSB) have collaborated extensively over the last few years, beginning with an insightful report into the business landscape for service leavers: A Force For Business.

The report highlights the contribution of the UK’s veteran population to the small business sector, with 6% of small business owned by veterans in Great Britain. However the report shows that there is scope for this to be increased, greater numbers of veterans starting, growing or working in Great Britain’s millions of small businesses would see benefits for individuals, businesses and communities.

info graphic with stats for service leavers, it shows there are 925,000 veterans of working age in the UK in 2016, and that 6% of small businesses are owned by veterans. — (Copyright X-Forces 2021)

Service Charity Sector: Insight and Engagement

Cobseo (The Confederation of Service Charities), through its membership of service charities represents the whole serving and Veterans Community. Visit the Cobseo website where you will find the most up to date news, funding opportunities, help and transition guidance for Veterans and their families.

Veterans Awards

The Veterans Awards are open to all Armed Forces veterans, serving reservists and organisations and companies that support or employ people from the Armed Forces community.

FAQs

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To add your updates to the Veterans News and Communication Hub please contact: CO-COMMS@RFCA.MOD.UK

Veterans News and Communications Hub

Latest news

£2.8 million awarded in the final round of the Reaching and Supporting Armed Forces Communities programme