This defence wide strategy aims to reduce the prevalence and impact of domestic abuse and increase the safety and wellbeing of all those affected.
As an employer, defence has a moral and legal duty of care for our personnel. But we also recognise a responsibility that extends beyond that, as articulated in the Armed Forces Covenant, that those who serve or have served, and their families, should be treated fairly.
Read moreDefence Secretary Gavin Williamson praised Broughton House for the care it provides to veterans and for its vision for the future during a visit to the Salford care home for ex-servicemen and women.
Mr Williamson, who was accompanied by Bolton West MP Chris Green, met with veterans, staff and board members during his tour and learned more about Broughton House’s redevelopment plans.
The two-acre site is to be transformed into a Veterans’ Care Village in a £14m scheme.
Read moreMSPs gathered at the Scottish Parliament today (Thursday) to show support for Poppyscotland’s ‘Count Them In’ campaign. By highlighting the knowledge gap that is created by relevant questions not being included in the Census, the campaign seeks to identify where members of the Armed Forces community in Scotland live, and the issues they face, in order to tailor services accordingly.
Leading the call on the Garden Lobby Steps were MSPs Maurice Corry and Jackie Baillie, who serve as Convenor and Deputy Convenor respectively of the Armed Forces and Veterans Cross-party Group.
Read moreThe Defence Committee will be publishing its Report, Armed Forces Covenant Report 2017, on Saturday 30 June at 00.01am.
This will be the Committee’s Ninth Report of Session 2017–19 (HC 707).
Embargoed copies of the report will be available to witnesses, including those from Government departments, and the media on Friday 29 June from 11.00 am. Members of the press should contact Alex Paterson on 07917 488 488.
Read moreThe Secretary of State for Defence, Rt Hon Gavin Williamson CBE, was a special guest of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity last month.
The Member of Parliament for South Staffordshire met staff from the national charity of the Royal Navy alongside guests from Veterans Outreach Support (VOS) and the Portsmouth City Council.
Mr Williamson’s visit to Portsmouth coincided with the announcement that HMS Queen Elizabeth will soon travel on its first major overseas deployment to New York. As the aircraft carrier’s affiliate charity, the RNRMC will play a role in supporting the sailors on board, many of whom will be deployed for up to 9 months at a time.
Read moreKeith Brown MSP visited Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory, in Edinburgh, earlier today to help launch a stunning new commemorative poppy, which will be distributed and worn during the 2018 Scottish Poppy Appeal.
As part of the leading Armed Forces charity’s programme of activity to mark the centenary of the end of the First World War, Poppyscotland has commissioned a Centenary Poppy, which has the text “1918-2018” embossed in gold across the traditional and iconic red paper poppy. It will be the first change to the poppy in decades.
Read moreThe Army Families Federation (AFF) is delighted to hear that a new £200,000 fund to support Service families in Wales has been announced by the Welsh Government. In 2017, the charity sent a detailed brief, on families’ behalf, to the Education Minister Kirsty Williams, highlighting the need for targeted pupil funding for Armed Forces children in Wales, and they are pleased to see that this important issue has now been recognised.
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Alun Davies, Cabinet Secretary for Local Government & Public Services:
I am publishing my assessment of the benefits and value of appointing an Armed Forces Commissioner for Wales. This follows my commitment during Plenary on 29 November, to meet with the Cross-Party Group for Armed Forces and Cadets and make an informed decision following the meeting.
Having met with the Cross-Party Group and considered the work being undertaken in Wales, and across the UK and beyond, I set out my decision below;
A tremendous amount of progress has been made in Wales over the last two years. Working closely with the Armed Forces Expert Group, we have delivered on key areas.
Read moreVeterans’ mental health and the needs of the Very Seriously Injured and Brain Injured were among the issues raised by Help for Heroes on the Secretary of State for Defence’s first visit to one of the charity’s Recovery Centres, Tedworth House, on Monday.
The meeting comes a week before Help for Heroes appears before the Defence Select Committee, alongside other charity partners, as part of its inquiry into the mental health of Veterans and Serving Personnel. In written evidence to the Committee, the Charity raised concerns about MOD data collection in relation to mental health, as well as concerns with the MOD model of care which only allows for 6 months of treatment through the Departments of Community Mental Health (DCMH) before responsibility for care is passed to the NHS.
Read moreNew research commissioned by Stoll and Riverside, released today [Tuesday 6th March] at an event at the House of Lords, highlights how some vulnerable ex-Service personnel in crisis are not accessing support services resulting in homelessness after leaving the Armed Forces.
The Forces in Mind Trust (FiMT) funded research, conducted by York University, found that of participating veterans, many experienced inconsistent quality of advice on transitioning from Service and inadequate support from Local Housing Authorities in the years after leaving service, many of whom did not identify the specialist support available to veterans.
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Afghanistan support
In light of recent events in Afghanistan, please find information and support resources here
