UK Armed Forces veterans have specific support needs. In comparison to the public, the prevalence of substance use and health issues are higher within UK Armed Forces veterans.
Veterans are less likely to seek support, more likely to have complex needs, which means they often have poorer treatment outcomes when they do reach out for help. Greater awareness of veteran support need has influenced government decisions to provide support specifically tailored for veterans. You can find out more by taking a look at the Veterans Strategy Action Plan 2022 – 2024 (opens in a new window).
Changes to the Armed Forces Bill 2021 (opens in a new window) means that all public bodies (which includes our commissioners, NHS and local/central government) must give ‘due regard’ to UK Armed Forces Veterans. Many of these bodies have now made changes to the way they work so they can identify and respond to veteran support needs. By listening to veterans using services Change Grow Live signed the Armed Forces covenant and have pledged to:
- Raise awareness of appropriate support for veterans with staff and veterans who use our services.
- Where possible, assist veterans and their families in accessing the support they require.
- Continue to develop and build on our commitment towards the Armed Forces Covenant.
- We have made changes to align ourselves with the public bodies affected by the legislative changes. This has allowed us to ensure services are accessible to anyone who needs them.
These changes include:
- Amended the case management system to identify veterans using our services
- Coproduced training with veterans using services to raise awareness of veteran support needs and the support available.
- Coproduced a leaflet for veterans using our services to raise awareness of the support available to meet their needs
- Established relationships with external providers of veteran support.
More developments are underway and if anyone would like to get involved, please email [email protected]
To find out more please visit the veteran’s gateway website (opens in a new window) or call them on 08088021212.
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