Hertfordshire Armed Forces Covenant

FILM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWyGgLI_yDU

What is the Armed Forces Covenant?

The Covenant is a promise from the nation ensuring that those who serve and have served in the Armed Forces and their families

are treated fairly.

What is the Armed Forces Covenant?

Film

https://www.armedforcescovenant.gov.uk/about/

What is our role?

Hertfordshire launched one of the first Armed Forces community covenants in the country in July 2012.

You are key to delivering the advice & support we have promised

Did you know?

• At Northwood is the Permanent Joint Headquarters. Hitchin is home to the 254 Medical Regiment Army Reserve Centre

• We have 1,030 Service personnel stationed in Hertfordshire

• We have 214 children of military families attending Hertfordshire schools

• We have 39,000 veterans living in Hertfordshire

Districts

Hertfordshire Armed Forces Covenant Board Membership

• Broxbourne Borough

Council • Dacorum Borough Council • East Herts District Council • Hertsmere Borough

Council • North Herts District Council • St Albans District & Town

Council • Stevenage Borough Council • Three Rivers District

Council • Watford Borough Council • Welwyn Hatfield District

Council And Hertfordshire County Council

Military

• Army, Navy & RAF

represented by 254 Medical Regiment

• Cadets & Reservists from

all units in the county • Northwood HQ • Families Federations

Public & Charitable Organisations • Clinical Commissioning

Groups – East & North Herts, Herts Valleys, Cambs & Peterbrough

• The Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen Families Association (SSAFA)

• Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership

• Viewpoint • Hertfordshire Citizen

Advice Bureaux • Hertfordshire

Constabulary • NHS Hertfordshire

Partnership Foundation Trust

• Royal British Legion

Aims of the Covenant

• Fair access to services – Housing

– Schools

– Health

• Helping those who have helped us – Dedicated website Hertfordshire Heroes

– Corporate Covenants

• Remembering and honouring – Armed Forces Day

– Remembrance Day

– Victoria Cross honouring ceremonies

SNAPSHOT OF THE ARMED FORCES COVENANT 2016

We set the following

objective:

Increase awareness and

take up of the business

pledge with local

businesses to include

local authorities.

This year’s achievements:

• Business Breakfast was

held at Northwood HQ

• Work is underway to

encourage local

authorities to sign up to

Civvy Street

• Exploring the possibility

of HCC applying for

Defence Pledge Gold

Level award

We set the following objectives:

Support national & local commemorative events. Explore new bids to the Covenant Fund & support existing bids.

Effectively embed & raise awareness of the Covenant within local communities.

This year’s achievements:

• Explored bids to support the

Mount Prison project and the

customer service training

• Communications toolkit

developed for partner

organisations

• Promoted Hertfordshire

Heroes at the County Show

• Promoted County

activity relating to

Armed Forces Day &

Remembrance Day.

• Developed an online events

calendar

• Launched the Christmas

Schools Art competition

We set the following objective:

In liaison with Public Health and NHS partners to put mechanisms in place to raise awareness of and address veteran health needs.

.

This year’s achievements:

• Successfully launched a

poster campaign to prompt

GPS to record veteran

status and encourage

patients to declare their

armed forces connection

• Training delivered to Mental

Health staff to raise

awareness of veterans’

needs

• Health and Wellbeing

Strategy refreshed

recognising veterans’ needs

• Responded to the

RBL’s top 5 policy

changes recognising

veterans’ needs in joint

strategic needs

assessments

We set the following objective:

In liaison with District and Borough partners housing policy is reviewed and customer service training delivered.

This year’s achievements:

• Housing Benefit policy

reviewed to achieve a

consistent approach to the

disregard of war pension

income

• Pilot training to housing

and customer service staff

delivered. Training plan

agreed to deliver across

all districts

• Responded to the RBL’s

top 5 policy changes and

currently reviewing how

priority is awarded to

assessing Disabled

Facilities Grant applications

from veterans

The Covenant is a promise from the nation ensuring that those who serve and have served in the Armed Forces and their families are treated fairly.

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Fair Access to services

Housing

Code of Guidance 2012

How can we assist with housing?

You local Housing Allocation Policy

• local connection

• Priority

Homelessness

• Assess whether in priority need;

• Test of vulnerability;

• Interim duty pending assessment if there is reason to believe they may be vulnerable;

• Temporary accommodation if assessed as vulnerable;

• Look at housing options i.e. – private renting

– supported housing

Homelessness Code of Guidance (Vulnerability)

• How long the person has been in armed forces

• Type of Service

• Any time spent in hospital

• Whether the forces medical and/or welfare advisers consider the person vulnerable

• How long it is since the person left the forces

• What support networks are available

What happens when service comes to an end?

• Certificate of cessation of entitlement to occupy service living accommodation (six months prior to end of service)

• Secretary of State considers that housing authorities should not insist upon a court order for possession

• Six month period should be used to provide comprehensive advice

Housing Options

Short/medium term • private renting

• Staying with family and friends

Long term • shared ownership

• Help to buy schemes

Part Two

There are many varieties of assistance that might benefit Service personnel, veterans and their

families.

Signposting

• There are a number of organisations that assist service personnel and their dependents which work within the Confederation of Service Charities (COBSEO).

• Included are the major assistance providers

• Many smaller service related charities also exist outside COBSEO

• Civilian charities also a source of assistance

Eligibility for Assistance - 1

• Before signposting a person towards a Service related charity consider whether they are likely to be eligible for assistance.

• Eligibility varies throughout the charity sector but the main Service caseworking organisations require: – SSAFA one days paid Service

– RBL 14 days paid Service

• However; each charity/assistance provider has its own eligibility criteria.

Eligibility for Assistance - 2

• An ‘Applicant’ for assistance who could be a civilian may get help if they are a close relative to an ‘Eligible’ person.

• A close relative includes wives; partners; widows; widowers; divorced; separated; dependent children; carers.

• Thus it is worth asking the question ‘Did you or your partner (etc) ever serve in the Armed Forces.

Charitable Limits - 1

• There are limits to charitable assistance and may not extend to:

• Assistance with medical costs except – Specialist dental treatment

– Specialist eye and hearing problems

• Assistance with legal advice – CAB can provide some pro bono legal advice

– RBL & SSAFA may arrange help with cost of bankruptcy (£680)

Charitable Limits - 2

• Charities have limits on the help they can give to those in financial difficulties and generally will not assist with non-priority debt (ie credit card and similar debts that do not entail the loss of home or utilities).

• CAB provides debt counselling – essential before approaching caseworking organisations

• Point to StepChange; Turn2us; MoneyForce

Turn2us

Major Service Assistance Providers

• Royal Naval Benevolent Trust • The Army Benevolent Fund (The Soldiers’ Charity) • The Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund • Help for Heroes • Blind Veterans UK • Combat Stress • Blesma • Haig Housing • Officers’ Association • Sorted

• Plus many appropriate civilian charities (ie GuideStar)

Combat Stress is a veterans mental health charity, right now they are supporting almost 6,000 Veterans aged from 18 to 97. Combat Stress currently spends nearly £15 million per annum delivering its unique range of specialist treatment and welfare support. Combat Stress provide support in the community, as well as providing residential treatment.

Telephone number 0800 138 1619 Web Page http://www.combatstress.org.uk/

GuideStar

Caseworking Organisations

• Most assistance providers can be most effectively approached with the aid of a caseworking organisation:

• SSAFA Established in 1883. 93 branches in UK and abroad

7000 volunteers

• RBL Established in 1921. 16 area offices in the UK. Professional staff aided by some RBL

volunteers/ members

Available Support

Housing - 1st month's rent, deposit, agency fees Employment - job listings, training grants, travel costs White & Brown Goods - cooker, washing machine, carpets, beds, sofa, etc. Food & Household Essentials - emergency food vouchers

Clothing - clothing vouchers for crisis cases Benefits & Money Advice - bankruptcy & DRO fees, appeals & tribunals, advice on priority & non priority debts, Financial Awareness Breaks - breaks for veterans, or the veterans and their families. Aids & Adaptations - mobility scooters, level access showers, stairlifts, profiling beds, riser/recliner chairs

Available Support

Available Support

Funeral Costs – some assistance providers may contribute towards the cost of a basic funeral Home Improvements – assistance providers can contribute towards to cost of essential repairs or improvements Care and Respite Homes - 6 care homes around the UK, 4 with specialist dementia care

Representation

The Royal British Legion provides specialist representation for:

• Disability benefit appeals & tribunals

• War Pension and AFCS appeals & tribunals

• Independent Inquest Advice

Family Support

• SSAFA has a number of specialist programs to support families – Adoption support for Service personnel – Norton Homes. Free accommodation when visiting

relations in Queen Elizabeth hospital and – Stepping Stone homes for wives suffering abuse – Prison caseworking – Residential accommodation – Bereaved Families support – ‘Forcesline’ which is a confidential telephone and

email service

Veterans -UK Telephone: 808 1914 218 Website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/veterans-uk

• In Nov 2016 the MOD awarded £2M for the establishment of a one-stop shop to support British Armed Forces veterans

• Run by a consortium of Service charities

• Provides website; online chat; phone line and text message service

• Initial start date 3 April official launch 22 May

www.veteransgateway.org.uk

Sir Oswald Stoll Foundation https://www.stoll.org.uk

Veterans’ Gateway

• Telephone : 0808 802 1212

• www.veteransgateway.org.uk

RBL • Telephone contact centre: 0808 802 8080 • Email: info@britishlegion.org.uk

• Website: www.britishlegion.org.uk

SSAFA

• Telephone Hertfordshire Branch: 01923 606220

• Telephone ForcesLine (confidential help line): 0800 731 4880

• Email: Hertfordshire @ssafa.org.uk

• Website: www.ssafa.org.uk

Signposting - Contact Details

The End

for further information contact Hertfordshire.Heroes@hertfordshire.gov.uk