armed forces community covenant - hertfordshire …...hitchin is home to the 254 medical regiment...
TRANSCRIPT
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Hertfordshire Armed Forces Covenant
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FILM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWyGgLI_yDU
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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.
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What is the Armed Forces Covenant?
Film
https://www.armedforcescovenant.gov.uk/about/
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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How can we assist with housing?
You local Housing Allocation Policy
• local connection
• Priority
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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
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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
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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
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Housing Options
Short/medium term • private renting
• Staying with family and friends
Long term • shared ownership
• Help to buy schemes
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Part Two
There are many varieties of assistance that might benefit Service personnel, veterans and their
families.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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)
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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
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Turn2us
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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)
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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.
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Telephone number 0800 138 1619 Web Page http://www.combatstress.org.uk/
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GuideStar
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Representation
The Royal British Legion provides specialist representation for:
• Disability benefit appeals & tribunals
• War Pension and AFCS appeals & tribunals
• Independent Inquest Advice
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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
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Veterans -UK Telephone: 808 1914 218 Website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/veterans-uk
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• 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
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www.veteransgateway.org.uk
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Sir Oswald Stoll Foundation https://www.stoll.org.uk
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Veterans’ Gateway
• Telephone : 0808 802 1212
• www.veteransgateway.org.uk
RBL • Telephone contact centre: 0808 802 8080 • Email: [email protected]
• 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