Veterans News and Communications Hub

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

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

With

Launch 170 members in 230 locations around the UK, the Association of Service‘OP Drop-InPROSPER’ Centresto (ASDIC)boost supportsveterans’ the rapidly growing network of small organisations supporting veterans and their families in the community across the UK.

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ASDICOP bringsPROSPER- cohesion to this network providing guidance, support, and establishment of best practice. Sustainability of the Centres is also a longer-termwraparound benefitemployment 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 providedveterans byinto thework seniorafter stakeholdersthey andleave statutory services from across the veteranArmed welfareForces. landscape.

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FindRead outthe morefull at www.asdic.org.ukstory.

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  FindFor out more information about eligibilityHighGround, andplease grantsee support‘Veterans and education.’

  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)

  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

  VeteranVeterans educationand small businesses

  

  HighVeterans: GroundA 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.

  

  Veteran’s Support

  Armed Forces & Veterans’ Breakfast Clubs

  

  HighThe GroundArmed helpsForces service& leavers,Veterans reservistsBreakfast andClubs (AFVBC) is now the single largest veterans assessorganisation theirin militarythe skillsUK, and experiencemembership growing weekly.

  With over 400 clubs nationally and how15 theseoverseas, applythe AFVBC seeks to end social isolation for veterans. The clubs bring people with a connection to the land-basedUK sector.Armed ItForces alsotogether and offers manya opportunitieschance forto employmentreminisce, share stories and self-employment.interact with a community that is missed by most when leaving the Armed Forces.

  HighThe GroundAFVBC offersis Ruralalso Weeks:conducting 5five fullypilot residentialprogrammes daysin 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.

  Forces Pension Society

  

  The Forces Pension Society is an agriculturalindependent, collegenot-for-profit membership funded organisation. They act as a pension watchdog for 8the servicewhole leavers,Armed reservistsForces community and veteransraise awareness about the complexities and benefits of their Armed Forces Pension.The Society empowers its members to learnmake morebetter, well-informed choices about their Armed Forces Pension, and provide members of the land-basedArmed sectorForces fromPension subjectSchemes mattersand experts.their partners with personalised pension guidance.

  RuralThey Weeksalso arework in collaboration with government to ensure the appropriate delivery of your pension, and run bya ourseries Ruralof Employmentroadshows Managerand other educational sessions to better prepare the Armed Forces community on all pension matters.

  More information about the Forces Pension Society.

  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 conjunctionJanuary, 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 deliveringexpected agriculturalapplications college.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 about the Veteran ID card.

  VeteransVeterans’ andStrategy smallAction businessPlan

  

  Top signingcommitments in the ArmedVeterans’ ForcesStrategy CovenantAction inPlan Marchinclude:

  • 2020.employment MODand Crownskills

  • Copyrighthealthcare

  • 2020.understanding the veteran community

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

  Veterans and the devolved nations

  Veterans:Northern AIreland

  The ForceUK Government is committed to making the UK the best country in the world to be a veteran. In 2019, it established the Office for BusinessVeterans’ Affairs (OVA) to lead the cross-government delivery of the Strategy for our Veterans and to provide leadership, advocacy and improved coordination of veterans’ issues across the UK.

  X-ForcesThe EnterpriseUK (XFE)Government and the FederationMinister for Veterans’ Affairs are dedicated to ensuring that Northern Ireland’s veteran community fully benefits from the OVA’s resources and expertise. The OVA will therefore establish an enhanced presence in Northern Ireland to provide strategic coordination of Smallorganisations, Businessprogrammes (FSB)and haveinitiatives collaboratedthat extensivelysupport overveterans’ wellbeing locally. Service providers and veterans will be able to make the lastmost fewof the full range of policy, research, data and communication competencies the OVA has to offer.

  To avoid duplication of purpose and to facilitate greater alignment with the Strategy for our Veterans, the Northern Ireland Veterans Support Office (NIVSO), which has been instrumental in coordinating veteran support in Northern Ireland, will close on 30 September 2024. The OVA would like to thank the NIVSO’s dedicated staff for their commitment to supporting veterans and their families over a number of years, beginningensuring the local veteran community is valued, understood, supported and connected.

  The OVA will work closely with anthe insightfulNIVSO reportto intoensure a smooth transition over the businessnext landscapesix months. Further information on the UK Government’s plans to improve support for serviceveterans leavers:in ANorthern ForceIreland will be shared in the coming weeks. In the interim, veteran support services will continue as normal across Northern Ireland, including those grant funded posts and projects facilitated by NIVSO. In parallel with this, the Veterans Welfare Service Northern Ireland (VWS NI) continues to deliver high quality, holistic welfare support to veterans of all Capbadges and Services through its Field Teams across NI.

  For Businessfurther information, please contact: veterans@cabinetoffice.gov.uk.

  Scotland

  Grants from The reportVeterans’ highlightsFoundation

  

  Legion Scotland have announced the contributionaward of £12k from the UK’sVeterans veteranFoundation. populationThis award is to theallow smallLegion businessScotland’s sector,Veterans Community Support Service to begin planning for our service users living with 6%isolation of& smallloneliness businessand ownedother bycomplex veteransissues to attend a Pilgrimage in Great2024.

  To Britain.apply, Howevervisit the Veterans’ Foundation website 
   
  Detailed guidance is available via the reporttab shows“Apply thatfor therea grant” including which documents to provide.  Contact grants@veteransfoundation.org.uk with enquiries.

  Wales

  Caerphilly Veterans Support Hub

  Nestled in Ystrad Mynach, Caerphilly, the Caerphilly Veterans Support Hub is scopea thriving community for thisveterans and their families. With over 60 attendees weekly, the Hub offers complimentary refreshments and a warm atmosphere every Saturday from 10:00 to be12:00 increased,at greaterthe numbersCentre for Sporting Excellence.

  More than just a social gathering, the Hub provides vital support services, including housing, benefits, and mental health guidance. Generous grants and local donations enable monthly day trips to museums, markets, and sporting events, enriching the lives of veterans starting,and growingtheir orfamilies.

  Join workingthe Caerphilly Veterans Support Hub for camaraderie, assistance, and memorable experiences in Greata Britain’swelcoming millionsenvironment dedicated to serving those who have served. For more information, please contact: info@caerphillyveteranshub.or.

  Group of smallfriends businessesfrom wouldLlandudno seecycling benefits200km around Anglesey for individuals,military businessescharity

  Three friends from Llandudno are set to cycle 200km around Anglesey to raise money for Blind Veterans UK, the national charity for vision-impaired ex-Service men and communities.women.

  Read the story

  Grants and funding

  Funding and grants are available for organisations wishing to support the Armed Forces; however, they will not be available for individual support. If you require specific and individual assistance, please get in touch, and we will advise you on the best course of action.

  

  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

  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.

  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.

  Scottish Veterans Awards: 24 April 2024

  Applications open: 1 December 2023 to 23 February 2024

  Welsh Veterans Awards: 3 July 2024

  Applications open: 1 March 2024 to 24 May 2024

  English Veterans Awards: 23 October 2024

  Applications open: 1 June 2024 to 17 August 2024

  Contact us

  FAQs

  Have a question about support services available to Veterans?

  Submit your question here

  Read the FAQs

  Newsletter

  Sign-upSign up to our monthly newsletter to stay updated on veteran’sveterans’ news, giving you direct information from around the veteran eco system.

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

  Related content

  • New Employer Engagement Handbook
  • OVA
  • Defence Relationship Management
  • Cobseo
  • The Strategy for our Veterans
  • Veterans Fact Sheet 2020
  • An employers’ guide to hiring Veterans
  • Supporting veterans’ transition to civilian life through employment
  • Armed Forces & Veterans Breakfast Club
  • High Ground Newsletter
  • Veterans Awards