Commonwealth personnel need more support
New FiMT and Anglia Ruskin report looks at difficulties faced settling in UK
A new report assessing the services available to Commonwealth serving and ex-Service personnel and their families has identified a number of areas for improvement.
Thirteen recommendations are provided in the report, carried out by academics at Anglia Ruskin University and funded by the Forces in Mind Trust, to strengthen the strategy to meet the needs of serving and ex-Service personnel and their families from the Commonwealth. These include:
- The introduction of an online information training programme on immigration rules
- Assistance for welfare services advising on visa and immigration rules
- A review of the minimum income threshold
- A need for greater collaboration across the Armed Forces welfare sector
- An increase in research into Commonwealth perspectives
The eight-month study was undertaken by Anglia Ruskin University’s Veterans and Families Institute, working directly with the Cobseo Foreign and Commonwealth Cluster Group.
It focussed on the existing service provision to better understand what welfare support is currently provided, the needs identified by supporting organisations and how support could be enhanced.
Researchers collected data through a survey by the Armed Forces charity sector and telephone interviews with experts in the field of service provision.
Three key issues were identified. Firstly, information gathering and recording with regard the Commonwealth community is limited across the charity sector and prevents forward planning for service provision; secondly, immigration difficulties were highlighted which can lead to an unnecessarily difficult transition back into civilian life; and thirdly, the services provided have a relatively low uptake.
Ray Lock, Chief Executive of Forces in Mind Trust, said:
“The purpose of Forces in Mind Trust is to enable all ex-Service personnel to have a successful and sustainable transition back into civilian life. This is done by providing robust evidence to policy makers and service providers to inform decision making.
“This ground-breaking research commissioned by FiMT and the Cobseo Cluster group highlights that there are some areas where improvements are much needed in the services provided to the Armed Forces Commonwealth Community.”
Matt Fossey, Director of the Veterans and Families Institute, Anglia Ruskin University, said:
“This empirically driven report has collated important evidence of the welfare needs of Commonwealth Service Personnel, veterans and their families and proposes attainable recommendations, which will make a positive difference to the lives of members of the Armed Forces Commonwealth Community.”
Louise Simpson, Policy & Research Director, Army Families’ Federation (AFF) said: