St.Helens Armed Forces Covenant Progress Report Report 10 St.Helens Armed Forces Community Covenant Progress Report St.Helens Armed Forces covenant Report 2018 Foreword I am very pleased to introduce St.Helens Council’s Armed Forces Covenant Annual Report for 2017/18, setting out the progress we have made over the past year. This is the first annual report produced since I was privileged to become Armed Forces Champion. Throughout history, our borough has been – and still is - home to some truly remarkable figures who have served their country impeccably; from the St Helens Pals and the borough’s Victoria Cross recipients during World War One, to todays Veterans, Reservists and Cadets. During the past 12 months we have remained committed to the covenant, held a number of high profile Armed Forces events and granted greater access to leisure services for all Armed Forces personnel and former members of the Armed Forces Community. We recognise the important role that the Armed Forces have in our community and we are committed to ensuring that we recognise their contributions. I believe, as a society, that we appreciate the contribution of our Armed Forces, but it’s also important to understand that veterans leaving the services may need support. I aim to work with all agencies to champion veterans and give them the support they deserve. I look forward to continuing to fulfil the commitment that we made when we signed the Armed Forces Covenant. Councillor Lynn Clarke Armed Forces Champion 2 St.Helens Armed Forces Community Covenant Progress Report Content Introduction page 4 Progress against promoting equality of access to public services page 4 Effectively signposting the Armed Forces Community to key Public and page 10 Voluntary and Community services Identify opportunities to recognise and honour the Armed Forces Community page 11 3 St.Helens Armed Forces Community Covenant Progress Report St.Helens Armed Forces Community Covenant Progress Report Report 10 1. Introduction 1.1 The St.Helens Armed Forces Community Covenant was signed on 18 June 2012 between serving and former members of the Armed Forces and their families working and residing in St. Helens and St. Helens Council, St. Helens Local Strategic Partnership, the Charitable and Voluntary Sectors and other members of the civilian community of St.Helens. 1.2 The Community Covenant aims to encourage all parties within St.Helens to offer support to the local Armed Forces community and to promote equality of opportunity for Service personnel, families and veterans to access the help and support available from the MOD, from statutory providers and from the Charitable and Voluntary Sectors. 1.3 The St.Helens Armed Forces Community Covenant Steering Group (AFCCSG) was convened from representatives of the signatory agencies to co-ordinate and direct the implementation of the objectives of St.Helens Armed Forces Community Covenant. 1.4 The objectives of St.Helens Armed Forces Community Covenant are as follows: • Advance equality of opportunity for the Armed Forces Community to access public services - Education - Skills and Employment - Housing - Health and Wellbeing • To ensure members of the Armed Forces Community are effectively signposted to key Public and Voluntary/Community services. • Identify opportunities to recognise the Armed Forces through such activities as Freedom, Homecoming and Remembrance Parades and support to the annual Armed Forces Day. • Identify opportunities to access the Covenant Fund. 1.5 For transparency and scrutiny the St.Helens Armed Forces Community Covenant Steering Group provide a progress report annually to Colonel Russell Miller the Commanding Officer at Headquarters North West. 1.6 This report identifies the progress that has been made against the objectives of the St.Helens Armed Forces Community Covenant for the period June 2017 to May 2018. 2. Progress against promoting equality of access to public services 2.1 This section sets out an update of the issues raised by the Armed Forces Community linked to the public service areas of (i) Education / Skills (ii) Housing, (iii) Employment, (iv) Health and Wellbeing. 2.2 Under Helena Partnerships’ choice based social housing letting scheme called “Under One Roof” the Armed Forces Community receive certain enhanced priorities. In general all applicants are prioritised in bandings dependant on their housing needs; with ‘Band A’ being the highest priority, and ‘Band D’ being the lowest. Homeless people, including homeless Armed Forces Veterans, receive the highest priority under the Choice Based Letting Scheme = ‘Band A’, which is defined as Urgent Housing Need. The table below shows the Armed Forces enhancements within the ‘Under One Roof’ choice based letting scheme. 4 St.Helens Armed Forces Community Covenant Progress Report Armed Forces With Significant Housing Need Without Significant Housing Category Need Regular Forces and Band B (with a 12 month Usual banding according to Wounded enhancement on the waiting list) need Former Regular Band B (with a 12 month Usual banding according to Forces (Veteran) enhancement on the waiting list) need Regular Forces Band B (with a 12 month Usual banding according to Widow(er) in Forces enhancement on the waiting list) need Accommodation Regular Forces Band B (may apply 6 months Usual banding according to being discharged or before discharge / redundancy) need made redundant Reservist and Band B (with a 12 month Usual banding according to Wounded enhancement on the waiting list) need In order to be eligible to apply for social housing people who live outside of the Borough must have a local connection to St.Helens; e.g. family members living in the borough. However, Armed Forces applicants who live outside of St.Helens (including Armed Forces Personnel returning from postings abroad) are given a special status; they do not need to have a local connection in order to apply for social housing in St.Helens. 2.3 Armed Forces Families receive a specific dispensation under St.Helens Council’s School Admissions Code which reflects the unique circumstances faced by Armed Forces Families when being posted to different locations. Unlike civilian applicants, the School Admissions Team will consider applications for school placement from re-locating Armed Forces Families before they physically move to the area. Approval of such a request is conditional on the application being accompanied by an official letter from the appropriate Armed Forces Officer, declaring the relocation date and postal address to which the family is moving. 2.4 In relation to employment there are three main partners in St.Helens Job Centre Plus, St.Helens Chamber, and Former Forces Support. St.Helens Chamber has a specialist business start-up team offering free support and advice to ex-Armed Forces personnel interested in starting their own enterprise. This includes one-to-one advice, a six-day training programme on all aspects of business start-up and management, and will match the client with a business mentor. Support can continue after the business gets off the ground, and the option to join enterprise clubs and networking events offers the best chance of success. 2.5 Job Centre Plus works closely with the Career Transition Partnership and SaBRE to ensure that Regional Service Leaver Job Fairs have appropriate information about employment and self-employment opportunities in St.Helens. This includes making use of the “St.Helens Armed Forces Information Leaflet” developed by the Council, and including information that people moving or returning to the borough would need to know. 2.6 The Armed Forces Community has a priority focus within St.Helens key health assessment tool The Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) and this is reflected within the St.Helens Health and Wellbeing Strategy. The key issue for Armed Forces Community Health Commissioning have been identified as Addiction, Mental Health, Homelessness, and Social Care. It should be noted that since signing the St.Helens Armed Forces Community Covenant in June 2012 great strides have been taken by all commissioners and providers of health, social care, housing and welfare services to ensure that (i) members of the local Armed Forces Community are identified and supported if they are experiencing barriers to health, social care, housing and welfare services, and (ii) specialist mental health and addiction support is available, this includes the Veterans in Mind psychological therapy service provided by Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Trust, Live Life Well Ex Armed 5 St.Helens Armed Forces Community Covenant Progress Report Forces Service provided by Bridgewater HNS Trust, and ‘Change, Grow, Live’ the free and confidential drug and alcohol service for adults in St Helens, which includes its own Armed Forces Service User Group. Case Study - GMHH Input – Assessment & Brief Intervention The client self-referred and was screened over phone the same day. Client attended first face-to-face appointment within 17 calendar days of referral. The client attended 4 appointments within the initial assessment phase due to alcohol issues. The client reported a long history of suicidal ideation/ behaviour due to bullying in the military. He reported one suicide attempt in the army and a suicide plan of driving his car into a wall in 2008. Another risk identified was the client’s alcohol use and the client reported a history of disengagement when alcohol abstinence had been recommended. Motivational interviewing and harm reduction was provided during assessment. The client reported multiple physical health concerns including lower back pain, cellulitis in both legs, reduced mobility in shoulders, multiple lung infections, breathing difficulties and a head injury. Consequently, the client reported extensive prescribing & a history of inconsistent compliance. The client also reported suffering multiple non-military traumas. He characterised his military career as feeling that he ‘didn’t fit in’. He reported suffering ‘systemic bullying’, degrading and humiliating treatment including having his clothing urinated on by peers, which led to a suicide attempt.