Support for veterans: strategy

Annex A How We Consulted

In parallel with the introduction of the Veterans Strategy in November 2018, the United Kingdom Government launched a formal public consultation across the UK, which ran until  21 February 2019.

The consultation paper sought broad public views on focused questions, to build on the research and engagement conducted to produce the Strategy, against a backdrop of what is already delivered.

In Scotland, where the Scottish Government has a close working relationship with stakeholders across the Armed Forces and veterans community, we supplemented the UK public consultation with a series of face to face engagements with veterans stakeholders in Scotland across the public, private and 3rd sectors, including groups of veterans themselves.

This recognised that some of the detailed questions in the public consultation had already been addressed by the Scottish Veterans Commissioner, and also enabled us to discuss the issues in detail with our key veterans stakeholders in Scotland, including Veterans Scotland, Poppyscotland and Legion Scotland, all of whom have been very helpful in providing their views on the Strategy and in pointing us to other stakeholders they considered of value to the consultation.

At the closing date of 21 Feb, UK public consultation had resulted in over 2000 responses, around 10% of these from respondents in Scotland.

Our face to face consultation engagements in Scotland continued until April 2019, by when we had discussed the Strategy with over 60 organisations and groups across the length and breadth of Scotland, covering more than 450 individuals. These included charities large and small, employers, Local Authorities, Health Boards, Armed Forces and Veterans Champions and organisations involved with housing, skills and employment. Engagement with groups of veterans were both formal and informal, ranging from sessions at Royal British Legion meetings and Regimental Association gatherings to discussions at veterans breakfast clubs and drop-ins.

Reinforcing the cross-government ownership of the Veterans Strategy, the MOD helpfully agreed to the Scottish Government’s participation in several of its Resettlement Workshops across Scotland, run on MOD’s behalf by the Career Transition Partnership. This enabled us to canvass views of Service Leavers going through the transition process and provided a valuable insight on their experiences.

A list of some of the main stakeholders with whom we engaged during the consultation process is below. It is not exhaustive and we are grateful to those listed as well as all others who have contributed their views to the process.

ADES – Association of Directors of Education in Scotland

Armed Services Advice Project

Army Families Federation (representing 3 Service Federations)

BLESMA

Borders Firm Base

British Telecom

Careers Transition Partnership

Dumfries and Galloway Form Base

Edinburgh University

Employ-Able Service

FiMT – Forces in Mind Trust

Firm Base Steering Group

Glasgow Caledonian University

Glasgow’s Helping Heroes

Governor, staff and prisoners, HMP Glenochil

Head of Communities and Housing, Aberdeen Council

Housing Options Scotland

Legion Scotland

Local Authorities and Housing Associations Regional Network

Lothians Armed Forces and Veterans Project Team

Lowland RFCA

Ministry of Defence

Money Advice Trust

Money and Pensions Service

Nairn Council Veterans Group

Napier University

Poppyscotland

RAF Lossiemouth Community Development Officer

RASC and RCT Association

7 Rifles Veterans and Reserves Group

Royal Caledonian Education Trust

SACRO

Scottish Borders Housing Association

Scottish Charities Regulator

Scottish Government Cross Party Group on Armed Forces and Veterans

Scottish Government Tenants Regional Network

Scottish Veterans Commissioner

Scottish Veterans Residences

Scottish War Blinded

SCQA – Scottish Credit and Qualifications Agency

Skills Development Scotland

SMJC – Salute My Job Consulting

Social Security Agency Scotland

SSAFA

Standard Life

SVHRG – Scottish Veterans Health Research Group

Transport Scotland

Unforgotten Forces Consortium

V1P – Veterans First Point Network

Veterans Breakfast Clubs (various, throughout Scotland)

Veterans Champion NHS Lothian

Veterans Champion, N Lanarkshire Council

Veterans Housing Scotland

Veterans In Custody Support Officer Group

Veterans Scotland (incl Housing Group  and Health Group)

Wounded, Injured and Sick Veterans Employment Group