Scottish Veterans Fund: impact report

Transition

Total granted in 2018-19 - £45,524

The majority of those leaving the Armed forces make a successful transition into civilian life. For a minority of Service Leavers, a greater level of support may be required which is why we have supported a variety of projects which assist with transition.

In 2018-2019 six projects have been supported, delivering a mix of mainstream advice through training and onwards to sustainable employment.

Sacro

Sacro is a Scottish community justice organisation which works to create safer and more cohesive communities across Scotland.

One of the services they offer is the Veterans Employability Service that supports veterans in custody in Scottish prisons. Since Sacro have been receiving funding from the Scottish Veterans Fund, they have been able to provide a one-to-one peer support employment service for veterans on short term prison sentences. This has allowed them to increase their coverage from three to six prisons and support 36 veterans.

Sacro - Grant £29,682

The following is an abridged version of a case study:

Veteran B was referred to Sacro’s Veteran Employability Service (VES) after he requested assistance to address his skills gap. Veteran B disclosed that he had been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) by the prison doctor, but that his application to the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) had been declined as any diagnosis of PTSD was required to be made by a consultant.

Sacro’s VES mentor obtained approval from the Scottish Prison Service for Veteran B to be assessed by a medical consultant from Veterans’ First Point who diagnosed him with combat related PTSD caused by military service in Afghanistan. Agreement was reached to contact Veterans UK/AFCS to further discuss compensation. Veteran B was granted an extension to his case and consequently awarded approximately £6,000 to assist in his recovery and in recognition of the trauma sustained from his military service.

Veteran B has been referred to Sacro’s Veteran Mentoring Service to assist with his housing needs and to the Regular Forces Employment Agency to address his employment skills gap. Sacro’s support to Veteran B will continue training and onwards to sustainable employment.

Royal British Legion Industries

The mission of Royal British Legion Industries’ Scotland’s Bravest Manufacturing Company (SBMC) is to enable veterans

and others with disabilities to regain their independence through personal development. This primarily involves employment and skills while providing a professional and high quality product.

The grant from the Fund has been used to employ a Veteran Welfare Support Manager to work with the veterans who work with SBMC. The veterans community at SBMC comprises a mixture of paid employees, unpaid work placements, and some volunteers. The Veteran Welfare Support Manager assists them in a wide variety of areas, from mental and physical health, alcohol and substance misuse through to helping them find long term sustainable employment.

One veteran responded to a question about the additional benefits he has seen while working with SBMC:
“Working in a completely supportive environment. As much as it is good to work with fellow veterans, it is also highly beneficial to work with civilians who are passionate about getting veterans back into work. It’s taken me from a place where I felt worthless to having a sense of purpose. It has been a turning point for me.”

Royal British Legion Industries - Grant £28,194