Our Armed Forces Covenant Pledge

Our Pledge 

We, Veterans Dementia Support UK will endeavour to uphold the key principles of the Armed Forces Covenant:

•  Members of the Armed Forces Community should not face disadvantages arising from their service in the provision of public and commercial services.

• In some circumstances special provision may be justified, especially for those who have given the most, such as the injured or bereaved.

•  We recognise the contribution that Service personnel, reservists, veterans, the cadet movement and military families make to our organisation, our community and to the country. We will seek to uphold the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant by:

Employment

•  We will welcome Reservists as Volunteers and any paid roles that maybe come available and ensure that they are guaranteed to be given time to enable their military duties as needed and if paid staff members, they will be granted in addition to other leave entitlement and will be paid for this service leave.

• We will offer volunteer placement opportunities to anyone transitioning from the services to have the experience of being in a non-service environment and to learn new skills in care and support of veterans and veterans living with dementia.

• Offer work placements, insight days, mentoring schemes and/or guaranteed interview schemes to Veterans seeking employment.

• Support spouses, partners and dependants, as Volunteers and if available any paid roles and offering short-notice leave to those whose partners are sent on deployment; and working with the tri-Service Families Federations.

•  Promote employment schemes aimed at the Armed Forces Community, such as ‘A Great Place to Work’ and ‘Step Into Health’.

•  Offer Cadet Force Adult Volunteers the opportunity to volunteer in our work with Veterans and to ensure that time is available to help them carry out their training requirement.

•  Offer open days to those who serve, reservists and cadets to raise awareness of the support given to Armed Forces Personnel in their later lives

•  Engage with the Career Transition Partnership.  for anyone interested in working with people living with dementia.

•  Work with relevant charities and the Career Transition Partnership to offer volunteer opportunities to the Wounded, Injured and Sick.

•  To welcome any members of the Armed Forces members and veterans to undertake Dementia Friends Training with us and learn more about the needs of veterans in older life and be part of our befriending scheme.

 Communications, engagement and outreach

• Provide the chance for all members of the Armed Forces Community to be recognised as Dementia Friends through the training provided by us

• Promote the Armed Forces Covenant, the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme and your support for the Armed Forces Community to our trustees, staff, volunteers and service users and the wider public.

• Support or promote Armed Forces events, such as Armed Forces Day/Week, Reserves Day, the Poppy Appeal and Remembrance activities and raising awareness of veterans living with Dementia

• Use the Covenant and Employer Recognition Scheme logos in our communications and marketing.

• To display the Armed Forces Covenant on our Website and Social MediaEstablish an internal Armed Forces Network within your organisation, to enable staff members with an Armed Forces connection to meet and support one another and provide feedback to you as an organisation.

• Ensure we have at least one Armed Forces Champion to reach out and create a dedicated Armed Forces Network for our organisation

• Engage with and support local Armed Forces charities, 

• Run, facilitate or promote support networks (such as coffee mornings, breakfast clubs) for veterans and other members of the Armed Forces Community across the UK

• Continue to engage with any local Armed Forces presence – for example, local Army units, reservist units, RAF stations and/or naval bases.

• Develop relationships and work collaboratively with other organisations supporting the Covenant and the Armed Forces Community in your locality/region.

 Health and healthcare

• Take part in and/or promote awareness-raising schemes, such as veteran-friendly accreditation for GP practices and the Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance.

• To reach out to veterans in care homes and provide them with dedicated support for them through befriending schemes , reminiscing and supporting them on their dementia journey.

• Ensure available dedicated healthcare services for members of the Armed Forces Community, such as Op COURAGE in England, are signposted and promoted and also ensure that Veterans and families are aware of the dedicated support services that we provide for Veterans living with Dementia and their families.

Veterans living in the community

Ensure that Housing Associations and Care Homes are aware of our work for Veterans in the local community and know where to access support for their veterans.

We will publicise these commitments through our literature and/or on our website, setting out how we will seek to honour them and inviting feedback from the Armed Forces Community and our customers on how we are doing.