New role to raise profile of veterans
10 Apr 2014 04:04 PM
Applications are
now open for Scotland’s first Veterans Commissioner.
The new role will
look to improve public services by listening to the experiences of
ex-servicemen and women.
With the job
advertisement going live this week, Veterans Minister Keith Brown highlighted
the importance of finding the right person for the position when he met with
veterans at Glasgow’s Helping Heroes service.
The new ambassador
will work with service charities like Helping Heroes, local authorities and
health boards to identify any areas in public services that could provide
greater support to veterans and help shape future policy development and
opportunities.
Glasgow’s
Helping Heroes is a unique partnership between Glasgow City Council and SSAFA
Forces Help; providing a single point of contact for service personnel,
veterans, their families and carers.
Speaking at the
project, Mr Brown said:
“Visiting
the Glasgow’s Helping Heroes project and seeing the great work they do
for veterans and their families shows there are fantastic services out there
for our ex-servicemen and women.
“It goes
without saying that recruiting a Commissioner is a significant moment in my
time as Veterans Minister, this is an opportunity to raise the profile of
veterans and promote their skills, experience and potential.
“We owe an
enormous debt to all those who have served in our Armed Forces - they deserve,
and should receive the highest level of advice, support and care in return. I
will look to the new Commissioner to spearhead our ambition to deliver on this
obligation and enhance services for veterans across Scotland.
“We want our
Commissioner to be an ambassador for the 400,000 ex-servicemen and women who
live in Scotland, listening to, and acting on the individual and collective
experiences of veterans. It’s about joining up services where we can and
identifying any barriers our courageous veterans are faced with.
“We have
already had interest from a number of credible candidates and would encourage
anyone who can bring vision, courage, influence and innovation to the role to
apply for the position.”
Working in
partnership with health, housing, social care, employability and financial
services agencies, Glasgow’s Helping Heroes provides a point of contact
for service personnel, veterans, their families and carers in Glasgow. It is
funded by Glasgow City Council, SSAFA and their partners.
Over the last
three years the project, which operates a helpline and provides one to one
support, has received grants of more than £15,000 through the Scottish
Government’s Scottish Veterans Fund.
During the visit
Mr Brown met with Tank Commander Stephen Williams who served in Iraq and
Afghanistan during his 13 and a half years in the 1st Royal Tank
Regiment.
The 32-year-old
father-of-two from Garthamlock decided it was time for a career change when he
left the Armed Forces last month, he is now training for his HGV licence. He
said:
“It’s
strange when you leave the Armed Forces because you don’t have the
support that you’re used to. Finding a job and accessing housing has been
tough, especially when my regiment was based in Suffolk and all the help I was
used to was based down there.
“Job hunting
is difficult because I know I have transferrable skills but there’s no
place in civvie street for a tank commander.
“Glasgow’s Helping Heroes has been
fantastic, getting me sorted with a place to live, helping me with my CV and
pointing me in the right direction of ILA funding so I can try and get my truck
driving licence. They have also put me in touch with Remploy and I’m
going to their job finding club every week.
“A lot of
guys I know have been made redundant because of the defence cuts and
there’s plenty of job clubs in the south of England, but coming back to
Scotland they might not know what’s there for them. A Scottish Veterans
Commissioner will hopefully promote what services are out
there.”
Cambuslang woman
Kerry Riddock, 25, was a Lance Corporal in the Royal Logistics Corps. After
eight years of service she left the Armed Forces in 2013 and has since received
support with housing and employment from Glasgow’s Helping Heroes. Kerry
now works for Horizon Security. She said:
“Glasgow’s Helping Heroes was a lifeline for
me and helped with training and with looking for a job. Now I’m working
in security with colleagues who are also ex-service. I think a Scottish
Veterans Commissioner will be good for Scotland, and it’s important that
they know what it’s like to adapt to civilian life after leaving the
Armed Forces.”
Colonel Martin
Gibson, the chair of Veterans Scotland which represents 57 charities and
organisations that support veterans of all ages, welcomed the news of the
advert, he said:
“Working
with the new appointee will enable Veterans Scotland and our charity members to
focus on identified areas of need for ex-service personnel that the public
sector can collaborate on to make a real difference. The vast majority of those
leaving the services rejoin the civilian community with success and contribute
very significantly to Scotland; we feel that those who at some stage need some
advice and support richly deserve such assistance.
“Access to
housing and employment are key themes where much progress has been made, but
there is more work to be done. It is very encouraging to see a growing number
of businesses in Scotland appreciating the skills and values of those who were
in the armed forces.”
Glasgow City
Council’s Veterans’ Champion, Cllr Malcolm Cunning, welcomed
interest in the city’s pioneering project. He said:
“An
individual's most basic needs in civilian life can be complicated by their
experiences in the Forces; but most veterans get no tailored support and have
to hope their needs will be understood by people that may never have
encountered them before.
“Over the
last few years, we have tried to change that in Glasgow – creating a
single point of contact for the city's veterans, which deals with housing,
unemployment, health, benefits and debt.
“We believe
it has had an overwhelmingly positive impact for individuals, families and
communities in Glasgow.”
Notes To
Editors
Glasgow’s
Helping Heroes is a partnership project by Glasgow City Council and SSAFA
Forces Help.
It is funded by
these partners and through assistance from Jobcentre Plus; Pension, Disability
and Carers Service; Glasgow Housing Association; Scottish Federation of Housing
Associations; City Building; Combat Stress; Jobs & Business Glasgow; Poppy
Scotland; Erskine; NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde; Glasgow Addiction Services;
Scottish Veterans Residences; Royal British Legion Scotland; Career Transition
Partnership; Service Personnel & Veterans Agency; GAIN; Veterans 1st Point,
and BLESMA.
More information
is available at www.glasgowshelpingheroes.org
The Scottish
Veterans Fund was set up in 2008 with the purpose of assisting groups and
organisations providing support services to Scotland’s ex-Service
personnel.
The Fund is
administered on behalf of the Scottish Government by Veterans Scotland, the
umbrella organisation for the Veterans community in Scotland.
The Scottish
Veterans Commissioner advert closes on 5 May, with the appointment due to be
made in early summer and the Commissioner’s office expected to be
operational by the autumn.
More information
on the position is available here http://applications.appointed-for-scotland.org/