Armed Forces representatives from across Lancashire and South Cumbria have gathered at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) to explore ways to better support serving personnel, veterans and family members through the Armed Forces Covenant.
The Covenant is a promise by the nation ensuring that those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces and their families are not disadvantaged by their military service.
Addressing issues such as accessing higher education, mental and physical health and supported living and homelessness, the Lancashire and South Cumbria Armed Forces Covenant Conference, at UCLan’s Westleigh Conference Centre, brought together services professionals, academics, veterans and representatives from across the military charity sector.
"Lancashire and Cumbria have some incredible industries such as defence, aviation, nuclear and logistics, so transitioning can be easier when you plan and access the guidance available."
— Gary Oakford, Regional Employment and Engagement Officer for Lancashire and Cumbria with the Reserve Forces and Cadet Association
Gary Oakford, Regional Employment and Engagement Officer for Lancashire and Cumbria with the Reserve Forces and Cadet Association, said: “Lancashire and Cumbria have some incredible industries such as defence, aviation, nuclear and logistics, so transitioning can be easier when you plan and access the guidance available.
“I’d advise people to look at the Armed Forces Covenant, the Office for Veterans’ Affairs and local council websites where they will find lots of information in terms of support pathways for Forces people.
“Service leavers may take the first job they find but with planning and considering options such as educational grants and what industry they want to go into, they can make an informed decision.
“Many organisations offer guaranteed interviews for veterans if they meet the essential criteria and they may offer to help with CV writing too. We have a diverse group of partners in Lancashire and Cumbria who support the work we do, from big businesses to SME’s and anchor institutions like UCLan and Lancashire County Council. We’re a big family and encourage people to reach out.”
"My PhD research very much comes from a veteran point of view and this makes it more powerful. If I can use my experiences to help others, I’ll take that all day long."
— Army veteran and UCLan PhD student Daniel Fort
Daniel Fort, 44 and from Burnley, served in the Army for 16 years before being medically discharged in 2010. He’s now studying for a PhD at UCLan looking at veterans’ experiences of transitioning to civilian life.
“I was a wayward child and my cousin encouraged me to sign up for the Army to get me on the straight and narrow” he said. “I served 16 years in total and had tours in Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan. The Army gave me many opportunities and I saw the world but after being medically discharged in 2010 I was in shock and it felt like an abrupt end.
“Support felt non-existent at the time and had to do it by myself. My PhD research very much comes from a veteran point of view and this makes it more powerful. If I can use my experiences to help others, I’ll take that all day long.”
Dr Celia Hynes, co-founder and former Director of the College for Military Veterans and Emergency Services (CMVES) at UCLan and now senior lecturer and researcher at the University of Salford, and Lisa Scullion, Professor of Social Policy at the University of Salford, shared findings of their research project, Lives in Transition: returning to civilian life with a physical injury or condition*
Celia said: “We worked closely with people who have just left the Armed Forces and those just about to be medically discharged over a two year period. There is a need during medical discharge for consistency across all support services, where the whole life cycle of the individual is considered and communication is transparent.”
"There is a need during medical discharge for consistency across all support services, where the whole life cycle of the individual is considered and communication is transparent."
— Dr Celia Hynes, co-founder and former Director of the College for Military Veterans and Emergency Services
Lisa commented: “Through this project we’ve worked closely with the Ministry of Defence, the Office for Veterans’ Affairs and various charities and have been able to make recommendations in terms of health, education, housing, employment and compensation that can feed into future policies.”
The Covenant focuses on helping members of the Armed Forces community to access Government and commercial services and provides specific support pathways in healthcare, education and childcare, housing and accommodation, employment and financial services.
UCLan signed the Armed Forces Covenant in 2017 and was awarded the Gold Award of the Employer Recognition Scheme in 2019. It is home to the College for Military Veterans and Emergency Services, the Lancashire Armed Forces Covenant Hub and the welfare department of the Royal Air Forces Association in the North.