Guidance

VAPC south east England: meeting minutes 7 October 2019

Updated 25 October 2024

Present

• Flick Drummond (FD)(Chair)
• David Anderson (DA) (Deputy Chair) Robin Draper (RD)
• Ian Talbot (IT)
• Piers Bateman (PB)
• Terry Roper (TR)
• Roger Nield (RN)
• Carron Snagge (CS)
• Chris Reynolds. (CR)
• Kate Steel (KS)
• Dr Soundararajan Jagdish (SJ)
• Paddy Nicoll (PN)
• Joan Ferrer (JF)
• Kath Hutton (KH)
• Sally Shirley (SS) Veterans Welfare Service

Apologies

• Alex Platts
• Craig Jones
• Rob Rowntree (Vets UK)

Decelerations of interest

None recorded.

Minutes of the last meeting and matters arising

Item 3 - Change the last sentence to read Portsmouth’s Veterans Outreach Service instead of Veterans Welfare Service. Subject to this amendment, the minutes were accepted as a true record.

Item 8 – Discussion on whether Armed Forces Champions should be renamed Armed Forces Covenant Champions to clarify role to the public. This would focus the Champions on the Covenant.

Item 9 – Discussion on lack of support for reservists especially those that had done tours abroad. This had been raised at the Oxford Forum. It largely depends on the unit but the status and level of welfare support is unclear. TR to lead project to write a paper for the Minister with evidence that existing system is not working.

Chairs update

The Deputy Chair will be attending the Chairs’ conference in Norcross in November. Members invited to send ideas to DA to take to conference.

Discussion on what is the purpose of VAPCs and relationship with Veterans UK. It was thought that we should be independent of Veterans UK and put in with the Ministry of Veterans Affairs. We need more evidence that we are making a difference. There should be a VAPC member on Civilian Military Partnerships.

VetsUK/VWS

Vets UK have been working with new Minister for Veterans Affairs who has been going around the country talking to veterans.

Digitalisation is still ongoing and VetUK are working with Government digital service in May 2020. It should make a difference.

Veterans ID cards – Still waiting as there are concerns in MOD about rolling it out.

Launch of the Defence Transition Service has been put back to later in October. They are working within VWS but it has led to some confusion. It is part of a holistic transition policy not a careers advice. DTS provides a casework service for the most vulnerable group of armed forces personnel who are referred up to 2 years before discharge and DTS will work for 2-3 years afterwards. DTS also work with CDT failures and early service leavers, including working with the whole family. It is not clear whether they will be working with reservists. Medical discharges and veterans with welfare concerns will still be referred and dealt with by VWS.

SEVAPC raised concerns that DTS is not funded sufficiently and there will be veterans falling through the gaps and whether this gap would be filled by the Third Sector?

Transition, Intervention and Liaison Service (TILS) needs to be further publicised to veterans with mental health problems as there is little knowledge of the service.

SEVAPC asked for figures on how many cases, phone calls, cases closed, outcomes of cases, workload for each VWS caseworker and length of cases. These used to be provided. Discussion on the impact of overwork on the welfare of VWS caseworkers and their workload. SEVAPC were concerned about the support for welfare managers. Concerns were raised that there has not been a replacement for the area manager for VWS.

Discussion on how VWS works with veterans and Vets UK. SEVAPC were concerned that the veteran’s whole written report from VWS does not go to Vets UK for a more comprehensive approach as it cannot be put on the electronic standard form. Members attending the training in Norcross were concerned that decisions at Vets UK are often made by E grade officer without a proper investigation.

VWS have no further contact with Vets UK once the electronic form has been sent to Vets UK, unless the Welfare Manager prompts it, and do not get notified when the case has been completed. The only way that an outcome is notified is by the Welfare Advisors accessing the Vets UK system at Welfare Managers request.

Portsmouth veterans outreach service

KH briefed the meeting on the work of the Portsmouth Veterans Outreach Service (VOS). The main points were:

VOS Drop-Ins are run in Portsmouth (1st Wed of month) and Newport, IOW (3rd Wed).

There are 40+ delivery partner services (welfare and wellbeing) plus clinical team for mental health triage.

There has been a 17% increase in visits to Drop-In and 33% increase in clinical delivery during 2018/19.

Breakdown of users by Service is 48% Army, 35%RN, 10% RAF, 5% RM, 2% MN; by gender 73%male, 27% female (estimate 11% female veterans); and by age 49% over 55.

New peer support programme – weekly coffee groups and an activity group supported by MHFA trained volunteers.

VOS sits on Solent Armed Forces Covenant Project Board; a needs analysis conducted, led to set up of Southampton, Gosport, IOW Drop-Ins.

TILS Portsmouth Hub established with CPN and OT, Oxfordshire Hub planned, Berkshire Drop-In established second Wednesday of month, Tilehurst, Reading.

The ‘VOS model’ is being explored by Cobseo for regional hubs.

Update from members

It has been difficult to find out who Armed Forces Champions in Local Authorities are. Not all are listed on website and FOI requests had to be asked for in Berkshire.

KS – The Forces Connect App is working well. Armed Forces Champions are being trained in the SE. Will try to find numbers of homeless veterans.

CR – Medway have an Armed Forces Champion and will be attending a conference shortly to learn more about what is happening in Kent

SJ – Vets UK language in correspondence to veterans should be made simpler and easier to read. Decisions should be clearer and often medical information is not considered correctly especially with mental health cases who may not respond in time, more time might be needed in these cases.

PB – has been working in local authority and welcomes the VOS in Gosport.

IT – commemoration of 100th Anniversary. London VAPC are preparing a big event but we need to decide on a regional celebration – a veterans forum would be a good idea. Many people are going to the Third Sector for help because the MOD and particularly Vets UK are not providing a quick response or being helpful.
Oxford’s 9th Veterans Forum was excellent with good speakers

KH – attended the training in Norcross and was not impressed as the quality of the presentations was poor especially the power point slides. An annual conference was suggested but it was noted that VAPC had little money for a conference.

RD – still working with a complex case for a veteran

TR – has 3 cases ongoing, 2 are satisfactory. There is a homeless veterans centre in Bucks.

JF – the Court Liaison and Diversion Scheme has been taken over by Berkshire. Funding has run out for a mental health worker. There is an upcoming forum at Winchester prison. Alabare will be running veterans housing for a Housing Association in Southampton. A half way house is needed there. The Court Diversion Scheme want to be part of COBSEO.

RN – Veterans Hearing Support – the fund held by RBL closed in October although there are 1000 veterans waiting to receive help. Action on Hearing Loss are working on it.

Date of next meeting

• 20th January 2020 in Brighton
• it was decided to hold 3 meetings a year
• 2020 meetings will be 27th April and 21 September.