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June 2018 June 2018

DORSET COUNTY COUNCIL REPORT

Armed Forces Covenant

We have achieved a welcome boost for Armed
Forces Covenant supporting current and former
military personnel and their families in Dorset. A
programme to support current and former military
personnel and their families in Dorset has received a
boost for the next two years in the shape of £234,786
grant from the Ministry of Defence Armed Forces
Covenant Fund.
The successful bid, made by Dorset County Council,
Bournemouth Borough Council and Borough of
Poole, working with Dorset HealthCare and Dorset
Police and Crime Commissioner’s Office, will enhance work to make sure
members of the armed forces community are treated fairly and equitably across
the county.
There are an estimated 51,000 veterans living in Dorset. Dorset has 2% of the
country’s veteran population and 1.2% of the overall national population,
meaning that Dorset has a greater proportion of veterans than the country as a
whole. Projects will focus on areas such as employment, training, schools, health
and wellbeing and housing, and builds on the Armed Forces Covenant, a
commitment between local public sector organisations and the Ministry of
Defence. As well as ensuring Dorset is meeting the statutory obligations laid out in
the Covenant, the programme will work with existing organisations currently
working with Dorset’s military bases, military families and veterans to make sure
they can access appropriate services when they need to. There are also plans to
create 13 one-stop-shop Veterans and Armed Forces Family hubs across Dorset,
based in libraries.
The Corporate Covenant with the armed forces in Dorset recognises our strong
commitment to supporting members of the armed forces and veterans living in
Dorset. We know that 24% of veterans aged 16-64 report long-term illness,
compared to 13% of the general population. Mental health issues figure highly
and we are working to address the stigma relating to this and to improve access
to care for members of the armed forces, veterans and their families. We are
excited to be part of this initiative and pleased to be hosting the covenant officer
in our armed forces health and wellbeing service on behalf of the partnership.”
It will also address reoffending rates among veterans. This includes those who are
serving a sentence or are being released from custody or prison. The success of
our partnership bid provides a fantastic and much-needed opportunity to
engage with and provide tailored support to meet the complex needs of our
veterans in Dorset.

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