F e d e r a t i o n N e w s Federation RAF FF
CONTRIBUTING TO TOP LEVEL STUDY
T
he Chairman of the RAF FF has been invited to represent RAF families at a Reference
Group chaired by the Minister for Armed Forces, Bob Ainsworth MP and confirms that families’ issues are high on the agenda of the study.
Following the announcement to publish the first ever cross-Government strategy for the provision of support to the Armed Forces, their families and veterans, the External Reference Group for the Command Paper met in MOD Main Building on 8 January 2008.
The Command Paper (a formal Government paper published on Command of Her Majesty the Queen) will set out the Government’s response to the challenges facing the modern armed forces personnel in a changing society and a demanding operational environment. It will set out the recent progress made in responding to these challenges and an agreed cross-Government strategy for the future.
An External Reference Group has been appointed to advise Ministers and officials on the issues affecting personnel, families, veterans and widows/widowers and to provide an input to the work as it develops. The External Reference Group is chaired by the Minister of the Armed Forces, the Rt Hon Bob Ainsworth MP, and comprises:
� Chris Simpkins, Director General The Royal British Legion
� Maj Gen (Retd) Andrew Cumming, Controller SSAFA Forces Help
� AVM (Retd) Tony Stables, Chairman COBSEO
� Kim Richardson, Chairperson Naval Families Federation
� Julie McCarthy, Chief Executive Army Families Federation
� Dawn McCafferty, Chairman RAF Families Federation
16 Spring 2008
NEWS
� Jenny Green Chairman War Widows Association
� Prof Hew Strachan, Oxford University
The first meeting agreed that the Reference Group would meet several times during the production of the Command Paper to provide an external view on the emerging work and to feed in issues raised by the wider Service community. The meeting discussed the intended scope of the Command Paper and agreed that it should look at a wide range of issues including: accommodation and home ownership; access to education and health provision for Service personnel and their families; transition to civilian life; care for those medically discharged; veterans and widows welfare; support to bereaved families and those injured service personnel; issues affecting Gurkhas and other Commonwealth Service personnel and their families.
ISSUES, ISSUES
What Sort? How Many? and What Have You Done About Them? by Jenny Ward, our Issues Manager
A
lmost as soon as the Federation launched, staffs from various quarters were asking the questions above and,
to be fair, for a few weeks at least, our response was “b****er off and let us get on with it!”
However, the dust is beginning to settle, we have just about got our heads around the new database and, more importantly, people are beginning to contact us on a wide range of subjects. We are starting to get a sense of the types of issue coming across our desks and how we can best capture evidence to represent the RAF family.
The common theme across all issues is that our involvement has been to facilitate communication – be that between the serving person or his/her partner and the chain of command; between a SFA occupant and the staffs at DE or MHS; or between an individual and a welfare support agency. No problem has yet left us completely flummoxed but we have dealt with some fairly complicated policy issues and are learning all the time.
Clearly, as our service is confidential, we cannot publish details of issues and individuals. However,
we can advise that we have been approached for advice in the following areas and that all this evidence is slowly building up a picture of the key issues impacting on RAF families’ morale:
• SFA – Entitlement. • SFA – Maintenance. • SFA – Retention. • SFA – Special Needs adaptations. • SFA – Treatment of irregular occupants. • Support to family during Deployed Ops. • JPA – Postings to/from Area of Choice. • Welfare support in isolated detachments. • Special Needs allowance(s) entitlements. • Boarding School entitlements. • Dependent’s access to UK benefits and allowances during, and upon return from, an overseas posting.
• Allowances for travel when returning from overseas postings.
• Access to Dental facilities. • Child Support Agency policy. • Shared Equity Mortgages.
Issues Reported as at 1 February 08 11% 5% 11% 20%
Education Housing
Allowance / Benefits / Entitlements Financial
Medical / Dental Signposting Other
In terms of what we have done with this evidence, Dawn meets monthly with the RAF Community Support staffs to provide feedback but, to be honest, with only 2 months under
39% 7% 7%
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