Forward Assist CEO Gives Evidence At Select Committee on the Armed Forces Bill.

Forward Assist were honoured to be invited to speak at the Select Committee on the Armed Forces Bill today. On the panel were Emma Norton from the Centre for Military Justice and Dame Vera Baird Victims Commissioner, who praised the work of Forward Assist and Salute Her and their joint efforts to support those veterans struggling to come to terms with the long term impact of military sexual trauma during service life. Our 2019 ethnographic research paper ‘No Man’s Land’ highlighted a significant number of women veterans for whom the military justice system had neither resolved or offered any closure in relation to bullying, harassment, sexual assault or rape. Tony made the point that the victims welfare needs to be at the centre of any military investigation and the reputation of the military should be secondary both during and after that judicial process ended.

You can watch the event by following the link below;

https://www.parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/eaf8d87e-0017-4f19-87a8-ff4a72a7a324

You can read our written evidence here:

https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/23626/pdf/

We’re Hiring

Thanks to funding from the National Health Service (NHS) and the Armed Forces Covenant Trust Fund we will be recruiting up to eight professionally qualified staff in 2021 to develop and support innovative ‘gender specific’ interventions for veterans and their families. We will continue to develop comprehensive assessments that address individual and family needs. Through care coordination and integrated care pathways we will facilitate direct linkage to treatment services for Post Traumatic Stress (PTS),Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Moral Injury and Military Sexual Trauma . Our ‘Healthy Relationships’ workshops and ‘Citizenship Reloaded’ programme will offer a ‘best in class’ approach to supporting families who may be experiencing relational stressors following adjustment to civilian life and/or the difficulties faced during the C-19 pandemic.