Back in March 2022, we hosted a virtual seminar to educate veterans about the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme. The event, delivered in partnership with Irwin Mitchell was a great success and will be repeated again later in the year. Watch this space.
Team Salute Her UK have organised a virtual workshop for any women veterans wanting to know more about the menopause. If you would like to know more contact Paula Edwards
In partnership with Labour Friends of The Forces we are conducting a consultation exercise with women veterans with lived experience of the Criminal Justice System. If you would like to take part contact Paula Edwards. See Below.
Our Family First Veterans Coordinator has organised a series of virtual benefit clinics. If you wish to take part contact Nicole directly. See Poster
Our planned angling trip on trip on the JFK Two was cancelled due to bad weather… however we have rearranged the trip for 10th May 2022. Tight Lines!
Forward Assist & Salute Her UK have always welcomed members of the LGBTQ+ community to access its services. We are delighted to have over 100 veterans that identify as LGBTQ+ and as well as setting up a virtual LGBTQ+ support group we are also carrying out a consultation exercise with the LGBTQ+ veteran community to ensure any services we create are needs led, person centred and designed for demand. If you are interested in accessing any of the above mentioned projects or groups please email Nicole Dodd at nicole@forward-assist.com
Forward Assist & Salute Her UK were delighted to be invited to be part of an International Five Eyes virtual colloquium on military sexual and other forms of abuse The video recording of this webcast can be accessed at https://youtu.be/wPuzBhnD77E
Salute Her UK supported and continue to engage with and offer trauma informed therapy to the women survivors of military sexual assault featured in this journalistic article by Isobel Thompson.
It’s hard to assess the full extent of sexual assault within Britain’s armed forces. The figures that do exist are almost certainly an underestimate – as they tend to be with sexual assault in civilian life – because many people never report what has happened to them. The hierarchical nature of the armed forces, in which reporting an abuse is often seen as subversive, particularly discourages victims from speaking up. Around 10% of people in the armed forces are women; only 5% of senior officers are.
A growing body of court cases, reports and testimonies from individuals in the forces indicates the scale of the problem. In 2012 Channel 4 News obtained details of an internal investigation in the British Army which suggested that all of the 400 women interviewed had received unwanted sexual attention and that many felt an “over-riding” lack of trust in the ability of senior officers to handle complaints about such concerns.
Veterans are being taught the art of British Parliamentary Debating to help in their ongoing recovery from trauma and injury during their military careers, helping many to regain the voice they feel has been lost.
Forward Assist supports veterans with a host of issues – from unemployment and homelessness to involvement in the criminal justice system and mental health struggles – to live positive lives as part of civilian society, with the struggle to adjust often being exacerbated by the hugely traumatic experiences they have suffered during their time in service. The pioneering charity is the only resource in the UK to offer support with military sexual trauma – estimated to be one of the main causes of PTSD amongst veterans – and many of its thousands of clients may also experience brain injury, physical injury and mental illness.
Read more here: https://www.nrtimes.co.uk/empowering-veterans-through-debating/
A report by North East veterans charity Forward Assist has revealed a grim catalogue of sexual abuse including rape against male servicemen in the military.
Researchers interviewed 30 male survivors aged 41 to 58 from across the UK of what they described as Military Sexual Trauma (MST).
It involved incidents like new recruits being tied down and a black bag containing a nauseous concoction of various bodily fluids mixed with alcohol produced.
"Young soldiers would be held down and forced to drink it," the researchers were told.
"The initiation gang was made up of Commissioned Officers, NCOs and other soldiers. I wouldn't take part and that was my downfall and I was raped."
Mike Kelly’s Coverage can be read here.
https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/shocking-sex-abuse-men-armed-23169898
Up to Forty women Veterans, trained in the art of British Parliamentary Debate, have been invited to visit the Palace of Westminster in London later this year. The women all took part in the Covenant Trust Funded Gender Specific Debate Training project, which utilised virtual online training sessions to ensure the project went ahead during lockdown. Forward Assist commissioned Parallel Histories and The Chimp Paradox Training team to deliver, not only lessons in the art of debate but also dedicated sessions in mental health resilience and wellbeing given the negative impact experienced by many during the C-19 pandemic. In recent months students from the Cambridge University Debating team helped the women brush up their debating skills and we are looking forward to visiting the Cambridge Debating Chambers in March as their special guests of honour. Sarah Atherton MP, Emma Lewell Buck MP and Baroness D’Souza have all collaborated to ensure the visit to Westminster in May is a trip to remember. As well as a dedicated reception planned in Parliament, the women will also get a guided tour of the House of Commons and House of Lords and the opportunity to take part in a mini debate during the visit. Its beginning to look like a great experience for all involved.
Forward Assist has set up a gender specific male veterans support group for those whose lives have been negatively impacted by Military Sexual Assault and associated Trauma. The confidential support group takes place on the last Thursday of every month and is facilitated by trauma informed therapist Paula Edwards. Interested? Email: paula@forward-assist.com for more information.
Equality and Diversity runs like a golden thread though all Forward Assist & Salute Her UK interventions. We value the unique experience every individual brings and in recognising not every individual faces the same barriers, we have adopted an intersectional approach to our work. Our virtual support group for LGBTQ+ veterans starts on 24th February 2022. Interested? Contact our LGBTQ+ Veteran Care Coordinator nicole@forward-assist.com for more information.
Cambridge University Debating Society is the oldest debating society in the world, and the largest student society in Cambridge, the Union remains a unique forum for the free exchange of ideas and the art of public debate. The Union Society is proud of our long and extensive tradition of hosting prominent figures from all areas of public life, including the Dalai Lama, President Ronald Reagan, Bill Gates, Stephen Hawking, Prime Ministers Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher, and John Major. In late 2021 .
The Debating Society students kindly gave up their free time to train a group of women veterans taking part in the Forward Assist Veterans Debate Project in the principles and rules of British Parliamentary Debate. Forward Assist and Salute Her UK were honoured to accept an invitation to take a group of women to watch a debate in the chambers in the March 2022, as the society’s guests of honour.
The Australian Government has called a Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide in Australia which commenced its work on Monday 29th of November 2021. The Royal Commission is taking a broad ranging approach to the issue and Open Door made a submission to share findings from its recently completed but not yet released Australian Research Council supported study into physical, sexual and other abuse within the Australian Defence Force (ADF) from the 1950s-2021.Open Door was invited to make the first in person submission to the Royal Commission to share insights from the study with Associate Professor Ben Wadham the Director of Open Door presenting on behalf of the Centre.
Read more here: Submission to Royal Commission 2021 (1).pdf
The Australasian Services Care Network and the Open Door: Veteran Transition, Integration and Wellbeing Centre along with our partners extend an Invitation for you to join them for the launch of the “Virtual International Colloquium on Military Sexual and Other Forms of Abuse”. This Colloquium seeks to explore the issue of Military Sexual and Other Forms of Abuse and its impact on Military Service Members, Veterans and their immediate Family across the 5 Eyes Countries. The issue of Military Sexual and Other Forms of Abuse is not exclusively directed at a particular gender, those of different sexual orientation or any other group within the Military. It impacts people of all genders, orientations and backgrounds and for many it has lifelong consequences. The aim of this conversation is to shine a light on the issue and to share what we know about it and evidence informed responses and interventions to address the issue and support those affected by it.. You can register for the event at: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_sGZAMQ8MR-amF8nRW-P4KQ
Its 2022… and after a bizarre couple of years living with the impact of the worldwide C-19 pandemic, we are ecstatic to be moving into a New Year with lots of new opportunities. We will be developing a host of gender specific ‘person centred’ and ‘needs led’ services for military veterans and their families. We are delighted that our digital telehealth support groups have been so well attended and its wonderful to develop virtual services that attract people from across the nation and beyond. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, we have continued to work hard and have adapted our practice throughout times of uncertainty to offer vital support to veterans their families, and the local community.
As CEO I want to thank Paula for all her hard work keeping the charity ticking along as I recovered from bi-lateral knee surgery. It was wonderful to return to work and see several examples of continuing professional development which is now embedded into our everyway practice. We are also grateful to our volunteers and those with with lived experience who help us facilitate consultation sessions to help us develop veteran specific services. We are committed to testing out innovative solutions and designing services that truly make a difference in these tough and challenging times. We care deeply about those we seek to serve, where no one is forgotten and everyone is able to live a life of dignity and hope.
Forward Assist & Salute Her gave written and oral evidence at the Armed Forces Bill Parliamentary Defence Committee and the Women in Defence Enquiry. Submitting written evidence to select committees and bill committees is an important mechanism for organisations and individuals to have their voice heard.
Being invited to give oral evidence in front of a UK parliamentary select committee is not an easy achievement, yet in the first half of the year Forward Assist & Salute were been invited twice to give oral evidence to Parliament.
Our views on the Health and Social Care Bill, and the Nationality and Borders Bill were actively sought by politicians - we will work harder next year to make BASW a household name in the Houses of Parliament.
With all the competing issues in Parliament, and the number of organisations trying to influence politicians, it was fantastic that Forward Assist & Salute Her was mentioned by name more than 8 times in 2021 in both the House of Commons and House of Lords.
Our meetings, visits and letters to politicians in 2021 covered a broad range of subjects from the long term impact from Military Sexual Trauma to the need for women to be provided with sanitary products when on Operations. We facilitated face to face meetings with a host of veterans for Leo Docherty MP , David Richmond CBE , Sarah Atherton MP and Jamie Driscoll North of Tyne Mayor. This has resulted in a greater understanding and awareness of the the issues facing those individuals suffering from a lack of support the impact of sexual assault during military service.
Salute Her took part in three evidence sessions for the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Suicide & Self Harm Prevention.
When we need to find out concrete information that isn’t readily available in the public domain, we have worked with MPs to submit written parliamentary questions which will guarantee a response from the relevant Minister. We have done this 6 times in 2021 and we have built a strong base to continue to seek more information through MPs.
Securing meetings with individual MPs is no easy achievement when they are being contacted by lots of organisations, but this year we secured 5 meetings with MPs.
We also facilitated our (abstinence based ) Annual Veterans Therapeutic Recovery Retreat in France.
Salute Her facilitated a women only Weekend Retreat in Suffolk
We employed a Family Support Worker.
Salute Her facilitated virtual support groups for women affected by Military Sexual Trauma.
We now run virtual Gym Sessions, Anger Management Classes, Cookery and Healthy Eating Sessions, Legal Clinics, Mindfulness, Moral Injury Awareness and Sexual Health Clinics.,
We collected the Queens Award For Volunteers Award in August.
Paula Edwards was a finalist in the North East Charity Awards for her outstanding work supporting Women Veterans.
We presented the work of Salute Her to the Labour Friends of the Forces Group.
We are working in partnership with Anglia Ruskin University on a research project.
We provided oral and written evidence on the UK position regarding Military Sexual Trauma to the President Joe Biden 90 Day Review (US Dept Vet Affairs) into the harm caused by sexual assault in the military.
Salute Cafe opened back up for business in August. We served over 100 Christmas Dinners in December with Christmas gifts, children’s presents and pantomime tickets given to those veteran families and isolated, lonely veterans and living on their own.
We trained 40 Women Veterans in Parliamentary Debate in partnership with Parallel Histories and Cambridge University Debating Society.
We facilitated three 6 week Mindfulness of sleep and Dream workshops with another four workshops planned for 2022.
We distributed over 4 tons of food from both Lidl and Sainsburys to families in need during 2021.
The Trustees would like to thank everyone for their ongoing support in 2021.
Tony Wright CEO
Throughout 2021 we have collaborated with Charlie Morley to deliver a series of ‘Mindfulness of Dream and Sleep’ course specifically for military veterans and their spouses. Funded by the Covenant Trust Fund the highly popular virtual six week course, and when possible face to face sleep retreats have allowed veterans to learn new skills to help them address difficulties with trauma related nightmares and sleep disturbance. You can watch the interview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuGZ2qMuwO4
On behalf of the Staff, Volunteers, Trustees and Veterans accessing our service we would like to take this opportunity to thank Mayor Jamie Driscoll for running the Great North Run in support of Forward Assist and Salute Her Women Veterans project. Thank you for raising awareness of our work, the charity and raising funds to support our crucial work to provide ‘best in class’ interventions for those impacted during their transition back into civilian life, especially those in need of one to one counselling following the withdrawal of UK & US troops from Afghanistan. Its Appreciated.
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Earlier this year, Mayor Jamie Driscoll visited the wellbeing hub of local veterans’ organisation, Forward Assist, which was founded in 2009 and is based at the John Willie Sam’s Community Centre in Dudley.
See: https://youtu.be/cIs8bUrSYu0
Mayor Driscoll was met and shown around the hub by Tony Wright, former Royal Marine and founder and CEO of Forward Assist, and Paula Edwards, women veterans lead. The Mayor had the opportunity to meet with a number of the veterans that access the centre and to talk with them about how the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns had impacted on their mental health and wellbeing.
Services were restricted during the pandemic lockdowns, but in normal circumstances the Health & Well-being Hub offers a wide variety of daily activities and volunteering opportunities to reduce social isolation and loneliness. The Salute Café & Veterans ‘Drop In’ enables veterans to access Information, Advice & Guidance in a psychologically and physically safe environment.
Forward Assist’s activities are aimed at marginalised, socially isolated, or disenfranchised veterans and they work with veterans of all ages and abilities. Their wellbeing framework facilitates social reintegration and creates a positive pathway to civilian life, further education, training & employment.
Tony and Paula told the Mayor that the next two years look like being a difficult but exciting time as Forward Assist tries to adjust to the ‘post Covid’ normal. As always, veterans and being of service to the wider community, will be at the centre of their ‘soldier to citizen’ support service.
Forward Assist believe veterans are the community’s greatest untapped asset and that their veteran-led community activities enable many to live lives filled with passion, purpose and commitment whilst being of service to others.
Jamie Driscoll, North of Tyne Mayor said:
“Many ex-service men and women find readjusting to civilian life difficult.
The work which Forward Assist do to help them is remarkable. They provide a safe place where traumatised veterans can feel physically and psychologically supported, respected, and welcomed.
That’s why I’ll be supporting their work to get veterans into better paid jobs and provide them with training opportunities.
Tony and Paula have to be commended for their dedication to making life better for the veterans of the North of Tyne”.
Following on from Mayor Driscoll’s visit, the North of Tyne Combined Authority is working with Forward Assist to see how we can support them in their valuable work so that more of our veterans can be helped to achieve their potential and live more fulfilled lives.
