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Trust to make life after forces easier

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A charitable trust can start helping soldiers adjust to civilian life thanks to £35 million of lottery cash and the backing of the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry.

The Forces in Mind Trust is a partnership of UK forces charities and mental health organisations, led by the Confederation of Service Charities.

It aims to provide UK-wide long-term support and advice during the next 20 years to ex-service personnel who wish to ease back into everyday life after experiencing action on the front line.

The focus of the trust will be to tackle a range of problems that some ex-service personnel and their families can experience. These include depression, social exclusion, family trauma, substance misuse and even suicide.

The Trust’s first programme - a pilot scheme at Catterick Garrison in Yorkshire – will provide 12 months of enhanced support and guidance on employment, accommodation, educational needs, and mental health issues for approximately 1,000 early service leavers from across the UK.

Another key aim of the Trust is to commission research to improve knowledge of the issues affecting veterans and their families, which will help shape new services and inform national policy.

The Trust will also undertake awareness raising campaigns, and provide peer advice and support particularly to those veterans who are most vulnerable.

Chairman of the Confederation of Service Charities (COBSEO) Air Vice Marshal Tony Stables spoke to Forces News about why transition is such a difficult issue.