Services Supporting Veterans

• Help for Heroes
  • “We provide recovery and support for the Armed Forces community whose lives are affected by their service, no matter when they served.”
  • www.helpforheroes.org.uk/get-support/

• Forcesline  - 0800 7314880 (Monday – Friday 10.30 – 19.30) or by email
  • Free confidential helpline provides supportive, listening signposting service for serving personnel, Veterans and  families.

• Combat Stress  - 0800 138 1619 (available 24 hours) or by email
  • www.combatstress.org.uk/
  • Confidential and safe help and advice about Service-related mental health issues for the whole military community.

• Big White Wall (available 24 hours) www.bigwhitewall.com
  • Share what's troubling you anonymously, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
  • Free for serving personnel, veterans, family members and carers.

• Veterans Gateway
  • “The first point of contact for veterans seeking support”- 0808 8021212 
  • www.veteransgateway.org.uk

• Veterans UK – MoD/Government
  • Claims, pensions and service records - 0808 1914 2 18
  • https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/veterans-uk

• Veterans Outreach Support – Drop In Centres
  • http://www.vosuk.org/
  • First Wednesday of every month from 2pm to 6pm in the Royal Maritime Club, Portsmouth
  • Third Wednesday of every month from 12pm to 4pm in the Riverside Centre, Newport, Isle of Wight.

• Blesma – “Providing support to limbless and injured veterans for life”
  • https://blesma.org/

• Blind Veterans UK
  • “helping ex-Service men and women of every generation rebuild their lives after sight loss. Since 1915 we’ve provided rehabilitation, training, practical advice and emotional support to tens of thousands of blind veterans.”
  • https://www.blindveterans.org.uk/

• NHS Veterans Mental Health Services
  • https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/military-healthcare/nhs-mental-health-services-for-veterans/

• King Edward VII Veterans Pain Clinic
  • https://www.kingedwardvii.co.uk/the-charity/centre-for-veterans-health
  • Free for veterans with a GP referral

• Forces Online Veterans Directory
  • Additional local services
  • https://www.forcesonline.org.uk/veterans-directory/

Services Supporting Family Members

Support for Family Members of Injured, Wounded & Sick currently serving, reservist or veterans

• The Ripple Pond:  www.theripplepond.org

Free to adult family members of all military personnel

• The Big White Wall   www.bigwhitewall.com

Free to all military personnel & family members

• The Long Boat Home   www.thelongboathome.co.uk

(National database for access to low cost counselling

• H4H Band of Sisters  www.helpforheroes.org.uk
• SSAFA – Families of Injured Service Personnel (FISP)

                    www.ssafasupportgroups.org.uk/fisp

Support for Parents of Serving Military Personnel – NOT injured

• A Mum’s War (M.O.M.S.)

This organisation offers a Facebook group for support of all (parents, grand-parents, parents-in-law and siblings) of those who are currently serving.  Those interested in joining the group need to contact them, and an invitation to join the ‘secret’ group will be sent out.

These organisations will give information to ALL adult family members (including parents) of those who are currently serving:

• Army Families Federation               www.aff.org.uk/
• Naval Families Federation              www.nff.org.uk/
• RAF Families Federation                  www.raf-families-federation.org.uk/

Support for Children of Serving & Ex-Serving Military Personnel

Sometimes the support is not because a parent has been injured, but perhaps a parent is deployed,  or about to be deployed and the child(ren) is anxious and in need of additional support.

• Little Troopers                                      www.littletroopers.net

(formerly ‘My Daddy’s a Soldier’ – this organisation is only for children of serving personnel)

• Sailors’ Children’s Society               www.sailorschildren.org.uk
• HMS Heroes                                          www.britishlegion.org.uk

(HMS Heroes & Service Pupils Champions run groups through schools – for more info contact RBL)

• Spurgeons Young Carers                 www.spurgeons.org.young-carers
• NSPCC                                                      www.nspcc.org.uk/
• CAMHS
• Other Young Carers groups:            www.carersuk.org

                                                                    www.childrenssociety.org.uk/YoungCarers

• Books (Niamh Finley-Howe)          “Mummy Why Does Daddy Cry?”

“So What, My Dad Has PTSD”

• Niamh also writes a blog:                 http://notesfromniamh.weebly.com/ 

(It may be useful to invite parents to read the blog before involving children).