Additional Needs
On this page:
13 Apr - FANDF Conference Reminder
13 Apr - Forces Additional Needs and Disability Forum (FANDF)
22 Mar - Help for Heroes donates to the Victory Service Club
21 Feb - Blind Veterans UK - An Introduction
25 Jan - Support4Spouses
25 Jan - RADAR
MOD Disability & Additional Needs Policies
The Sensory and Physical Impairment Planning Groups at Essex County Council (ECC)
Disability Benefits
FANDF Conference Reminder
FANDF will be holding their biennial conference on the 23rd May 2012 at MOD Main Building. The conference is for military families who have a child or dependant with additional needs or disability. For more information contact: Jane.b@ssafa.org.uk.
Forces Additional Needs and Disability Forum (FANDF)
The Forces Additional Needs & Disability Forum (FANDF) support group was set up over 20 years ago for Service families who have a child or dependant who has additional needs or a disability, or if they are disabled themselves. It is a forum for families to raise issues of importance with the MOD and welfare providers about the factors unique to Service life and a way of ensuring that both children and adults with additional needs have access to the best support available. FANDF is facilitated by the SSAFA Additional Needs and Disability Advisor (ANDA) Jane Barnes. More information can be found at: www.ssafasupportgroups.org.uk
Help for Heroes donates to the Victory Service Club
Help for Heroes have generously donated £100,000 to the Victory Services Club. The donation has been used to fund special facilities for two fully equipped rooms for the disabled. These rooms are used for their “Respite and Welfare Breaks” which are offered to those who have been wounded on operations.
As a charity, the Victory Services Club, relies on donations to ensure accommodation is deserving of our Armed Forces and the maimed in particular. “Respite and Welfare” breaks are provided for the wounded who are recovering from serious war wounds from current and past operational theatres. The breaks include provision for a carer and have benefited those who are genuinely distressed and in need of a break in the Nation’s Capital. This also applies to those who are identified by the major Armed Forces charities as suitable beneficiaries of this scheme.
The Victory Services Club is a Tri-Service, All Ranks Club for both serving and retired members of the Armed Forces including the Reserves. Membership is open to All Ranks of the British Armed Forces (Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Army and the Royal Air Force) and those of all Allied, Commonwealth and NATO countries. Serving and Retired members of the Armed Forces, their families, widows and widowers are all welcome. The Club offers the bedroom facilities at a 50% discount to those returning on R&R through their “Haven for Heroes” scheme that was launched by General The Lord Dannatt and Martin Bell back in 2007. It has 191 bedrooms, a restaurant, a bar, a reading room, and substantial events and conferencing facilities for re-unions both large and small.
Blind Veterans UK - An Introduction
About Blind Veterans UK:
- Blind Veterans UK is the only UK charity for blind veterans and believes that no one who has served our country should have to battle blindness alone.
- Blind Veterans UK is committed to providing caring, collaborative lifelong assistance to blind veterans and their families.
- Currently, the organisation provides professional, specialist support to over 5,000 members (3,000 blind or severely visually impaired veterans and their families) and helped 650 new blind veterans in 2011.
- Anybody who is blind or severely visually impaired and has served in the Armed Forces is eligible for Blind Veterans UK’s assistance. This includes anybody who has undertaken UK National Service at any point during their life, or those who may have left the Armed Forces some time ago.
Blind Veterans UK – service offering:
- Blind Veterans UK provides the finest quality support to blind veterans, both in the community and at specialist centres located in Brighton, Llandudno and Sheffield.
- Working collaboratively with members and their families, committed teams of professional ROVIs (Rehabilitation Officers for the Visually Impaired) and Welfare Officers build a personalised programme for each veteran, which includes welfare support, rehabilitation, training and respite.
- After the onset of visual impairment, Blind Veterans UK beneficiaries are on a courageous journey to rehabilitation. The organisation exists, not just to restore their independence in everyday tasks, but so that they can truly discover a life beyond blindness, through sport, art and friendship.
- Blind Veterans UK always strives to be resourceful, pioneering and modern in its approach to providing the finest quality services to blind veterans.
About the new Blind Veterans UK name and brand:
- Blind Veterans UK was founded in 1915, and was called St Dunstan’s until February 2012.
- The organisation has changed its name because it needs more people to know about the life-changing services it provides.
- The new name has been chosen because it describes exactly what the organisation does and who it helps, ensuring its work is better recognised and understood, and, in turn, helping beneficiary and supporter recruitment.
- Blind Veterans UK believes that there are over 50,000 people who could benefit from their support still out there – many of whom don’t realise they are eligible or have not heard of the organisation.
Official launch of Blind Veterans UK:
- The new brand will officially launch in February 2012 alongside Blind Veterans UK’s ‘No one alone’ campaign which aims to raise awareness around the challenges of blindness and the impact Blind Veterans UK has on the lives of its members.
- Launch events will take place at the Blind Veterans UK centres in Brighton, Llandudno and Sheffield.
Help Blind Veterans UK achieve its vision:
- You can help Blind Veterans UK achieve its vision that no one who has served our country should have to battle blindness alone.
- If you know a veteran who is blind or severely visually impaired and has undertaken UK National Service, encourage them to get in touch to find out about the professional support services Blind Veterans UK can offer.
- To find out more or make a donation visit www.blindveterans.org.uk.
For further information about Blind Veterans UK please contact:
Abhilasha Punj: Tel: 0207 010 0842, email: abhilasha.punj@kindredagency.com
Andy Shaw: Tel: 0207 010 0806, email: andy.shaw@kindredagency.com
Support4Spouses
Support4Spouses is a Facebook support group set up by a military spouse, Sally Scarbrough. Sally has a young son who is severely sight-impaired due to a rare genetic condition, primary aphakia. Sally saw a need for a support group for military spouses with children with disability, additional needs and illness. She set up this group in December 2011 and it already has over 100 members. It is a place where spouses can discuss problems, let off steam or signpost information and advice. Support4Spouses can be found at www.facebook.com
RADAR
RADAR the UK’s largest disability rights campaigning network have some excellent publications to download from www.radar.org.uk/publications.These include Doing Transport Differently, which contains lots of information and advice about travelling around the UK on public transport. Other titles include Doing Work Differently, Doing Money Differently and Doing Carers differently. They are also compiling a new publication called Doing Sport Differently.
MOD Disability & Additional Needs Policies
JSP 820 is the MOD's Disability and Additional Needs Policy and was updated in December 06. The objectives of this Policy is to ensure that all Service personnel who have, or have a dependant with, a disability or additional needs, register with the appropriate Service career management.
AGAI 108 - Jan 2010 is the Army Policy on the Care of Service personnel with disabled and additional needs (AN) dependants. This instruction states Army Policy and clarifies the obligations.
Both Policies emphasise that Service personnel with someone in their family with a disability or additional needs should register/notify the chain of command through unit administrative procedures in order that outline details may be included within the Service person's Record of Service (ROS).
For clarification, this covers all personnel and dependants who require any form of additional help and support for their disability or additional needs in the short or long term. If in doubt then register.
Please note, the copy of these Policies is not subject to amendment.
The Sensory and Physical Impairment Planning Groups at Essex County Council (ECC)
The aim of the planning groups is to give a voice to the service users, citizens and carers of Essex by providing the opportunity to engage and influence services in partnership with Adults, Health and Community Wellbeing who are responsible for Adult Social Care Services.
There are 6 planning groups in all and these are the:
- Physical Impairment Planning Group
- Visual Disability Planning Group
- Hard of Hearing Planning Group
- Deaf Essex Access Forum (D.E.A.F)
- Deafblind Planning Group and the
- Older Peoples’ Planning Group
These groups are facilitated by Essex County Council and each group is Co-Chaired by an ECC officer and a service user in partnership. The groups meet either bi-monthly or quarterly in Chelmsford, but are able to meet elsewhere in Essex. The planning groups can also signpost people with mental health and other issues to the appropriate service and service user groups. Local and national voluntary and statutory organisations are also members of the planning groups and this allows information sharing to enable a greater understanding of issues that may impact on the lives of disabled people.
The planning groups would like to engage with current and ex-servicemen and women who have impairments and their carers, to give them the opportunity to have a voice in Essex, join a planning group and gain an understanding of the services they are entitled to.
If you would like more information about the planning groups or are interested in joining one of the groups, then please contact Joanna Wanmer on 01245 437868 or by email joanna.wanmer@essex.gov.uk.
Disability Benefits
Caring for a disabled child or adult can cause changes in your financial situation. Benefits that can be claimed to ease the situation include Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Carers Allowance, Child Tax Credits, Attendance Allowance, Incapacity Benefit, VAT relief and Disabled Students Allowance.
Have you been unable to claim any of these benefits?
The Army Families Federation would love to hear from any Army family whose application for these benefits has been unsuccessful. Any information given will be kept confidential. Email additionalneeds@aff.org.uk.
