Church Of Scotland
We, the undersigned, commit to honour the Armed Forces Covenant and support the Armed Forces Community. We recognise the value Serving Personnel, both Regular and Reservists, Veterans and military families contribute to our business and our country.
The Armed Forces Covenant
An enduring covenant between the people of the United Kingdom, Her Majesty’s Government and all those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces of the Crown and their families
The first duty of Government is the defence of the realm. Our Armed Forces fulfil that responsibility on behalf of the Government, sacrificing some civilian freedoms, facing danger and, sometimes, suffering serious injury or death as a result of their duty. Families also play a vital role in supporting the operational effectiveness of our Armed Forces. In return, the whole nation has a moral obligation to the members of the Naval Service, the Army and the Royal Air Force, together with their families. They deserve our respect and support, and fair treatment.
Those who serve in the Armed Forces, whether Regular or Reserve, those who have served in the past, and their families, should face no disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public and commercial services. Special consideration is appropriate in some cases, especially for those who have given most such as the injured and the bereaved.
This obligation involves the whole of society: it includes voluntary and charitable bodies, private organisations, and the actions of individuals in supporting the Armed Forces. Recognising those who have performed military duty unites the country and demonstrates the value of their contribution. This has no greater expression than in upholding this Covenant.
Section 1: Principles of the Armed Forces Corporate Covenant
1.1 We Church Of Scotland will endeavour in our business dealings to uphold the key principles of the Armed Forces Covenant, which are:
- no member of the Armed Forces Community should face disadvantage in the provision of public and commercial services compared to any other citizen;
- and in some circumstances that special treatment may be appropriate especially for the injured or bereaved.
Section 2: Demonstrating our commitment
2.1 Church Of Scotland recognises the value serving personnel, reservists, veterans and military families bring to our business. We will seek to uphold the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant, by pledging to the following:
We also pledge the following:
Pastorally: urging Presbyteries to appoint Veterans’ Champions who will support parish ministers and engage with and help contribute to local Veteran’s forums; urging every parish minister who encounters members of the broader Armed Forces community who are facing disadvantages to signpost them to the appropriate resources; supporting veterans, regulars, reservists and their families by the normal arrangements for the provision of pastoral care. Liturgically: commending the recognition and remembrance of the sacrifices made by others by marking Remembrance Sunday and other such occasions. producing and distributing appropriate promotional and liturgical material for use across Scotland as resources for remembrance of the past and reflection on future hopes. Organisationally: providing support in the employment of veterans (young and old) in our own recruitment practices including advertising appropriate vacancies in the non¬incorporated Councils and Committees through relevant veterans’ employment websites and guaranteeing an interview for those veterans who are in receipt of a War Disabled Pension or other Armed Forces Compensation Scheme payment, providing they meet the essential criteria for the job; looking favourably upon employee and office holder requests for leave and flexible working by partners of those deployed, and compassionate leave for any bereaved spouse - including attendance at an inquest or other legal investigation; affirming the important work of regular and reserve military chaplaincy and facilitating the transition to and from civilian and military ministry by recognising the transferability of skills and experiences of those engaged in military chaplaincy; seeking to support our employees and office holders who choose to be members of the Reserve forces, for instance, by seeking as far as possible to accommodate their training and deployment; setting up a dedicated page and links on websites across the Church’s community to alert those who work in relevant areas of Church ministry to the specific needs of and resources for the Armed Forces Community.
2.2 We will publicise these commitments through our literature and/or on our website, setting out how we will seek to honour them and inviting feedback from the Service community and our customers on how we are doing.