Mariposa and Papillon Care
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 Mariposa and Papillon Care 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 Mariposa and Papillon Care 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:
- Armed Forces Friendly
- UK Service Veterans And Leavers
- UK Service Spouses And Partners
- Flexible Leave For Spouses
- UK Reservists
- UK Cadets
- Armed Forces Day
- Reserve Forces Day
We also pledge the following:
Employment Promoting the Armed Forces: Whilst including visits from local cadets, celebrating, and supporting our residents to take part in all remembrance celebrations, D-day and trooping of the colour. Employment support to members of the Armed Forces Community: We will introduce a policy to ensure those who have worked or are working for the armed forces will not face disadvantage arising from their service. We will support Reservists by offering them additional days of annual leave (paid/unpaid) to carry out their duties. We will support the employment of Service spouses, partners and dependants, for example by: signing up to Forces Families Jobs; offering short-notice leave to those whose partners are sent on deployment; and working with the tri-Service Families Federations. We agree to promote employment schemes aimed at the Armed Forces Community, such as A Great Place to Work You can claim National Insurance contributions relief if you are employing a veteran in their first year post-service. Offer additional (Paid/unpaid) annual leave to Cadet Force Adult Volunteers to help them carry out their training requirement. Communications, engagement, and outreach: We pledge to provide and promote training, such as e-learning and face to face for our staff from the Armed Forces Community. Promote the Armed Forces Covenant, the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme and your support for the Armed Forces Community to your staff, customers/service users, supply chains and the wider public. We will continue to support and promote Armed Forces events, such as Armed Forces Day/Week, Reserves Day, the Poppy Appeal and Remembrance activities. We pledge to use the Covenant and Employer Recognition Scheme logos in our communications and marketing. We will identify and appoint an Armed Forces Champion within our organisation to act as a focal point for organising and promoting support for the Armed Forces Community. We will signpost members of the Armed Forces Community to available support, for example from Cobseo, the Veterans Gateway or statutory services in our area. We will facilitate support networks by offering space for a coffee morning, for veterans and other members of the Armed Forces Community. Health We pledge to improve our approach as a team to easily identify, understand and support veterans and, where appropriate, refer them to specialist healthcare services designed especially for them. To prevent any of our residents and families from the armed forces being disadvantaged when accessing or receiving healthcare we will ensure our care plans and hospital passports are up to date with the information to support veterans and their families to receive the correct health care. We will support our armed forces workforce through our WPA health care scheme. Ensure available dedicated healthcare services for members of the Armed Forces Community, such as Op COURAGE in England, are signposted and promoted. Education: We will Promote training and further/higher education opportunities for Service leavers, ex-Service personnel who we employ. We will support our armed forces nursing staff with further education, support revalidation and pin checks. Civic responsibilities: We will organise, facilitate, promote and/or take part in remembrance and other ceremonial activities. We will support our resident veterans and their families to attend events where possible.
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.