Solent Mind
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 Solent Mind 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 Solent Mind 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
- Armed Forces Charities
We also pledge the following:
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We will signpost and promote Anchoring Minds and Military Minds support so serving personnel and their families know where to access help, including during deployments, postings and other periods of change.
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We are committed to helping veterans and their families access timely and appropriate mental health support through Solent Mind.
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We will ensure clear, accessible routes to support are available (telephone, email and online/self-referral where appropriate), and that information is kept up to date across our communications channels.
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We will promote early intervention by encouraging family members and serving personnel to seek support at the earliest point, including for stress, anxiety, low mood, loneliness and other common wellbeing concerns.
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We will provide or promote evidence-informed self-help resources to build resilience and coping strategies (for example, practical guidance on managing anxiety, maintaining wellbeing, and coping during deployment).
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We will train and brief relevant staff to understand the needs of the Armed Forces Community, so they can respond appropriately and consistently, and avoid disadvantage arising from service life and mobility.
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We will work with partners to improve joined-up support, including effective referral and signposting to local NHS, local authority, and voluntary/charity provision, ensuring families do not have to navigate services alone.
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We will ensure support is delivered in a safe, respectful and confidential way, with safeguarding processes in place and appropriate crisis signposting when urgent or high-risk needs are identified.
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We will seek to include lived-experience insight from serving families and the wider Armed Forces Community to shape, review and improve the support we promote or provide.
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We will monitor uptake and feedback (where feasible) to support continuous improvement, and we will use learning to reduce barriers to access for serving personnel and their families
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.