The Not Forgotten Association
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 The Not Forgotten Association 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 The Not Forgotten Association 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:
- UK Service Veterans And Leavers
- UK Reservists
We also pledge the following:
Promoting the Armed Forces: We will continue to champion and support the Armed Forces as we have since 1920; fostering and promoting the esprit that comes from service life and through life. Employment support to members of the Armed Forces Community: We will actively seek to at- tract, recruit, and retain veterans and reservists into the organisation as staff, but also as volu n- teers (volunteering is open to serving personnel too). Our HR arrangements will continually be reviewed to ensure inclusivity for the Armed Forces community. Communications, engagement, and outreach: Through all our communications, we will cham- pion the v alue of comradeship, community, and challenge; remaining aligned to the ethos and the Values and Standards of the Services & Merchant Navy. We will display and encourage use the logos of the Covenant & Employer Recognition Scheme in our marketing and commu nica- tions. We will provide training and development for our staff on the Armed Forces community, to ensure we remain current and competent so that we continue to serve this community well. Health: We will work across the military and wider charity sector t o continue to support those wounded, injured and sick directly, but also to work with partners and wider agencies to sup- port an improved understanding of health and wellbeing issues facing our beneficiaries. We will promote awareness of accredited veteran friendly GP practices ( accreditation for GP prac- tices and the initiatives such as the Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance , and ensure that dedicated healthcare services for members of the Armed Forces Community, such as Op COUR- AGE in England, are signposted and promoted. Service interfaces: The charity will remain fully engaged with those gatekeepers charged with the transition of Service personnel to civilian life including Service Associations, the Career Transition Partnership (CTP), and those other agencies supporting this critical stage in a service persons life.
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.