Thin Blue Line Group Limited
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 Thin Blue Line Group Limited 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 Thin Blue Line Group Limited 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
- Discounts
- Armed Forces Charities
- UK Wounded, Injured And Sick
We also pledge the following:
Supporting employment to members of the Armed Forces Community by: o Supporting Reservists by offering them additional days of annual leave (paid) in order to carry out their duties. o Offering work placements, insight days, mentoring schemes and/or guaranteed interview schemes to Veterans seeking employment. o Supporting the employment of Service spouses, partners and dependants, 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. o Promoting employment schemes aimed at the Armed Forces Community, such as A Great Place to Work and Step Into Health. o Offering additional (paid) annual leave to Cadet Force Adult Volunteers to help them carry out their training requirements. o Offering insight days to older Cadets looking for apprenticeships and further education opportunities. o Engaging with the Career Transition Partnership. o Working with relevant charities and the Career Transition Partnership to offer work opportunities to the Wounded, Injured and Sick. o Considering ways in which remote-working solutions might benefit the mobile Armed Forces Community, especially partners and spouses. Communications, engagement and outreach by: o Providing and/or promoting training, such as e-learning, for our staff in the Armed Forces Community. o Promoting the Armed Forces Covenant, the Defence Employer Recognisition Scheme, and our support for the Armed Forces Community to our staff, customers/service users, supply chains and the wider public. o Supporting and promoting Armed Forces events, such as Armed Forces Day/Week, Reserves Day, the Poppy Appeal and Remembrance activities. o Using the Covenant and Employer Recognition Scheme logos in our communications and marketing. o Creating a dedicated Armed Forces page on our website. o Establishing an internal Armed Forces Network within our organisation, to enable staff members with an Armed Forces connection to meet and support one another and provide feedback to our organisation. o Appointing an Armed Forces Champion within our organisation to act as a focal point for organising and promoting support for the Armed Forces Community. o Engaging with, and supporting local Armed Forces charities, for example by supporting their fundraising activities. o Signposting members of the Armed Forces Community to available support, for example from Cobseo, the Veterans Gateway or statutory services in our area. o Runing, facilitating and promoting support networks (such as coffee mornings, breakfast clubs) for veterans and other members of the Armed Forces Community. o Engaging with any local Armed Forces presence for example, local Army units, reservist units, RAF stations and/or naval bases. o Developing relationships and working collaboratively with other organisations supporting the Covenant and the Armed Forces Community in your locality/region. Commercially by: o Offering and promoting commercial discounts for members of the Armed Forces Community via the Defence Discount Service. o Waiving cancellation fees for utility and other contracts for those posted overseas or to areas outside the service provision. o Ensuring the Armed Forces Community has fair access to our services and is not put at a disadvantage by their service, for example as a result of their high mobility. Health by: o Taking part in and promoting awareness-raising schemes, such as veteran-friendly accreditation for GP practices and the Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance. Education by: o Supporting and promoting the wellbeing of Service children, recognising the particular experiences and challenges they may face. o Promoting training and further/higher education opportunities for Service leavers, exService personnel and their families. Civic responsibilities by: o Organising, facilitating, promoting and/or taking part in remembrance and other ceremonial activities.
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.