The Forces in Mind Trust (FiMT) has awarded funds of £41,500 to the Probation Institute for a year-long project to develop an e learning product to enable service providers to identify ex-Service personnel under supervision in the criminal justice system.

After completing the e learning training, practitioners will better understand the strengths and vulnerabilities of ex-Service personnel, and have increased awareness of support available within Armed Forces charities with sector expertise and how these can be of help.

The need for specific training arose from discussions at the launch of the FiMT funded Probation Institute report titled, “Profile provision for Armed Forces veterans under probation supervision”.

It is proposed that the e learning programme would be one hour long and would be updated at the end of the first-year evaluation.

Ray Lock, Chief Executive of Forces in Mind Trust, said: “The Armed Forces Covenant was created to ensure that no ex-Service person is disadvantaged by their time in service. This requires commitment by local government agencies, service providers and the private sector to ensure that they understand the needs and vulnerabilities of the Armed Forces community.

“What the Probation Institute have quite rightly pointed to is the need for specific training and improved understanding of the needs of the ex-Service personnel who are under supervision in the criminal justice system.”

Helen Schofield, Acting Chief Executive of the Probation Institute, said: “With the support of FiMT, the Probation Institute has researched and reported on the provision for ex-Service personnel and we have developed a training course for practitioners across the probation organisations. This funding enables us to develop a sustainable and accessible version of the training to complement the face to face course. We look forward to this new stage of the project.”

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Note to Editor:  Ray Lock is available for interview. To arrange please contact Tina McKay, Communications Officer at FiMT on co@fim-trust.org or on 07956 101132 or 0207 901 8916.

About the Forces in Mind Trust (FiMT):

FiMT came about from a partnership between the Big Lottery Fund (‘the Fund’), Cobseo (The Confederation of Service Charities) and other charities and organisations. FiMT continues the Fund’s long-standing legacy of support for veterans across the UK with an endowment of £35 million awarded in 2012. http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/.

The mission of FiMT is to enable ex-Service personnel and their families make a successful and sustainable transition to civilian life, and it delivers this mission by generating an evidence base that influences and underpins policy making and service delivery.

FiMT awards grants (for both responsive and commissioned work) to support its change model around 6 outcomes in the following areas: Housing; Employment; Health and wellbeing; Finance; Criminal Justice System; and Relationships. All work is published in open access and hosted on the Forces in Mind Trust Research Centre’s Veterans and Families Research Hub. A high standard of reportage is demanded of all grant holders so as to provide a credible evidence base from which better informed decisions can be made.

Useful links

Website: www.fim-trust.org

Reports: www.fim-trust.org/reports/

Who we have helped: www.fim-trust.org/who-we-have-helped/

Twitter: @FiMTrust

About the Mental Health Research Programme: www.fim-trust.org/mental-health/research-programme/

About the Probation Institute: The Probation Institute is an independent centre of excellence and a professional home for all those involved in probation work across the public, voluntary and private sectors, and was launched by Lord Neuberger in March 2014. We support effective services, promote evidence-based policy and practice and the professional development of our members and explain the work of probation to the media, parliamentarians and the public.

o   All members are required to sign up to the Code of Ethics as a condition of membership.  http://probation-institute.org/code-ethics/

o   The Institute is currently developing a professional register, which will enable probation practitioners to have their qualifications, knowledge and skills recognised and will act as a framework for continuing professional development.

Useful links

Twitter: www.twitter.com/ProbInstitute

Website: www.probation-institute.org