There are a wide variety of services and charities that offer help to veterans and their families to facilitate them living their best lives. Please see the options below for a selection of useful sites.
- SSAFA (SSAFA – the Armed Forces charity, formerly known as Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association, is a UK charity that provides lifelong support to serving men and women and veterans from the British Armed Forces and their families or dependents. They give individual help, support and guidance either personally or over the phone.)
- The Veterans Mental Health and Wellbeing Service (The Veterans’ Mental Health Transition, Intervention and Liaison (TIL) Service (formerly known as London Veterans’ Service (LVS) is a free NHS mental health service for all ex-serving members of the UK Armed Forces and service personnel who are making the transition to civilian life including reservists. They work with any veterans’ and those transitioning from military to civilian who live in London, Greater London, East and West Sussex, Surrey, Kent and Medway or are registered with a GP in these areas. They work with veterans’ who are experiencing mental health, addiction and general wellbeing issues, based at St. Pancras Hospital.)
- Royal British Legion (the country’s largest Armed Forces charity, with 180,000 members, 110,000 volunteers and a network of partners and charities; helping us give support wherever and whenever it’s needed.)
- Help the Heroes (Life can be tough when a military career comes to an end, especially if it has been cut short by illness or injury. Overnight, people lose not only their job, but also a support network that is like family.)
- NHS UK (Provides information and links towards helping Veterans make the most of resources within the NHS.)
- Veterans Gateway (Are the first point of contact for you and your loved ones. They can be contacted 24/7 for help across housing, mental wellbeing, finances and more.)
- Blind Veterans UK (Blind Veterans UK helps vision-impaired ex-Servicemen and women to rebuild their lives after sight loss. They provide rehabilitation, training, practical advice and emotional support to veterans regardless of how or when they lost their sight.)
- Veteran Aware (The Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance (VCHA) is a group of NHS providers – including acute, mental health, community, and ambulance trusts – who have agreed to be exemplars of the best care for, and support to, the armed forces community (be they Regular, Reserves, Veterans, spouses or dependants).
- Blesma (Blesma supports limbless veterans to lead independent and fulfilling lives. Blesma are dedicated to assisting serving and ex-service men and women who have suffered life-changing limb loss or the use of a limb, an eye or loss of sight. They support these men and women in their communities throughout the UK and provide centralised assistance to those living overseas.)
- Combat Stress (Combat Stress is the UK’s leading mental health charity for veterans. They provide free specialised clinical treatment and support to ex-servicemen and women across the UK with mental health conditions. Combat Stress has a strategic partnership with the MOD and the Department of Health.)
- Forces Online (Help and assistance for Armed Forces Veterans by offering a sign posting service to expert support providers for their benefit.)
- Veterans UK (Gov.co.uk website associated with the ministry of defence that provides free support for veterans and their families, including a helpline, Veterans Welfare Service, Defence Transition Services and injury/bereavement compensation scheme payments.)
- Defence Medical Welfare Service (DMWS) is an independent charity providing medical welfare to those who have, and continue to, serve on the frontline.)
- NHS UK Veterans (a guide to NHS healthcare for the armed forces community.)
- Op COURAGE (Op COURAGE is an NHS mental health specialist service designed to help serving personnel due to leave the military, reservists, armed forces veterans and their families.)
- STOLL (Provides housing and support services to help veterans live independently.)
- Walking with the Wounded (Walking with the Wounded offers support services for a range of issues, such as mental health, employment, criminal justice and addiction.)
- Fighting With Pride (Fighting with Pride advise on how to get help and provide information for LGBT+ members of the armed forces community.)
- Step Into Health (Through Step into Health, members of the Armed Forces community can connect to NHS organisations to set up training opportunities, clinical and general work placements, insight days and receive application support.)
- Association of Service Drop in Centres (ASDIC) (Sometimes called Hubs or Centres, Drop-Ins offer a variety of welfare and mental health support, together with comradeship and a sense of well-being, to the ex-military community and their families, and ASDIC helps them to enhance the service they can provide and make them more accessible.)
- Defence Gardens Scheme (A national network of gardens which host the delivery and evaluation of nature-based therapy for Armed Forces Service Leavers and Veterans and their families.)
- Enhanced Learning Credits (The ELC Scheme promotes lifelong learning amongst members of the Armed Forces. Providing financial support, the scheme enables higher level learning of a nationally recognised qualification at Level 3 or above.)
- Little Troopers (Little Troopers is a registered charity supporting all military children who have parent(s) serving in our British Armed Forces, regular or reserve.)
- Naval Families Federation (Advice and support to empower RN and RM families.)
- Scotty’s Little Soldiers (A charity dedicated to supporting bereaved military children and young people.)
- The Ripple Pond (Supporting adult family members of physically or psychologically injured British Armed Forces personnel and veterans.)
- The Career Transition Partnership (Supports leavers of the Armed Forces as they transition from the military into civilian life.)
- DWP Veterans (Armed forces access to Jobcentre Plus and Department for Work and Pensions services)
- Forces Families Jobs (Apply for jobs and access employment and training opportunities with companies and organisations who are Forces family friendly.)
- Lifeworks (A free employment support programme which equips veterans and family members of those currently serving with the tools needed to find meaningful employment outside the armed forces.)
- Forces Employment Charity (Provides life-long, life-changing support, jobs and training opportunities to Service leavers, veterans, reservists and their spouses, partners and children, regardless of circumstances, rank, length of service, or reason for leaving.)
- The Poppy Factory (Supports veterans with health conditions and their families into employment.)
- Care After Combat (UK based charity providing support within the Justice System for the well-being of former British Armed Forces personnel and their Families.
- Salute Her (Provides trauma informed therapy to support women veterans with lived experience of sexual assault and associated trauma.)
- Building Heroes (Helping those that have kept us safe with a seamless transition into the civilian workplace through training leading to a gateway of construction employment opportunities. Any queries should be sent to Danielle (Academy Manager) daniellen@buildingheroes.org.uk)
- The Warrior Programme (The programme is designed to support individuals in developing their resilience and build mental strength through workshops, residentials or online courses. The programme has been developed over the last fifteen years to meet the demands and challenges experienced by past and present members of the armed forces and their families.