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February 2010

High level Evidence Work on the Desk at the Moment

Voting from Overseas

A Minister-led Working Group has been established to consider ways of enhancing the ability of those serving overseas (and their families) to participate in UK elections.  Members include the Families Federations, MoD officials, Ministry of Justice and Electoral Commission officials, as well as a representative from the British Armed Forces Federation, an external group that has long argued for better voting processes for the military. 

The main concerns are that postal voting often precludes personnel getting their votes in on time owing to the short (11-day) window for personnel to vote.  Proxy voting is an alternative but is not considered appropriate by many.

Efforts are currently focussed on delivering an enhanced service for all personnel deployed to Afghanistan to be able to register and then vote in the General Election.  The system will use the Air Bridge and we expect to see publicity material soon, to be cascaded via the chain of command in theatre.

In the longer term, alternative methods of voting are being evaluated.  The consensus from the Working Group is that e-voting should be an option in future but the costs and implications of this need to be investigated.  Any electronic voting system will require changes to primary legislation so will necessarily await the next Administration.  We have already provided raw data from a Quick Vote on our website (80% in favour of e-voting) and stand ready to do further research once the details of a proposed e-voting system have been articulated.  There was a good response from the HIVE staffs in support of this evidence-gathering and we would hope to build on that for future research.

Service Families Employment and Skills

Established in late Autumn, the Service Families Employment and Skills
Task Force, chaired by both Yvette Cooper and Lord McKenzie on behalf of the Deputy Prime Minister, has met 3 times to build on work already started by the Service Personnel Command Paper to improve family members’ access to training and employment opportunities.  A Report was published on 10 Mar 10 and details the commitments made so far.  Key areas of interest are:

• Establishment of Armed Forces Champions in every Job Centre Plus District
• A new information portal to be launched on 1 Apr 10 via the Royal British Legion’s ‘Civvy Street’ site and the DirectGov.com site (linked to Job Centre Plus) to pull together information on training and employment opportunities available for Service family members
• A public transport survey aimed at identifying gaps in provision for military communities (we have provided evidence to the Centre on known problem areas in the RAF but advised HIVE were better placed to provide this sort of local evidence).
• A mapping exercise by Department for Children Schools and Families (DCSF) to identify any gaps in the reach of Children’s Centres and Sure Start facilities into military communities.
• Initiatives by the private sector to tap into the ‘talent pool’ presented by military family members. Enterprise to trial manning a call centre on a military base and also to launch a trial training and work placement programme for military dependents aged 16+.
• Work by the Cabinet Office to consider ways of enhancing the prospects of employment transfers for partners already employed as Civil Servants.
• Further evaluation of Tax Credits to see if they can be improved to support military partners who wish to work.  (We were asked to provide evidence to the Centre regarding the costs of childcare as part of this work).

Service Personnel Command Paper Follow-on

We have been invited to join an Expert Group which will meet twice a year to consider the implementation of SPCP commitments in Wales. The first meeting is in May 10 and we will attend to evaluate the value added/gained by our presence.  The other Families Federations also intend to be represented for this first meeting.

Research Projects

The Deployment Cycle

We have been asked to be a contributor in a tri-Service research project investigating support to families and personnel during the Deployment Cycle. The initial scoping meeting was held in early March and we await further developments.

The Welfare Needs of Service Families

The Royal British Legion have launched a tri-Service research project into the welfare needs of the military, including families and veterans but focussed on those who have been injured whilst in service.  The Army Families Federation have accepted a lead role on behalf of all 3 Federations but we expect to be asked to publicise this research project and assist in identifying families who can contribute to the surveys and focus groups.

Evidence Arising from those Contacting the Federation

During this period we were contacted by both serving and non-serving family members. 68% were serving members of the RAF.

HOUSING

 

Entitlement to SFA

Whilst 49% of the issues raised have been categorised as ‘housing’, it should be noted that a third of those issues were directly attributed to Service families frustrated by the current policy regarding their entitlement, or lack of, to Service Family Accommodation (SFA).

We have been contacted by a number of unmarried serving couples with children, as well as divorced/separated parents who have joint custody of their children, who feel that they are being excluded because they do not meet the existing criteria for PStat Cat 1 or 2 and are therefore not entitled to occupy SFA.

We have also had approaches from parents of older children returning from university or college who are no longer classed as entitled members of the family, despite the SFA being their only home.  

The Federation has already elevated these concerns to the appropriate policy staffs, as part of our contribution to the MoD-led Scoping Study into the definition of the family as we believe that, unless the policy is revised to include these ‘non-traditional’ family types, there will be a negative impact upon retention in the longer term. We await the outcome of the Scoping Study with interest, although we understand that this work may have stalled in recent weeks due to the increasing workload being placed upon the team leading the Study.

 

Defence Estates Allocations and Adaptations

The second highest reported housing concern was the actual allocation and management of SFA by the regional DE HICs. Concerns included the time taken to allocate houses; the lack of suitable properties in certain areas of the country, particularly MoD Abbey Wood; and the management of additional/ special needs adaptations to SFA. In one case, a family were referred to us by their SSAFA support worker who had become personally frustrated with the lack of engagement by local DE staff following a request for adaptations to the family’s SFA.

Following our intervention, the necessary paperwork was authorised and the work undertaken but the comment from both the family and SSAFA was that, although they appreciated our help, they should not have to get the Federation involved to get these essential works completed – we agree!

 

Maintenance Issues in Scotland

For the first time since our launch, we have been contacted by families living in Scotland who have concerns about the condition of their SFA. Local station staffs are already liaising with the relevant maintenance contractors to resolve the problems but the Federation will continue to monitor the situation and provide support as necessary.

SFA/SSFA Tenant’s Liability Insurance:  It is hoped that a year-long campaign by the Federation to highlight the issues surrounding SFA and SSFA tenant’s liability insurance is finally bearing fruit.  The Federation is aware that DE has been pursuing this matter internally with the MoD Policy and Legal staffs for some considerable time but, having brought the issue into the open on behalf of RAF families, we believe that the Centre now has to find a resolution. We hope to hear from both MOD and DE in the very near future that guidelines for tenants are to be issued which will clearly define their personal liability whilst living in SFA/SSFA.   

 

PERSONNEL ISSUES

 

SPVA

A number of concerns have been brought to our attention recently regarding decisions taken by the PACCC at SPVA, particularly when dealing with ‘exceptional’ cases involving the current allowances policies. These included:

Case 1

A family who were required to move from their own home to SFA on posting within the UK requested authority to claim the cost of air travel between the current and new duty stations for the elderly father of the non-serving spouse, who resides with them owing to ill-health. Their claim was denied by the PACCC.   Despite the fact that DE allocated them a suitably sized SFA, having acknowledged that the couple are the primary carers for the father (in-law) and that he is part of their immediate family, the PACCC stated that travel costs were not permitted as current policy dictates that he is classed as a close, but not immediate, family member.  The family have appealed.

Case 2

A serving couple, with a very young child, were assigned to go overseas for a continuity tour of one year but were advised that they had to have childcare arrangements in place before they left the UK as there could be no guarantee of full-time childcare on arrival.    However, the PACCC have informed them that, because the nanny they have employed is not a family member, she is not entitled to travel at public expense, or on an Indulgence flight, and therefore the family are required to pay the full return air fare (some £1,500).   This case has been elevated to the Centre staffs considering family definition and, in parallel, the family are submitting an appeal.

Case 3

We have been dealing with several families who, having submitted claims for CEA in good faith, have since been informed by the PACCC that they have to repay the fees as they are not entitled to the allowance. The sums being demanded in some cases are eye-watering, with amounts of £20k+ being quoted.  The stress on the families as their cases are re-considered on appeal is significant, with one officer stating: 'If I was pensionable, I would walk today, so disgusted am I at the way my family have been treated over this issue'. He won his appeal but the case left him and his wife under significant pressure for two months over Christmas, with a potential bill of more than £30k hanging over them.

The Federation recognises that all personnel have a responsibility to ensure that they are conversant with the policies and regulations regarding allowances and must submit their claims in accordance with these rules.  However, it must be acknowledged that there are Service members whose family circumstances do not fit neatly within the current guidelines and it is these families who require additional support and a more flexible approach to the interpretation of existing policies.

Following the removal of single-Service casework specialists, who may have been more experienced and therefore more confident of working within the ‘spirit’ of the guidelines, the introduction of a centralised casework and complaints cell, appears to have generated an apparent reluctance by SPVA to respond proactively to individual cases for fear of ‘setting a precedent’.

The Federation believes, however, that there are only a relatively small number of families who are faced with exceptional circumstances and that the PACCC should be able and willing to take these into account when they review casework and interpret the regulations.

 

Promotions and Assignments

We have been contacted by a number of serving personnel who believe that they had no choice but to turn down offers of promotion (almost inevitably linked to a posting away from an Area of Choice) for strong family reasons. This includes an NCO who felt that he had to turn down his offer of promotion to sgt because he would not be able to continue having shared access to his children from his new duty station.  As the cpl stated:

    “My son, who has special needs, accepts that I go on detachment but his welfare would have been extremely affected with me moving away.  I was told by PMA that ** Sqn was the only offer that I was to receive, and as I was once again away on OOA deployment at the time the only option I had was to turn this offer down.”

Unfortunately, despite having turned down his well earned promotion, there is still a chance that the cpl will be posted away from the area and his children but without the reward of promotion already earned.  The ‘double whammy’ is that, whilst his reasons for turning down the promotion were genuine, in accordance with current policy, he must now miss out on the next Promotion Selection Board (PSB), too.  

Perhaps some greater flexibility could be introduced here to enable such candidates to be presented to the next Board and allow the PSB the opportunity to determine the strength of the case to turn down the previous promotion offer rather than automatically bar them from consideration for a further year?  

Whilst we recognise that the needs of the Service must always take priority, the Federation wishes to draw to the attention of the chain of command the potential impact the assignment and promotion policies have upon family life and to seek as much flexibility as possible so that the Service doesn’t lose good people for reasons that, with a bit more flexibility, might have met both Service and family needs.   

 

EDUCATION

We have been approached by several families who were still facing problems in removing their children from school during term time for post operational tour leave (POL) purposes, despite the recent announcement by Department for Children, Schools and Families that OFSTED would recognise such absence as ‘authorised’ in school attendance stats.  We continue to monitor the situation and will elevate the matter to the SPCP ERG as appropriate.

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