Upcoming News Items
Forces Connect App
Kent & Medway Civilian and Military Partnership Board (KMCMPD) have worked on producing an app in conjunction with the Armed Forces Covenant Fund to assist serving military, veterans and their families covering different subjects where a need for information had been asked for. Subjects covered include Crisis Support, Employment, Education & Training, Family Support, Care & Benefits, Health & Wellbeing, Housing & Homelessness and Peer Support.
This app could be extremely useful and you are encouraged to download this app to your mobile phones - you never know when you might need it. It is hoped that towards the end of the year it will be available to download onto laptops too.
With 36,500+ downloads, there is no app for the armed forces community like this. Many regulars, reservists, veterans and their families already use it across the UK along with unit welfare officers, caseworkers and service charities.
The app is free to download onto mobile phones. To find out more please visit: http://www.forcesconnect.co.uk.
MKC Training receives the Forces Covenant Gold Award 2023!
MKC Training are extremely proud to announce that we have received the 2023 Defence Employer Recognition Scheme Gold Award. This award is linked to the Armed Forces Covenant which is a promise by the nation to ensure that those who serve or who have served in the armed forces, including Reservists, Cadet volunteers and their families, are treated fairly.
Read our news article about the Forces Covenant Gold Award 2023.
Armed Forces Breakfast Club Saturday 29th April!
Our recent Armed Forces & Veterans Breakfast Club brought together 86 personnel from six local Breakfast Clubs, fostering camaraderie and a sense of belonging.
Read on to learn about the highlights, inspiring presentations, and the charitable contributions made during this successful gathering Armed Forces Breakfast Club Blog.
Walk & Talk 999
Join us to boost your mental and physical wellbeing with a men's walking group for Emergency Services, Armed Forces and NHS personnel. Open to those who are serving, have served or are retired.
Every Saturday at 9:30am at Hampton, Herne Bay, Kent
Meet opposite The Hampton Inn, Hampton Pier Avenue, CT6 8DL
A gentle walk offering the platform to talk
To find out more please contact Walk & Talk.
Or find them on social media Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Ongoing Activities
The Armed Forces Act 2021
This Act came into force in November 2022 to reinforces the Armed Forces Covenant. It build on the Armed Forces Act 2006 with a requirement for Due Regard which is a reinforcement of the Covenant but with some differences.
For more information on what members this covers, visit The Armed Forces Act.
New Mental Health Support Available via NHS 111
Introduced on Monday 27 March 2023, callers in Kent can now call NHS 111 and have the option to press 2 on their keypad to access dedicated mental health support.
The aim is to ensure people experiencing mental distress or self-defined crisis can access the right service at the right time, reducing the pressure on the police and other emergency services. It can also be used by people who are seeking help or support for someone else such as a friend or family member.
If you are engaging with a member of the public who could benefit from using this service in future, please make them aware of the NHS 111 option 2 for mental health service.
Please continue to advise people with life-threatening illnesses or injuries to dial 999 and request the appropriate health service.
The NHS will use the period between now and the summer to monitor the introduction of the service, ahead of an official launch and wider promotion of the service.
If you have any questions about this new service, please contact KMCCG Mental Health.
How will the service work?
- Once a caller has dialled 111 and selected option 2, they will be routed to one of two services:
- The Kent and Medway Health Crisis Line: if the call relates to someone aged 18 or over; or,
- North East London Foundation Trust’s (NELFT) single point of access: if the call relates to someone under the age of 18 and/or if they have an eating disorder.
Both services will enable the caller to speak with a trained mental health professional to be triaged and directed for onward assessment, treatment or advice.
Sussex Armed Forces Network Veteran Friendly GP Surgery
The Armed Forces Act 2021 names Veteran Friendly GP Practices as one of the relevant bodies that must show ‘Due Regard’ in line with the Covenant to the Armed Forces Community.
For more information on what an accredited GP practice means, visit The Sussex Armed Forces Network Veteran Friendly GP Practices.
Background
MKC Training supports our armed forces community in a number of ways, whether it is as an employer to reservists, veterans, cadet volunteers and/or partners or as a provider ensuring commissioned services understand the needs of this community.
MKC Training recognise the value, ethos and talents of veterans. At present we employ 40 members of staff who have prior military service, each of whom plays an integral part in transferring their skillset to our company providing the standards expected of an organisation that prides itself on the highest performance levels.
In 2023, we were awarded the gold award as part of the Ministry of Defence's Employer Recognition Scheme.
Visit the Armed Forces Covenant website
Armed Forces Covenant Gold Award
MKC Training were awarded the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme Gold Award in 2023.
This is a national recognition of our continued commitment to the Armed Forces.
The Armed Forces Covenant represents a promise by the nation that those who serve or have served, and their families, are treated fairly. All 407 local authorities in mainland Great Britain and 4 Northern Ireland councils have pledged to uphold the Armed Forces Covenant. To date over 4,000 organisations have signed the covenant, including businesses and charities.
Contact us to learn more
