Chairman of Cobseo, General Sir John McColl KCB CBE DSO, said:
“The publication of the Veterans’ Strategy today represents a further significant step towards delivering the Armed Forces Covenant and ensuring a successful and sustainable future for all those who have served in our Armed Forces. We welcome its aspirational nature and the cross-Government commitment to it but – as the Strategy itself notes – more remains to be done. The forthcoming consultation process must now review and set out in detail how the Strategy is to be implemented, if its target outcomes are to be met. We will be encouraging our membership to participate fully in this process.
Two aspects of the forthcoming work are key to ensuring the Strategy’s successful implementation. The strong relationship between the Armed Forces charity sector and Government will continue to be at the heart of ensuring that Veterans access the help and support they need. If the sector is to continue to pick up responsibility where gaps in governmental provision widen, then this relationship needs to develop further, and Government must look to improve support to the sector where it can. Regional disparities in the delivery of support, too, still need to be addressed, and we look forward to working with key stakeholders throughout the UK to develop and shape more effective and efficient support to beneficiaries at a regional level. The Strategy provides the framework for change in both regards but the detail must now be determined and implemented.”
Veterans Strategy: can be found here.
Consultation Paper: can be found here – closes 21 Feb 19.
For further information or comment, please contact Cobseo Communications – communications@cobseo.org.uk.
Notes to Editors:
Cobseo – The Confederation of Service Charities represents, promotes and furthers the interest of the Armed Forces Community. Its purpose is to maximise the effectiveness, efficiency and influence of the Service Charity Sector in order to positively enhance the lives of beneficiaries in the Armed Forces Community. As a membership organisation, it provides on behalf of its members a single point of contact for interaction with Government and all other key stakeholders. It achieves its aims by facilitating the exchange and co-ordination of information, identifying issues of common concern and co-ordinating any appropriate action, and representing and supporting the needs and opinions of members.
- Cobseo has a membership of almost 300 charities and organisations.
- The Cobseo Executive Committee consists of 8 permanent and 9 elected member organisations. The chief executives of each are the director of Cobseo, and the Committee meets quarterly to manage Cobseo’s business.
- Cobseo’s principal mechanism for embedding co-operation and collaboration across the Sector is through a series of functional Clusters (Housing, Research, Mental Health, Criminal Justice System etc.) where organisations specialising in each Cluster subject area come together to raise issues, identify solutions, make recommendations for action and/or improvement, and determine best practice.
Website: www.cobseo.org.uk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/COBSEO
