Designed for use in residential settings for older people, the Veteran Friendly Framework (VFF) helps care providers to offer appropriate support for the thousands of veterans living in care homes across England.
It consists of eight standards
Care providers will need to meet to complete their accreditation. Each of these standards will be accompanied by a set of resources that support care homes in demonstrating their achievement.
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1. Identification and Understanding:Ensuring that care homes can identify potential veteran residents and understand their service life and individual needs.
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2. Care Planning:Integrating knowledge of service life into care plans to ensure that the unique needs of veteran residents are addressed.
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3. Social Isolation:Addressing social isolation among veteran residents by creating opportunities for social interaction and engagement.
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4. Veteran-Specific Support:Providing access to veteran-specific services, including connections to Armed Forces charities and statutory organizations.
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5. Staff Training:Equipping staff with the knowledge and skills to support veteran residents, including training resources and guidance.
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6. Pre-Admission Assessment:Utilizing a pre-admission assessment tool to identify potential veteran residents and their needs.
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7. Review and Improvement:Completing a one-year review to demonstrate ongoing commitment to veteran residents and identify areas for improvement.
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8. Armed Forces Covenant:Acknowledging and supporting the Armed Forces Covenant, which recognizes the commitment of the armed forces community.
The VFF provides resources and guidance to help care homes meet these standards, including training materials, assessment templates, and a directory of veteran-specific services. The program is free to access and is funded by the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust and other organizations.
The VFF Team provides easy-to-use resources and guidance to help care home teams attain VFF status, including:
- The support of a dedicated Project Officer
- Pre-admission assessment template to support the identification of future veteran residents
- Care-planning template to allow understanding of service life and what matters most to your resident
- Staff training resources, including videos, posters, and e-learning
- Directory of services to support with connections to Armed Forces charities and statutory organisations
Together we will achieve
Acknowledge our Armed Forces community and understand the impact of their service life and lived experiences.
Celebrate our achievements with pride, admiration and respect for our residents and staff.
Honour our commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant and our responsibilities as employers to offer opportunities to our AF community.
Integrate our residents and staff effectively into our local and regional AF community, building our connections upon the foundations we have made.
Embrace our improvements and encourage our teams to move forward confidently with their ideas and innovations.
Value our residents and staff, recognising their service and commitment to our nation.
Encourage other homes to engage with the programme, offering our support, guidance and experience to help them become part of the VFF family.
Undertaking the Framework evidences a home’s acknowledgement of the Armed Forces Covenant, their commitment to the recognition of service life, and support for residents and staff to access veteran-specific services.
Once successfully completed, the Team will work with homes to complete a one-year review that demonstrates their ongoing commitment to the veteran residents in their care.
The VFF is a free-to-access programme funded by Royal Star & Garter, the Armed Forces Covenant and the Royal British Legion.