Grant News

The UK government has announced a new £200,000 fund to improve clinical support for women veterans who have suffered sexual trauma in the military.

The funding will support the rollout of dedicated training and guidance for frontline staff within the UK healthcare and charity sector.

The grant was introduced in response to the findings of three reports commissioned by the Office for Veterans’ Affairs that give recommendations to service providers on how quality of and access to support can be improved.

The recommendations for policymakers, service providers and researchers include:

• providing staff training across statutory and charity services which focuses on female veterans’ needs, including mental health and sexual trauma
• increasing partnerships between service and non-military charities to share best practice and provide more appropriate care for female veterans
• improving signposting to support through marketing, newsletters, online directories or peer networks
• gathering gendered data across government and charities to ensure more equitable access to support and better outcomes
• further researching the experiences and needs of female veterans to improve access to support, including transitioning from service, personal finance, housing, employment and healthcare

Findings will form part of the government’s first Women Veterans’ Strategy, due to be published in spring 2024.