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<p>The Department remains committed to the Armed Forces Covenant and will do what
is necessary to help and support members of the Armed Forces Community to transition
to civilian life.</p><p> </p><p>We have recently introduced our new model for Armed
Forces Champions which comprises 50 Armed Forces Champions working alongside 11 Group
Leads at managerial level.</p><p> </p><p>It means for the first time that there is
at least one Armed Forces Champion in each Jobcentre Plus District and resources in
the new network are targeted where there are particularly high levels of demand, for
example in garrison towns, and here the Armed Forces work will form a significant
part of that done in individual Jobcentres.</p><p> </p><p>In addition to the Armed
Forces Champions roles, all 27,000 DWP Work Coaches are trained to provide veterans
and others with the help and support they need.</p><p> </p><p>We have also recently
introduced an Armed Forces “identifier” on to the Universal Credit system, giving
customers the opportunity to tell us whether they are a veteran or currently serving.
This will help us ensure that veterans and serving personnel receive any additional
support they need.</p><p> </p><p>We have a range of other support arrangements in
place for members of the Armed Forces community. For example, veterans are given early
voluntary entry to the Work and Health Programme.</p><p> </p><p>We also work alongside
the Career Transition Partnership, whose resettlement provision helps personnel leaving
the Armed Forces prepare for entering the civilian job market and to make a successful
transition to employment. The outcomes are good; 84% of veterans are employed within
6 months of discharge. These rates compare very favourably with the wider population,
where 76% are in employment.</p><p> </p><p>The Government’s preferred method is to
look at employment outcomes from within 6 months of discharge as those collected earlier
are likely to provide unfair reflections on “unplanned exits” who are only able to
receive minimal employment support prior to leaving service.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
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