By listening to the experiences of veterans and engaging with the public, private and voluntary organisations that represent them, I can make recommendations and observations that aim to help improve the support available to our veterans. Previous reports published by my office can be found here.

Download Community and Relationships: Anything but Uniform
Community and Relationships: Anything but Uniform

The purpose of this report is to reflect the experiences of the wider veteran community, seek to understand how well served all veterans and their families are by existing services, capture observations and findings, and make outcome focused recommendations to the Scottish Government to support continuous improvement for veterans and their families.

January 2024

Categories: Reports

Download Positive Futures: Getting Transition Right in Scotland – Health and Wellbeing
Positive Futures: Getting Transition Right in Scotland – Health and Wellbeing

Where health and wellbeing is concerned, too many still struggle to adapt and find it difficult to access and navigate health care in a less familiar civilian world that they may not have been a part of for some time. We know that can contribute to other problems, either soon after leaving or in later years and it can affect a whole family.

March 2022

Categories: Reports

Tags: Health

Download Positive Futures: Getting Transition Right in Scotland – Housing: Making a Home in Civilian Society
Positive Futures: Getting Transition Right in Scotland – Housing: Making a Home in Civilian Society

We have seen an improvement across many aspects of transition in recent years – including housing, which presents some unique challenges – but we are still not getting it right for everyone. We need to act now to build on improvements, especially for those vulnerable to a failed transition, who risk entering a cycle of homelessness and the knock-on effects of that. For most that’s entirely preventable.

June 2021

Categories: Reports

Tags: Housing Transition

Download Positive Futures: Getting Transition Right in Scotland – Employment, Skills and Learning
Positive Futures: Getting Transition Right in Scotland – Employment, Skills and Learning

This report focuses specifically on the areas of employment, skills and learning. It makes suggestions and broad outcomes-based recommendations to the Scottish Government and others, for improvements aimed at getting transition right to benefit the individual and their family as they transition and become veterans, living and working in Scotland.

December 2020

Categories: Reports

Tags: Employment Transition

Download Positive Futures: Getting Transition Right in Scotland
Positive Futures: Getting Transition Right in Scotland

Getting the right support or advice to the right person at the right time is a real challenge. Transition can be particularly harshly felt when so many aspects of an individual’s life change at the same time.

November 2019

Categories: Reports

Tags: Transition

Download Veterans Health & Wellbeing: A Distinctive Scottish Approach
Veterans Health & Wellbeing: A Distinctive Scottish Approach

Our assessment of where things currently stand and what the future might hold can be found throughout this report, alongside findings and recommendations aimed at the Scottish Government, NHS Scotland and their partners.

April 2018

Categories: Reports

Tags: Health

Download Veterans’ Health & Wellbeing in Scotland – Are We Getting it Right?
Veterans’ Health & Wellbeing in Scotland – Are We Getting it Right?

Are the needs of our veterans population properly understood and considered by those who work in health and social care? Do veterans face any disadvantages when accessing health and social care provision? Does the health system properly fulfil our obligations to those veterans with the most severe and enduring illnesses and injuries acquired as a result of their military service? Are the health outcomes of our veterans population as good as they can be?

August 2017

Categories: Reports

Tags: Health

Download The Veterans Community – Employability, Skills and Learning
The Veterans Community – Employability, Skills and Learning

Third report from the Scottish Veterans Commissioner advising Scottish Ministers on improving employment and learning opportunities for veterans in Scotland.

November 2016

Categories: Reports

Tags: Employment

Download Scottish Veterans Commissioner – Housing Information
Scottish Veterans Commissioner – Housing Information

Report on the Provision of Information on Housing for Service Leavers and Veterans in Scotland.

August 2015

Categories: Reports

Tags: Housing

Download Scottish Veterans Commissioner – Transition in Scotland
Scottish Veterans Commissioner – Transition in Scotland

In Scotland approximately 1800 men and women complete their military service and settle – many with their families - in our communities every year. As Scottish Veterans Commissioner, I have been asked by the Cabinet Secretary with responsibility for veterans, Keith Brown, to investigate how this diverse group prepare for, and cope with, transition using the recent studies by Lord Ashcroft, Forces in Mind Trust and others as a baseline.

March 2015

Categories: Reports

Tags: Transition

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Great to be in the gallery for the debate on support for the veterans and armed forces community in Scotland. A consensual debate highlighting the huge value contributed by our veteran community, the support available if needed, and the progress we still need to make. Always good to see Brigadier Andy Muddiman ADC and Brigadier Jody Davies MBE as well.

Click the link 'other links' in our bio to read the Scottish Government Support for the Veterans and Armed Forces Community 2024 report.
Great to be in the gallery for the debate on support for the veterans and armed forces community in Scotland. A consensual debate highlighting the huge value contributed by our veteran community, the support available if needed, and the progress we still need to make. Always good to see Brigadier Andy Muddiman ADC and Brigadier Jody Davies MBE as well. Click the link 'other links' in our bio to read the Scottish Government Support for the Veterans and Armed Forces Community 2024 report.
16 hours ago
On International Volunteer Day, I'm celebrating the remarkable contribution that the support and dedication of volunteers make to the veteran community. 

As highlighted in my Anything But Uniform report, volunteering can make a huge difference in the lives of both beneficiaries and volunteers themselves.

Ian Shiells, who volunteers with Fares4Free has shared his story to help raise awareness of volunteering.

Click the link 'other links' in our bio to read.
On International Volunteer Day, I'm celebrating the remarkable contribution that the support and dedication of volunteers make to the veteran community. As highlighted in my Anything But Uniform report, volunteering can make a huge difference in the lives of both beneficiaries and volunteers themselves. Ian Shiells, who volunteers with Fares4Free has shared his story to help raise awareness of volunteering. Click the link 'other links' in our bio to read.
1 day ago
At the @veteranshousingscotland Annual Gathering on Thursday night, we heard how the charity's focus on people and partnership has enabled it to expand services this year. 

It was a pleasure to catch up with Anna Wright, CEO of @armedforcescovfundtrust.
At the @veteranshousingscotland Annual Gathering on Thursday night, we heard how the charity's focus on people and partnership has enabled it to expand services this year. It was a pleasure to catch up with Anna Wright, CEO of @armedforcescovfundtrust.
6 days ago
Having served in the previous HMS SHEFFIELD, it was a privilege to witness the first cutting of steel for the next RN ship to bear this name. The T26 class is being built by BAE Systems at Govan, a notable employer of ex-Service personnel in Scotland with a supportive Veterans Employee Recognition Group.

I also met members of the HMS SHEFFIELD Association whose ship was so sadly lost in the Falklands conflict in 1982, and Cdr Andrew Loring RN, whose family presented this Sheffield steel valve wheel which his father had rescued from the first HMS SHEFFIELD commissioned in 1937.
Having served in the previous HMS SHEFFIELD, it was a privilege to witness the first cutting of steel for the next RN ship to bear this name. The T26 class is being built by BAE Systems at Govan, a notable employer of ex-Service personnel in Scotland with a supportive Veterans Employee Recognition Group. I also met members of the HMS SHEFFIELD Association whose ship was so sadly lost in the Falklands conflict in 1982, and Cdr Andrew Loring RN, whose family presented this Sheffield steel valve wheel which his father had rescued from the first HMS SHEFFIELD commissioned in 1937.
1 week ago
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