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The Female Veterans’ Transformation Programme
The Female Veterans’ Transformation Programme (FVTP) is seeking the views and experiences of women veterans and the service providers, employers and charities who work with them to help with its research.
Members of these groups are being asked to complete an online questionnaire and consider registering for upcoming focus groups. The FVTP is referring to this activity as its co-production phase, and the information gathered will be used to improve support and services for women veterans across the UK.
The FVTP was launched on International Women’s Day this year with the aim of improving visibility and support for Servicewomen and women veterans by delivering long-term, systemic change within veteran-facing organisations.
Women don’t often access veteran services as they are seen to be male-dominated, and unable to address the complex issues that many women face as a result of their Service. Many women don’t identify with the term “veteran” at all, and the experiences and needs of women veterans remains an under researched area.
The evidence that does exist shows that a significant percentage of women have faced bullying, discrimination, harassment or sexually inappropriate behaviours, including assault and rape, during Service. 85 per cent of women veterans felt they were treated differently to their male counterparts, and 73 per cent reported witnessing or experiencing sexual discrimination.1
The FVTP is focused on improving support for women veterans across all services, not just veteran-specific organisations. It aims to raise awareness and educate professionals in areas such as health and social care, leisure services, and among employability services and employers. While the Programme seeks to identify areas for change and improvement, it also aims to highlight good practice and celebrate what is currently working well so that positive initiatives and services can be adopted more widely.
In my Anything But Uniform report, launched in January this year, I aimed to spotlight the less heard voices of Scotland’s veteran community, including women veterans. Through meetings and engagements with over 70 women veterans, it was repeatedly demonstrated that a significant proportion of women feel “invisible” in the veterans community, and that services fail to use inclusive imagery and language, nor do they offer services that reflect the unique needs of this community. Disappointingly, the stereotyping and discriminatory behaviour experienced by women during Service was also experienced by some when trying to access support and services.
Combining insight from this work with a comprehensive review of existing evidence and research, my findings reinforced the need for more inclusive and gender-sensitive support.
I am hugely supportive of the FVTP and its work to address this, and am particularly focused on ensuring that women veterans in Scotland feed into the co-production phase so that their voices are heard and reflected in outcomes.
If you are a woman veteran, or if you represent a service, charity or organisation that works with women veterans, please ensure you complete the online questionnaire and register to take part in the focus groups if interested.
You can get more information at the FVTP website at fvtp.org.uk.
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