Introduction and Approach

The purpose of this review was to look at the advice, guidance and support provided for veterans on finance (as they return to civilian life and in the longer term), capture observations and findings, and make outcome focussed recommendations to the Scottish Government to support continuous improvement.

This includes consideration of the action aimed at ensuring veterans have sufficient financial education and awareness to be financially self-supporting and resilient, any potential inequality or disadvantage in statutory financial support, and the role and contribution of veterans who work within the financial sector.

Vision and Strategic Priorities

Vision

• A Scotland where the contributions and sacrifices made by veterans and their families are recognised and appreciated and where all veterans feel valued by society.

 Strategic Priorities

• Our veterans and their families are empowered to make informed choices to secure positive futures.
• The diversity of our veteran community is clearly recognised and valued, with support and services accessible to all.
• Policy makers and service providers will be responsive to need, collaborative in approach and aligned in their efforts to maximise impact.
• Our communities and employers better understand, value and support veterans as they integrate, contribute, and build fulfilling lives.

The strategic context is informed by four key strands.

The Armed Forces Covenant which says that those who serve in the armed forces, veterans, and their families, should face no disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public and commercial services, and that special consideration is appropriate in some cases, such as the injured and the bereaved. The Armed Forces Act 2021 saw the Armed Forces Covenant strengthened in law. This places a legal obligation on specified public bodies, including health boards and local authorities, to consider the principles of the Covenant when delivering relevant functions.

Renewing our Commitments sets out the Scottish Government ambition ‘to make Scotland the most attractive destination for Service leavers and their families, offering high living standards, great job prospects and a society that respects and values their contribution’.

The joint UK ten-year A Strategy for Our Veterans which aims, by 2028, to see that ‘every veteran feels even more valued, supported, and empowered and never disadvantaged as a result of their Service.’

The Scottish Government’s refreshed Action Plan published in August 2022, sets out a range of activity intended to respond to the changing needs of veterans and their families and make a positive impact on their lives. This includes the broad stated outcome: “Veterans leave the Armed Forces with sufficient financial education, awareness and skills to be financially self-supporting and resilient.”

This work has looked at how veterans are supported to achieve this stated outcome, heard about the experiences of these veterans and those who support them (statutory services, charities, others), identified issues and challenges as well as good practice, and considered what improvements might be required.

The UK and Scottish Veteran Strategies have a range of cross cutting factors that sit at the heart of collective efforts to support veterans and their families, and which are essential to success in developing and delivering high quality services and support. These are:

• Collaboration
• Coordination
• Data
• Perception
• Recognition

Reducing child poverty remains the top policy priority of the Scottish Government and its stated approach to eradicate it seeks to help improve the lives of low-income families by: helping people into fair, well-paid jobs; supporting people with the cost of living; and increasing awareness and uptake of social security benefits. This applies to both Serving and veteran families and their children who find themselves in financial need.

Financial wellbeing can be impacted by a range of factors including employment, health and housing. Given the reports and recommendations from previous Commissioners, this work did not investigate those themes in detail. However, given their significance there is some crossover with the areas covered in this report.

This work draws on a range of policy reports, evidence, and research publications. Some of those are referenced in the report, while others have provided helpful context and background to the key themes and issues explored.

Availability of data on the veteran population continues to expand and to improve in quality. In June 2024, the first Scottish census data output on veterans was published, followed in winter 2024 by a new tool on the Scotland’s Census website allowing the census data on various topics to be analysed for particular groups including veterans. This has deepened our knowledge of the veteran population in Scotland.

This work has been informed by engagement across a range of groups and stakeholders to gather evidence, hear about lived experiences, and understand the current landscape of services and support. That engagement has included:

• Veterans
• Career Transitions Partnership
• Veterans Welfare Service
• Veterans Scotland membership organisations
• Third sector organisations and membership organisations who support veterans in relation to finance and debt
• Local Authority Armed Forces and Veterans Champions
• Social Security Scotland
• Department for Work and Pensions
• Gambling Charities and Support Services
• Financial Sector employers and employees

Acknowledgements

My most sincere thanks go to everyone who has taken the time to share their knowledge and experiences, professional expertise, and research findings over the course of this work. I am particularly grateful to Glasgow’s Helping Heroes and Scottish Veterans Residences for hosting engagement events. I have appreciated the input from the range of Armed Forces charities, associations, societies and benevolent funds who took the time to meet with me and my team. My thanks also to: Gambling Commission, GambleAware, Centre for Military Gambling Research, ‘Battling the Odds’ programme and the RCA Trust, Armed Forces Gambling Support Network, GamCare, Barclays, NatWest Group, Tesco Bank, Virgin Money, Aberdeen Group, Social Security Scotland, Department for Work and Pensions, Public Health Scotland, Citizens Advice Scotland, Ministry of Defence.