It's weekly round up time

SPVA staff in action

So last weekend, SPVA had a stand at the 'Who Do You Think You Are - Live' exhibition.  It was a great event to attend, where we could raise awareness of our relevant services to the audience of historians, amateur geologists, etc.   We spoke to over 1,000 people over the weekend (and that's not counting people visiting the stand and taking away our information).  We even had a celebrity visitor - Tony Robinson from the Time Team!

Getting ready for another busy exhibition day

On Twitter, we now have over 800 followers, so we want to say thank you to our followers for supporting us and sharing our tweets.  If you use Twitter, then don't forget to follow us.

The Facebook timeline roll-out has reached the official SPVA Facebook page and we think it looks rather good.   With our current number of followers (or should that be 'likers'), we have the potential to reach over 200,000 people, which is an amazing concept from a communications point of view.  This doesn't mean that we don't want or need more followers, so please like our page or share our links.

Our customer satisfaction survey closed, over 2,000 people completing the survey online, so thank you for taking part.

We are adding more updates to our Charity Hub and events calendar.  If you are planning an event or work for a charity, that supports veterans, then make sure you submit details for consideration.

Visit our Veterans Community News page and find out which regional service for the Armed Forces Community received royal approval this week.

One final note, our website received ABC accreditation this week, after being audited based on our January 2012 statistics, where we had over 60,000 visits to our site.

We are currently developing our next videocast and podcast to be released over the next few months. So in the meantime, take a look at our YouTube channel or visit our podcast library to look or listen to our archives.

Have a good weekend!

The SPVA Survey is closing soon

There's still time to take part in the SPVA Customer Satisfaction Survey, that can be completed online.   The survey closes at the end of February, so please take the opportunity to make your opinions known.

It only takes 10 to 15 minutes to complete and over 1,600 people have completed the online survey, so why don't you take part today.

Where will you be this weekend?

The SPVA stand can be found in the National Hall, to the right of the main 'Ancestry Academy Stage'

Well, SPVA will be in London this weekend, attending the Who Do You Think You Are Live exhibition.  The event being held at London Olympia from the 24 to 26 February.

The SPVA stand will be manned by staff from the MOD Medals Office and our Historical Casualty Work Team,  you can also find out about our work on Aircraft Archaeology licensing and speak to staff from our Veterans Support.  We'll be able to give advice on entitlement to medals, you can talk to our 'war detectives' who try to identify the remains of First and Second World War casualties which are still being discovered on battlefields today and if you are a veteran, then we can tell you all about the services we provide for the Armed Forces Community.

If you've an interest in genealogy, then this might be an event for you.  And, if you decide to come to the event, then make sure you pop by our stand and say hello.

Please note: there is an admission charge for this event. 

SPVA news round up

There are a number of items on our website that are likely to be of interest to the Armed Forces Community, so I thought I might point out a few for you to look at over the weekend.

Our survey said . . . over 3,000 people have taken part in our Customer Satisfaction Survey, which closes in a couple of weeks.  It only takes 10 to 15 minutes to complete online, so please consider taking part.

We launched our Charity Hub a couple of weeks ago, it's a work in progress with new charities being researched and added.  It's there for you to get information on charities and organisations that are supporting the Armed Forces Community.  If you work for a charity supporting veterans, then consider contacting us to add your details to the Hub.

Have you taken a look at our online Events Calendar?  We've added some new events recently and the aim of the calendar is to raise awareness of events across the UK.  There might be an event being held in your local area, so it's worth taking a look.  The calendar is free and simple to use, so if you are organising an event, then consider adding your details to the calendar.

If you are a veteran, then our online Veterans Community webpages could have news that you'd like to know; whether its an appeal from an ex-Service charity for volunteers or the chance to tell your story in a TV documentary.

I also found out this week, that over 800,000 HM Armed Forces Veterans Lapel Badges have been issued to date.  So, I thought our Veterans Today video on the badge might provide you with some further information.  If you haven't got your badge yet, don't forget to apply.

Have a great weekend!

Still a chance to have your say

Our Customer Satisfaction Survey closes at the end of February.  so there's still time to take part.  It's an opportunity to have your say on SPVA and our services available to the Armed Forces Community.

The survey is available online 

Over 3,200 people have taken part so far, with over 1,600 surveys completed online.

It only takes 10 to 15 minutes to complete, so consider putting the survey on your 'To Do' list today.

Join our hub

You can also access the hub direct on your Smart phone by using the QR code below

We  launched our new Charity Hub which provides detailed information on charities and other organisations that provide support to the Armed Forces community.

With an increasing number of visitors to our  website each month, we’re hoping the hub will be a valuable tool for both ex-Service personnel and their families and all the organisations supporting them.

Scan to get straight to the Charity Hub

The pages provide comprehensive, at a glance pages utilising existing valuable contacts and incorporating many new ones too.

Any charities or organisations, supporting veterans, who want to sign up to the hub,  please express interest by dropping us an email.

Presentation of Afghanistan Medals

Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall presenting an Afghanistan campaign medal to Able Seaman Michelle Ping, winner of 'Best Reservist' at last year's Sun Military Awards
[Picture: LA(Phot) Simmo Simpson, Crown Copyright/MOD 2012]

The Duchess of Cornwall, Commodore-in-Chief of the Royal Naval Medical Services, presented Afghanistan medals to more than 200 men and women from all three Services at a parade on Friday at HMS Excellent in Portsmouth.

By far the greatest number of personnel came from the Royal Navy, which led the joint medical support for Operation HERRICK 14.

Some of the men and women on parade were receiving a medal for their first tour of duty, others had already completed several tours.

The MOD Medals Office is part of the services that the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency provides for the Armed Forces Community.  If you want to know more about this work, then take a look at our Veterans Today video below.

Get your smart phones ready

Here at SPVA, we're looking at ways people search for information and we're also embracing digital and social media so we can share our information in different ways. 

So, for those of you lucky enough to have a Smart Phone, here's a SPVA QR code to scan that will take you directly to our website.

We'd be interested to know if you use QR codes to find information, so post a comment and let us know.

SPVA is getting more sociable

We launched our Facebook page today.  The page will complement our existing social media work on Twitter,  podcasts and videos, which can be found on our Social Media Hub.

If you use Facebook as a way of finding or sharing information then your help in raising awareness of our Facebook page would be greatly appreciated. Simply visit our page today and click on the share button on the left hand side of the page.

Make Your Opinion Count

The Veterans' Customer Satisfaction Survey is available to complete up until the end of February

The Veteran's Customer Satisfaction Survey was launched online today, 9 January, and if you are part of the veteran's community we urge you to have your say.

SPVA provides pay, pension and support services to both Military Personnel and the Veteran's Community, directly serving around 900,000 members of the Armed Forces Community.

The survey is based around the services provided to veterans, with emphasis on; how they contact us and how we correspond; making a claim; the Veteran's Welfare Service and how information about SPVA is obtained.

Over 3,000 people took part in the 2011 survey and this kind of feedback is extremely useful to establish what is important to the individuals that use our services.

Jon Parkin, Head of SPVA Veterans Services, recording the podcast

As Jon Parkin, Head of SPVA Veterans Services said in his recent podcast interview;

"...the survey is not just here to give us a pat on the back. We want and need to know the bad as well as the good about the services received. The only way we can do this is by getting feedback from our customers."

The survey is entirely anonymous and no-one will be contacted by phone or sent mailings as a result of completing it.

The survey can be accessed here, the survey will close on 29 February 2012.

Get ready for the 2012 Veterans' Survey

Next week, SPVA will be launching the Veterans' Customer Satisfaction Survey that can be completed online.

In our first podcast of 2012, SPVA presenter Joanne Lowe interviews Jon Parkin, Head of SPVA Veterans Services, about the survey.

If you want to know how you can get involved, then take a listen.  The podcast can be downloaded straight from our website or via iTunes.

Our latest video now online

We've just released our latest 'Veterans Today' video.

In this, our sixth video, SPVA presenter Don Goldie looks at the history of the Veterans Welfare Service. Established nearly a century ago, the service continues to support the veterans community today.

Join the Hub

If you support veterans...listen to our podcast and get in on the Charity Hub

You may have seen our earlier blog post about the development of a new Charity Hub on our website. Our latest podcast features an interview with Karen Awere from the External Communications Team talking about the Hub.

Karen said:

"Our website has an average of 50,000 visitors per month so this should give you an idea of how many people could find out about your services and how you support veterans."

Clare Ellis interviews Karen Awere in the studio

 

It's not too late to get involved if you are a charity and think your details need to be on the Hub find further information here.

The podcast and other SPVA social media products are available to access on the SPVA Social Media Hub via the Veterans-UK website and on various social media sites such as iTunes and YouTube.

StartHere . . . again!

StartHere provides online signposting for help and support

Our second podcast about the online information service is now available,

If you don't know where to go . . . then you should start here

In this second podcast, presenter Clare Ellis interviews Harvey Tilley, Assistant Director - Welfare Services from The Royal British Legion.

The Royal British Legion is one of the partner organisations working with StartHere

Harvey said:


“Helping our beneficiaries find and locate information to help them help themselves is key to our long term strategy. StartHere provides quality, trusted information that is not easily available anywhere else and it is very easy to use. The Royal British Legion has received extremely positive feedback on StartHere and we aim to build on this as part of our new strategy.”  

The podcast and other SPVA products are available to access on the SPVA Social Media Hub via our website and on various social media sites such as iTunes and YouTube.

Do you support veterans?



Communications Team members working on the Charity Hub

If you work for a charity or organisation providing support and advice to veterans then you may be interested in a new page that's being developed on our website.

Some of my colleagues on the Communications Team are working on a new charity hub that will be housed on our website and is part of our commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant.

The charity hub pages will hold a greater amount of detail, than before, and is designed to assist you, if either YOU need help or you're helping someone else.
This is where we need your help... If you work for an organisation, charity or service that can or does provide support to veterans, in either the community or voluntary sector, then please send us your details so we can add you to our hub.

Our website has on average 40,000 to 50,000 visitors per month. Just think of how many people could find out about your services and how you support the Armed Forces Community.

And it doesn't end here... if you, indeed, just know of a service that veterans could benefit from, then we also would like to hear from you, please just drop us an email and we will endeavour to contact the service provider for more details. We need the following details:

• Logo
• Title
• Background
• What kind of help and advice can I get?
• Who can get the help and advice?
• Contact us
• Image (Optional)

We hope this new hub will allow services to reach more of the Armed Forces Community, so they know of the valuable and vast amount of help that is available to them.

If you don't know where to start...StartHere!

Our latest podcasts focus on this online information service.
 
StartHere is an online information service where you can search for information on help and support services that are available locally or on a national basis.

A number of organisations, including SPVA, have been working with the StartHere charity to provide specific guidance for the Armed Forces Community.

Spanning two podcasts; the first podcast is now available. It features presenter Joanne Lowe interviewing Jane Gammage, Community Partnerships Manager from StartHere, as she explains more about this innovative service.

Jane said:

"Providing access to reliable information about the services available to them is a crucial step to help people get the support to really make a difference to their lives. This is what StartHere is all about and we are really pleased to be able to make that difference to members of the Armed Forces Community. After listening to the podcast, take a look at StartHere".

The second podcast will be released next week and features presenter Clare Ellis speaking to Harvey Tilley, Assistant Director - Welfare Services for the Royal British Legion to find out about their involvement.

The podcast and other SPVA social media products are available to access on the SPVA Social Media Hub via the Veterans-UK website, and on various social media sites such as iTunes and YouTube.

A sense of community

Have you ever visited the ‘Veterans Community’ area of our website?

Here you can find information on a variety of topics affecting veterans and their families.You can also keep up to date with the latest news on veterans issues, access discounts and special offers from lots of different organisations or find out about the social side of the veterans community with information on Armed Forces Day, veterans events across the UK, tracing comrades and even how to appear on TV. 

On a more poignant note, our ‘Remembrance’section host details on the important ways in which the country remembers those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. 

So, why not find out more and take a look today.

If you have some information you want to share with the veterans community then send it to us for consideration.

Find out why you need to stay safe online

Think before you . . .  

How an MOD campaign is helping the Armed Forces Community stay safe online . . .

With Twitter users sending 200 million tweets per day and over 700 billion minutes per month spent on Facebook, Social Media tools have become the quickest way to share information across the world.  But who are you sharing information with?

If you use social media as a way to stay in touch, then the online guidance produced for the MOD’s Online Security Awareness Campaign – Think before you share . . . – may be useful for you to enjoy the benefits of sharing information while staying safe online.

In our  latest podcast, SPVA presenter Joanne Lowe interviews Pippa Norris from the Directorate Media and Communications to find out more about the campaign.

Pippa said:

“Our campaign is for all the Armed Forces Community. We want people to enjoy using social networks but we also want to ensure they have all the information to protect themself online.  The information would benefit any member of the Armed Forces Community, so please take a listen to the podcast today”

Laurie Manton, SPVA Spokesman said:

“As part of the MOD, we at SPVA have a responsibility to raise awareness of the guidance so that wider awareness can be spread among members of the Armed Forces Community.  Our own staff use social media as a way to raise awareness of our services, so we have found the guidance useful and it will help us stay safe online too.” 

The podcast and other SPVA social media products are available to access on the SPVA Social Media Hub via the Veterans-UK website, www.veterans-uk.info , and on various social media sites such as iTunes and YouTube.

Build up to Armed Forces Day continues . . .

Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, pictured with veterans of the Armed Forces who now work within the Palace of Westminster [Picture: Sergeant Andy Malthouse, Crown Copyright/MOD 2011]

More events are being celebrated in the lead up to Armed Forces Day this weekend.

An exhibition of photographs provided by veterans working in the House of Commons - 'Standing Next to You' - was opened yesterday by John Bercow, Speaker of the House of Commons.

The exhibition features past and present photographs of veterans alongside their remarkable stories. It was the idea of Madeleine Moon MP who wanted to highlight the fact that people who have served are all around us, and show support for Armed Forces Day.

Over twenty veterans volunteered for the exhibition from all departments and sides of the House and representing all three Services. They include Members of Parliament, Police Constables, doorkeepers and security officers. These individuals have retained the ethos they gained during their time in the Armed Forces, which remains relevant to the jobs they do today.

Many of the volunteers who contributed their stories and photographs for the exhibition attended the exhibition launch and Mr Bercow presented eight of them with Veterans Badges.

To promote recognition of veterans by the wider British public, the unique and unifying symbol of the HM Armed Forces Veterans Badge is available to all those who have served in HM Armed Forces.

The HM Armed Forces Veterans’ Lapel Badge was launched in May 2004 by the then Minister for Veterans, to raise the profile of veterans by assisting the wider public to recognise them. Our videocast provides more information on the badge.



Information on how to apply for a Veterans Badge can be found here.

Business as usual for SPVA

From 16 June, SPVA has ceased to be an executive Agency of the Minstry of Defence in a move, requested by the Agency, and agreed by Minister (DPWV).

There's no change to our name or the services we deliver.  The change in status will support the cross-government of public spending and reduced costs incurred by having Agency status. 


Our Deputy Chief Executive, Cdre Ross Albon explained: “This has not been an easy decision.  We looked long and hard but decided that in the current financial climate, we had to prioritise funds on maintaining and improving the services we deliver to our customers, rather than on ourselves. The important thing is that we will still be delivering our essential and high quality services to our customers. It is a case of ‘Business as Usual’ for SPVA."

"The important thing is that we will still be delivering our essential and high quality services to our customers."

Although no longer an Executive Agency of the Ministry of Defence, SPVA will keep its identity and logo which helps maintain its association with ex-Service charities and organisations. This will avoid the unnecessary expenditure associated with re-branding.

SPVA will remain a distinct business unit and continue to be known as the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency from a customer perspective and report, as before, to DCDS(Pers & Trg) in the MOD.

Cdre Albon said it was important to remember that:

• SPVA does really important work in support of serving Personnel and Veterans, maintains good business results and has a reputation for delivering against targets.

• All of its key functions – JPA system, Forces HR, Pensions, AFCS, JCCC, Medals Office and Veterans Welfare will remain within SPVA

• SPVA retains full responsibility for delivering the ‘Boyce’ Armed Forces Compensation Scheme changes.

• SPVA has achieved huge success in meeting its key targets and improving customer service. This puts its in a much better place to move forward.

• SPVA delivers many vital services for the Armed Forces and Veterans Communities – these still need to be delivered in the future

• The work we all do is valued – our customers say so in surveys and we have won several awards from respected institutions.

• SPVA has a culture of providing an ‘excellent customer service’ – that won’t change.