SECTION 1
The role of WRVS Services Welfare
WRVS Services Welfare retain their civilian
status whilst being part of the Commanding Officer's welfare team
in the sponsoring unit. Services Welfare Officers (henceforth
SWOs) assist the Commanding Officer in maintaining morale by providing
emotional and practical support to Single Services Personnel.
This is achieved by the provision and running of recreational
clubs, normally situated in the NAAFI area (historical). The clubs
provide a non-alcoholic environment for recruits and offer the
following facilities:
— A room for confidential meetings.
— An area for snooker, table tennis
etc.
— A TV room (with large screen in better
equipped clubs) with VHS, DVD and playstations.
— Internet access is increasing but
remains dependent upon space/equipment and funding.
It is considered highly desirable to provide
as many of the above facilities, in order to maximise on the number
of recruits using the club. This then increases the opportunity
for the SWO to identify any personal problems which may have gone
unnoticed had they not visited the facility.
In addition to running leisure/recreational
facilities, SWOs assist with a variety of other issues. Importantly,
the SWO acts as a signpost for referrals to other welfare agencies
and the CO. For example, when soldiers are being posted between
units, the SWO will refer them to HIVE (who provide general information
service for families and single soldiers) to collect the applicable
Station Handbook, which will aid the recruit in settling into
their new posting.
The SWO makes welfare visits off camp as appropriate;
to provide personal items (such as toiletries) for the soldiers
confined to camp in the early part of their training. SWOs also
make home/hospital/MRS (medical centre) visits as well as to any
military prisoners who are being detained in the Guardroom. These
visits allow the soldier to raise any issues he/she may not want
to discuss with individuals within these areas.
SWOs sometimes accompany recruits in Phase One
training to attend familiarisation visits to their Phase Two Training
Units. These visits ensure that the soldier who will be moving
to a Phase Two training establishment will have a better understanding
of the environment.
As part of the CO's welfare team, SWOs work
closely with the Chaplaincy on such issues as bereavement counselling
and the referral of high-level welfare cases. The SWO attends
regular welfare meetings (formal & informal) with the Chain
of Command and other welfare agencies. WRVS Services Welfare is
fully supported by the Commanding Officer and their training staff
and are therefore comfortable in the knowledge that they can access
the CO at any time if necessary.
All ATRs Phase One & Two (by the end of
2004) will have a minimum of two SWOs. The last 12 months have
already seen nine additional SWOs recruited for training establishments.
This will enable the facility and the SWO to be available on a
seven-day basis.
The SWOs role is bi-functional. The initial
function is the provision of leisure facilities, which allows
direct access to recruits. The second aspect is in the development
of relationships with recruits, encouraging them to discuss any
problems.
It is important to note that this is a confidential
service. To enable a solution to be found, it may be necessary
to seek permission from the recruit for the SWO to discuss the
problem with another party (usually the chain of command) in order
to move the issue forward.
Three types of welfare support are available:
1. Direct welfare support. This involves
discussing problems with recruits and offering practical advice
and support.
2. Indirect welfare support. This
involves identifying recruits with potential problems, eg a recruit
who is always alone with no apparent friends. The SWO would carefully
monitor this situation to assess whether the recruit is naturally
quiet but happy, or whether a potential problem exists.
3. Welfare referrals. WRVS Services
Welfare supports the over-arching welfare system of the Chain
of Command. Referrals are made from a variety of channels where
a problem has been recognised but is not forthcoming from the
recruit. Referrals are predominantly from the Chain of Command.
The SWO is responsible for judging the level
of support required to assist with the problem.
1. Low-level welfare issues—For
example, homesickness is a common issue and it is often found
that recruits who have never been away from home for long periods
underestimate the effect this will have on them. The SWO will
support the soldier through this, therefore releasing the Chain
of Command to deal with more pertinent issues.
2. Medium-level issues—An example
of this could be that while recruits are carrying out their training,
they may receive a telephone call from their partner/girl/boyfriend,
ending their relationship. It is important that the training staff
are made aware of this.
3. High-level issues—For example,
the threat of self-harm would result in immediate action being
taken, whereby the SWO would ensure the recruit remains with them
until contact has successfully been made with the duty officer.
A team approach is then activated to ensure the appropriate individuals
can deal with the well being of the recruit.
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