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DEFENCE NEWS AUDIT ARTICLE
17/01/2008
During 2007 the National Audit Office conducted an audit of resettlement from the Services. This went rather well, as the news item below from the MOD website details.
Click on the links below to view the article on the defence news site, the CTP case studies that were also in the article and the complete National Audit Report on leaving the services.
Forces' resettlement package praised by independent report
In a report published, Friday 27 July 2007, the National Audit Office has praised the Ministry of Defence for the resettlement support given to those leaving the Armed Forces.
The independent report, titled 'Leaving the Services', looked at the wide range of support given to personnel to help them return to civilian life. The report said the MOD is at the forefront of best international practice in providing tailored, professional resettlement help and found the services were of good quality, particularly in respect of preparing service leavers for new careers.
The report showed that 94% of service leavers seeking employment through the Career Transition Programme (CTP) found work within six months.
All service personnel receive some resettlement help. The extent of help given is determined by time served regardless of rank, and those who are medically discharged are entitled to the highest level of support available regardless of their length of service.
The report acknowledged that most people adapt to civilian life easily and comfortably. A small minority, however, have a more difficult time finding employment, housing or making the social transition. The report acknowledges the work the MOD is doing to provide further support for those that need it and its recommendations will help improve the support currently available from the MOD.
The NAO report also noted that the percentage of London's homeless population who have served in the Armed Forces 'reduced significantly' from an estimated 25% in 1999 to approximately 6% in 2006. This reduction followed joint work by the Ministry of Defence and the Department for Communities and Local Government.
Under-Secretary of State for Defence, Derek Twigg, said:
"I am delighted that the National Audit Office has recognised the excellent resettlement package provided for service leavers. The MOD goes to huge lengths to make the transition to civilian life as smooth and as stress free as possible.
"Our personnel gain many valuable transferable skills during their time in the Armed Forces, and the resettlement package helps them capitalise on these in securing employment after discharge. I think the success statistics speak for themselves. That said, we are not complacent. We are constantly seeking to improve the support for those leaving the Armed Forces. The comments by the NAO are very constructive and we are in the process of considering their recommendations."