Resources for Armed Forces and Veterans

Veterans Welfare Service provides a life-long professional help and advice service to veterans or anyone supporting a veteran, their families and dependants. They can help by providing advice and support:

• through either telephone contact or, if needed, during a home visit
• with the transition from service to civilian life
• to bereaved families
• if there are changes in disablement
• with any life event that needs welfare assistance
• with any forms and help completing them if needed

Defence Transition Services provide information and support for a period of up to two years after discharge, to those service leavers and their families who are the most likely to face challenges as they leave the Armed Forces and adjust to civilian life. They can give guidance and facilitate access to support for:

• mental health
• physical health
• drugs and alcohol misuse
• training, education and employment
• housing, accommodation and relocation
• finance, debt and benefits
• children, family and relationships

email DBSVets-DTS-Central@mod.gov.uk

Visit the self-referral process and third-party referrals pages at Gov.uk

See help for service leavers from Defence Transition Services at Gov.uk

See help and support when a service person or veteran dies - from Gov.uk

Careers Transition Partnership (CTP) provide resettlement services for those leaving the Royal Navy, Army, Royal Air Force and Royal Marines. 

The Military Liaison Group (Education) supports service and veteran families as well as schools across Highland when accessing education. 

The Housing and Homelessness teams support service leavers and veterans access housing across Highland:

• Homelessness
• Armed Forces Housing Options
• Other Housing Options
• Apply for a house

See an overview of support available to service personnel and their families, and veterans and their families, across Argyll and Bute.

Veterans Assist Scotland provides an overview of all the support and contact details for all the organisations that work alongside the Armed Forces and Veterans community.

Forces Connect - select your region to find local and national organisations offering assistance across a wide range of services.

• Poppyscotland
• Royal British Legion Scotland
• Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association
• Fighting with Pride - support to LGBT+

• Merchant Navy Association
• Merchant Navy Welfare Board
• Seafarers Advice & Information Line

• Help for Heroes
• Walking with the Wounded
• Operation Cairngorms

• Battling The Odds - support for those struggling with a gambling addiction
• Breathing Space
• Combat Stress
• Icarus
• Mikeysline
• Rock2Recovery
• See Me
• SMART Veterans Programme - SMART Recovery provide support for those struggling with addiction. They can offer veteran-specific, female veteran-specific or family and friends-specific support, both in-person and online. 
• Waterloo Uncovered

• Blesma - limb loss
• RNID - national hearing loss charity 
• Sight Scotland - sight loss
• Pain Association - pain management
• Thistle - long-term health conditions

• Breakfast Club
• Mens' Sheds
• Models For Heroes
• Royal British Legion Scotland - befriending, comradeship and finding practical support 
• Think Health Think Nature
• Unforgotten Forces - supporting the health and wellbeing of veterans over 60 in Scotland
• Veterans Chaplaincy Scotland - befriending and comradeship for veterans of faith

• Army Families Federation
• Navy Families Federation
• RAF Families Federation
• Beyond The Wire - support to bereaved families
• Forces Children Scotland
• Naval Childrens Charity
• Scotty’s Little Soldiers - support to bereaved service children
• The Ripple Pond - support to families supporting AF&V, who are living with a physical injury or mental illness

• Bravehound
• Horseback UK

Forces Children's Education provides service families with an introduction to the Scottish education system and an understanding of the education resources available.

Forces Employment Charity (formerly RFEA) is a charity that provides life-long support, job opportunities, and training to Service leavers, veterans, reservists and their families.

Forces Families Jobs provides a central portal for employment and training opportunities for military spouses and family members.

Op NOVA - Forces Employment Charity provides support for veterans who are in contact with the justice system - this support is also available in Scotland.

Officers' Association Scotland - supporting officers and their families across Scotland for the last 105 years.

Prevent Suicide Highland app

With advice on transition, finding connections and moving forward.

• Samaritans Veterans on the App Store (apple.com)
• Samaritans Veterans – Apps on Google Play

Feel better and save money by drinking less alcohol.

• DrinksRation on the App Store (apple.com)
• DrinksRation – Apps on Google Play

Get connected and find contact details for local services across the Highland and Argyll & Bute area.

• Forces Connect on the App Store (apple.com)
• Forces Connect – Apps on Google Play