HELP FOR HEROES PLACEMENTS ON TEAM
Working with wounded injured & sick (WIS) Armed Forces personnel – guidance for Delivery Partners
Version 1 – November 2013
Introduction
This is an operational guide to support Delivery Partner staff managing Wounded, Injured and Sick (WIS) placements via the Help for Heroes (H4H) Partnership on Team.
Background
In September 2010, The Trust received funding from H4H to support wounded, injured & sick (WIS) Armed Forces personnel working with The Prince’s Trust. More information can be found at the following link http://www.princes-trust.org.uk/support_us/partnerships/help_for_heroes.aspx
The role of The Prince’s Trust is to refer H4H placements and manage the funding process for relevant opportunities with Delivery Partners. The role of the Delivery Partner Manager (DPM) is to have overall responsibility for managing the delivery of the Team programme, including any placements.
The information below highlights specific actions to be taken when placing H4H placements on the Team programme.
Placement roles
Typically H4H placements will perform one of three roles on Team
è Employed Participant (EP) up to 20 days
è Assistant Team Leader (ATL) up to 16 weeks
è Team Leader (TL) up to 16 weeks
Full details of role requirements are available in the job descriptions on the DP webpage. For all roles where possible the H4H placement will be expected to attend the residential week.
DBS Checks
The Prince’s Trust’s does not require DBS (or PVG if in Scotland) checks to be undertaken for the EP role as they should not be left unsupervised with any young people. However some DPs may require EPs to undertake a DBS to comply with their internal policies. The requirement of a DBS check must be taken into account when booking an EP onto a Team to ensure there is sufficient time to process prior to the Team programme commencing. It is the DP’s responsibility to carry out any DBS checks that they require. All H4H placements undertaking a Team Leader or Assistant Team Leader role will need to complete a DBS check, even if they are a police officer. This provision is the responsibility of the DP to organise and, as a safeguarding measure, must be completed before the H4H placement can be left unsupervised with any young people.
Category of placements
H4H placements can involve military personnel who are
è still serving and receiving a salary from the Ministry of Defence. In this case they are provided on secondment free of charge to the Delivery Partner, with an option to invoice £250 as an admin fee for taking the secondee
è veterans who are no longer employed by the Ministry of Defence and therefore not receiving a salary. In this case they will either
1) become an employee of the DP on a fixed term contract with an option to invoice up to £5000 to cover salary costs
2) become a volunteer with the DP and therefore no salary is required
Prior to commencing the placement it’s important to confirm whether the individual will be a volunteer, secondee or employee with the DP.
Please note the category of the H4H placement may be subject to change – for example they may start their role as volunteer with an option to apply for an employed role with the DP at a later stage. All changes should be confirmed in writing between the individual, the DP and The Prince’s Trust.
Written agreement for all placements
An agreement/contract outlining the type of placement, scope of role, training and induction to be provided by the DP and funding arrangements needs to be completed - this should be signed by all parties prior to commencing the placement.
In the case of a secondment this should be signed between the MoD, Delivery Partner and the H4H placement. If someone is directly employed by the delivery partner a formal employment contract is required in accordance with the Delivery Partners employment and HR processes.
Support and supervision
The Prince’s Trust
The role of The Prince’s Trust is to refer H4H placements for relevant opportunities with Delivery Partners. This process is facilitated by the National H4H Partnership Manager, CVS Executive and Team Executives, who will engage with Military referral agencies and select appropriate candidates before referring to Delivery Partners.
In addition prior to referring a placement a detailed assessment will be undertaken by the National H4H Partnership Manager. This will ensure they are suitable for a placement and will enable appropriate disclosures to be made to the DP about their personal circumstances and additional medical, physical and psychological needs.
During the placement the CVS Executive and National H4H Partnership Manager will provide ongoing support and guidance in relation to WIS placements when necessary.
Delivery Partner
The Delivery Partner Manager (DPM) has overall responsibility for managing the delivery of the Team programme, including any placements. Any placement to the DP is with The Trust acting purely as a broker. The DPM must ensure that all procedures are followed as stated in the Team Programme Toolkit and on Team Online. This includes
è conducting a formal interview and selection process with each placement to ensure they’re right for the role and the opportunity is right for them
è ensuring the placement complies with the H4H placements health and wellbeing (see below)
è ensuring all paperwork including the H4H agreement and employment contract (where relevant) is completed before the placement has commenced
è Completing DBS background checks for all those in an ATL or TL role
è Providing a through induction including a health and safety briefing
è Providing all required training for their role
è Complying with the finance process as outlined in this guidance (see below)
Health & Wellbeing
WIS personnel may have physical and or physiological barriers, which may require adjustments to be made to their role, location or working hours or may mean they require additional support during their placement. In all cases the H4H Partnership Manager will advise on medical suitability for participation for any Trust programme, and ask WIS personnel to ensure they discuss individual requirements with their ‘line manager’ prior to commencing their placement e.g. if any medical intervention is needed, specific medication requirements, or persons to be informed in the event of a situation arising.
Medical clearance
All serving WIS personnel will be cleared by their Personal Recovery Officers (PRO) or line manager as to their physical and psychological suitability to engage on The Prince’s Trust programmes in any capacity. All veteran WIS personnel, will confirm medical suitability either through their GP or referral organisation (if reasonably practicable), and provide written or verbal confirmation to the H4H Partnership Manager.
Ongoing support
In some cases WIS personnel will have medical and surgical appointments that they will need to attend. The H4H Partnership Manager will ensure where possible, WIS personnel complete any appointments before commencing their placement. In rare circumstances, emergency or last minute appointments will occur and it’s important that they’re able to attend these as required
Medication
WIS personnel may be on medication for certain injuries, conditions and illnesses. In every case they will know how to administer these medications. All WIS personnel will be responsible for ensuring they have the correct medication and quantities to last throughout their placement.
In the event of a medical intervention or a situation arising
Any concerns or queries concerning an individual’s health, wellbeing or safety must be immediately reported to the H4H Partnership Manager, who will inform their Medical Officer, or PRO. In cases where medical situations develop preventing further participation on a programme, the H4H Partnership Manager will liaise with the referring organisation to ensure suitable and adequate cover is in place.
Cancellation of a Placement
Occasionally the circumstances of a participant may change and result in them having to withdraw from the placement prior to the start date. In these cases the CVS Executive must inform the DPM and/or Team Leader as soon as possible. If the cancelation is on behalf of a DP and/or Team Leader withdrawing the placement, the CVS Executive should be notified immediately.
Funding Arrangements
Help for Heroes funding only applies to individuals who left the military after 2001 due to injuries sustained during their service. The CVS Executive will advise on the funding available and category of the placement at the point of referral.
Secondments
Delivery Partners can invoice £250 as an admin fee for taking Help for Heroes secondees still serving in the Armed Forces, the invoice process is out lined below.
Volunteers
There is no funding available for volunteer roles – all costs e.g. travel expenses must be met by the Delivery Partner.
Direct employment of veterans
For these individuals, the DP will employ them and pay them in line with their own pay scales for the role they are performing. The DP can then submit an itemised invoice, with evidence of expenditure for the salary up to a maximum of £5000. They can also claim £250 admin fee for each placement.
Direct employment of veterans pre 2001
In cases where an individual left the military before 2001, the Help for Heroes Partnership Manager will work with that individual to access alternative funding from other service charities, such as Royal British Legion, The Poppy Factory and Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund. The Help for Heroes Partnership Manager will lead this process and will ensure funding is secured before the placement commences. This funding will be used to enable the DP to employ the individual and claim the salary back from The Trust, and the CVS Executive will advise on the funding available and category of the placement at the point of referral.
Category / Description / Type of placement / Financial Support / PT SupportWIS post 2001 veteran / Wounded during service and medically discharged / Employed by DP / Up to £5000 from H4H through The Trust / CVS Executive and National Help for Heroes Partnership Manager
WIS post 2001 serving / Wounded during service and still serving / Secondment to DP / Up to £250 (admin costs only) from H4H through The Trust / CVS Executive and National Help for Heroes Partnership Manager
WIS pre 2001 veteran / Wounded during service and medically discharged / Employed or Volunteer support to DP / None – unless accessed via another supporting organisation e.g. RBL, TPF, RAFBF etc / CVS Executive and National Help for Heroes Partnership Manager
Finance guidance for placements
Create an invoice
All invoices must be itemised and annotate the following:
➔ Secondees name, location, dates of placement
➔ Cost Centre AP75
➔ Project code AF191
➔ Funding code RAA2000
Request the purchase order number
Please request the purchase order number from Amanda Greenwood (National Administration Team) towards the end of the individual’s placement.
Send the invoice
Completed invoices should be sent to:
The Prince’s Trust
Finance Dept
PO Box 63375
London
NW1 W9YE
Contact
Lee Potter
National H4H Partnership Manager
The Princes Trust
18 Park Square East
NW1 4LH
Mobile 07940 725500