By Louise Martin, Director
At Onions & Davies we continue to advocate our support for the military community, including veterans, reservists, and military families, by encouraging other organisations, suppliers, clients and contacts to sign up to the Armed Forces Covenant (AFC) in support of the Armed Forces.
The AFC is a promise by the nation, ensuring that those who serve, or have served, and their families, are treated fairly.
Its key principles are that the Armed Forces community (Veterans, Service Leavers, Reservists, Cadet Force Adult Volunteers and military spouses/families) should be treated fairly in the provision of public and commercial services, and that special consideration is appropriate in some cases, especially for those who have given the most, such as the injured and the bereaved.
Signing the Armed Forces Covenant allows an organisation to publicly set out their intention to work with the Armed Forces community, through individual pledges of support.
We gave our pledge to the Armed Forces Covenant in 2016, since which time we have gone on to achieve Gold status in the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme.
Part of our pledge is to offer a discount on selected legal and family mediation services we offer at our solicitors’ office in Market Drayton.
The benefits to businesses and employers of supporting the Armed Forces community in this way are plentiful, and we are on hand to help any local business thinking of signing up.
We have experience and knowledge of the process and the possibilities.
If you would like any further information regarding the Armed Forces Covenant or want to discuss signing the covenant in more detail, please contact our offices on 01630 652405 and leave a message with Louise or Simeon.
Steps for Signing the Armed Forces Covenant
Signing the Armed Forces Covenant is simple, and the process is very straightforward.
The steps are as follows:
- Download the Armed Forces Covenant template document by clicking here (or email wm-reed@rfca.mod.uk for a copy).
- Edit section 2 of the template document to outline your own commitments to the Armed Forces Community. All the pledges can be changed to your own areas of interest and what you wish to commit to. If you need some help with your company’s commitments, please don’t hesitate to call us.
- Add your company name, appointment, and logo to page one of the Covenant pledge.
- A senior representative of the company should sign page one.
- Scan and email the complete document to the Armed Forces Covenant team (AFCovenant@rfca.mod.uk). Please also supply your head office address and registered company number.
- Defence Relationship Management Head Office will register your Covenant, and reply with an Armed Forces Covenant logo and T&Cs for its use. Your Armed Forces Covenant pledge will be uploaded onto the website.