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Who Are We?
About Turn Veteran Support projects offer information, advice,
guidance and ‘life changing’ opportunities to ex-servicemen and women who are experiencing difficulties in adjusting to a
new life as a civilian. About Turn support programmes are particularly relevant for ex-servicemen and women who are
experiencing homelessness or housing problems, are incarcerated in Prison or have involvement with the Criminal
Justice System. Many ex forces personnel have alcohol and drug dependency issues and have difficulty accessing support
in relation to mental health and/ or post-traumatic stress disorder. A large percentage of our referrals & group
membership is disenfranchised from mainstream services and lack family support. They choose to not access existing
services or are deemed inappropriate for existing provision. Often this is because of a lack of understanding in the civilian
community of the Armed forces culture, individual behaviour and mannerisms or simply that they display multiple complex
needs that overwhelm individual service deliverers. About Turn staff and volunteers seek out and ‘plug in’ colleagues to
sympathetic and appropriate services.
What we do?
About Turns ‘peer led’ support groups and structured
diversionary activities provide a much needed service that reduces social isolation and promotes community engagement with
other veterans on a daily or weekly basis. About Turn’s appropriately registered, qualified and enhanced CRB
checked staff assist individuals to navigate and access the multitude of
organizations and services available to them in the civilian community whilst
using activities and vocational skills based projects that enable veterans to
gain nationally accredited qualifications as a matter of course. The activities
and peer led support groups offer a safe environment and a chance to meet and be
with others who understand the multiple and complex issues facing individuals
that have served in today’s Modern day Armed forces. The aim of the group is to
empower and give group members the skills, experience and opportunity to
run and facilitate groups themselves and provide mutual support and mentoring to those less well settled Veterans who
have not yet reached a level of stability. About Turn’s qualified Social workers and teaching staff encourage group members to
utilize the numerous transferable and existing skills they gained whilst serving in the Armed Forces and the group projects
allow them the opportunity to ‘do good’ in the civilian community.
About us
About Turn is a
‘not for profit’ social enterprise that is legally constituted as a Community
Interest Company. It was founded by Tony Wright in late 2009 in response to the
disturbing number of veterans that found it difficult to cope after having served in a variety of combat zones around the world over the last 70 years. As
a qualified and registered Social Worker, former Home Office Advisor and
Probation Officer he decided to use his skills and experiences to improve the
lives of former Armed Forces personnel and their families’ by giving them a role
and sense of purpose following their transition from military service to the
civilian community. About Turn believe
that by promoting ‘active citizenship’ former servicemen and women can become
‘key stakeholders’ within their chosen communities and in doing so utilize their
transferrable skills. About Turn CIC campaign for equitable, responsive and
‘veteran centric’ support services. About Turn recognizes that the former
service community is not a community in its truest sense but a disparate
population, without a political voice or status. Until this inequality is
addressed former Servicemen and women will continue to be a marginalized ‘hidden
population’.
The civilian
community’s belief that the “military take care of their own”, after service
life is both misleading and inaccurate. For many this misconception has proved
to be counterproductive to providing for the needs of veterans and their
families. This anomaly and the fact that there is no consistent case management
for any individual veteran or his or her family or indeed any overriding
strategy for each service. In fact there is no cohesive infrastructure for the
system overall that recognizes the complex, multifaceted effects of service in
today’s all volunteer force.
In response to the
above and taking into account his own experiences of trying to re-invent himself
with a life-long disability after 3 years in the Royal Marines About Turn
Veteran Support Service came into being to offer information, advice, guidance
and ‘life changing’ opportunities to ex-servicemen and women who were
experiencing difficulties in adjusting to a new life as a civilian. About Turn
support projects are particularly relevant for former servicemen and women who
are experiencing social exclusion are incarcerated in Prison or have ongoing or
past involvement with the Criminal Justice System. Many former service personnel
have alcohol and drug dependency issues and have difficulty accessing specialist support in relation to mental health and/ or post-traumatic stress disorder. A
large percentage of our referrals & group membership is disenfranchised from
mainstream services and lack family support. A disproportionate number are personnel to sympathetic and appropriate
services whilst offering diversionary activities that are linked to the
acquisition of vocational skills and accredited qualifications.
As well as
delivering ‘one to one’ support where necessary we also coordinate and
facilitate ‘peer led’ support groups in various locations across the North East
dependant on need and actively refer to specialist ‘clinician led’ veterans
groups if they benefit the overall wellbeing of those we work with.
"I have noticed that those individuals I have met who have been attending the
About Turn groups have reported a growing sense that their identity is
returning, this appears to have resulted in a return of pride and embryonic
confidence which has then enabled these individuals to claw back some
self-esteem and have a positive impact on their mood."
Dr. Kevin
Meares Consultant Clinical Psychologist
The About Turn CIC
founder and Directors are all former service personnel who re-trained in
professions as diverse as Social Work, Engineering Project management and fund
raising after leaving the services. They all have specialist skills and direct
experience in relation to mental health services, drug and alcohol dependency,
social exclusion, the Criminal Justice System and regional experience in the
strategic implementation and ‘bedding in’ of Government initiatives.
About Turn
has provided ‘Veterans Awareness’ training and facilitated ‘peer led’ support
groups in HMP Durham, HMP Kirkham and HMP Northumberland. The team provided
specialist Veteran Centric Training to Hull City Council, Senior Management Team
members from Job Centre Plus and Northumbria Probation Trust staff.
"....today exceeded my
expectations! The whole day
delivered far more than I ever
expected. The buzz tomorrow will
be fantastic as the team now
have a 4 day intense coaching
and mentoring input. I simply
cannot wait to unleash them on
the "volunteers" .Please assure
all of your associates that they
delivered on the day! Peter and
Grahams story held resonance and
certainly humbled us all in the
blistering honesty." Russell
Waterman, Manager, The Minerva
Project, Hull City Council
|
"...I will send you hard copies of the excellent
feedback resulting from the Veterans Awareness Training you provided for us, one
Probation Officer said it was the best training course he had ever been on"
Steven Murphy, Organisational Development Manager, Northumbria Probation Trust
"I'm very proud of what M has achieved over the last
couple of years and I'm thrilled at how his confidence and sense of purpose has
grown since his involvement with About Turn" KB Northumbria Probation
Officer
In 2011
About Turn provided advice and consultancy to the Education Training and
Employment Service within Northumbria Probation Trust, prior to and during the
award winning pilot initiative known as VESP (Veterans Employment and Training
Project) About Turn continue to receive referrals from Northumbria Probation
Trust and work in partnership with a host of organisations that specialise in
supporting those veterans that find themselves involved with the Criminal
Justice System.
Tony Wright Founder and Managing Director is also a member of
the Justice Unions Parliamentary steering group for Veterans in Prison and was
recently a ‘key note’ speaker at a ‘No Offence’ sponsored conference at HMP
Doncaster.
Our work is in many
ways all about empowering veterans to engage with veterans. Many former service
personnel volunteer to mentor those that found the transition to civilian life
difficult. Sadly they are too many cases where former servicemen and women are
invisible to the civilian community and this sense of being ‘deep undercover’
compounds feelings of dislocation and disenfranchisement. Having learned to
navigate the system themselves the volunteers are able to provide tailored support, based on needs, in a way that is acceptable and highly effective.
About Turn CIC is a
professional, accountable organization with robust quality assurance and
governance arrangements. Our policies, procedures and vetting systems are
available for inspection if required.
We are members of; Newcastle Link, CLINKS,
Newcastle CVS, The North East Community Foundation, Newcastle Gateshead and
Northumberland Armed Forces Network Group
In autumn 2012 About Turn
established ‘Forward Assist Ltd’. Forward Assist Ltd achieved charitable status
and was entered onto the register of Charities on 9th January 2013.
In due course Forward Assist will take over the responsibility for About Turn
which will continue act as a sustainable ‘not for profit’ social enterprise
assisting veterans to develop viable routes out of unemployment. About Turn has
already established itself as a leading organisation in the delivery of
‘veteran’s awareness’ training for the statutory, voluntary and business sector.
In future all profits made by About Turn will be gifted to Forward Assist the
lead Charity.
‘Forward Assist Ltd’ Registered Charity Company No:
08190905
Charity Number: 1150408 Registered in England and Wales.
Our Staff
Tony Wright, Managing
Director of About Turn joined
the Royal Marines in 1978 and was medically discharged in 1981 after seriously injuring
his shoulder during basic training. As an Early Service Leaver (ESL) he has
firsthand knowledge of how difficult it is for many ex servicemen and women to
re-establish themselves back into the civilian community after discharge from
the Armed Forces. He is particularly supportive of those veterans that suffer
from Post Traumatic Stress or other mental health problems.
After leaving the
armed forces he was unemployed for some considerable time before returning to
the education system to gain appropriate qualifications so that he could
re-train in an occupation of his choice. He has worked in a range of statutory
and voluntary welfare settings, qualifying as a social worker in 1996. His
experience includes management of Residential Care, Community Support Outreach
Teams, and the intensive supervision and support of Prolific and Priority Adult
Offenders in both the Probation Service and the voluntary sector. More recently
he has worked as a Home Office Advisor based within Government Office North East
and whilst working in the Homeless sector managed a government funded pilot
project created specifically to develop innovative interventions for Adults
Facing Chronic Exclusion. He currently provides services for marginalized
veterans through About Turn CIC . Tony sits on a Parliamentary Justice Unions
steering group for veterans in the Criminal Justice System. He has had several
articles published in specialist periodicals and more recently he travelled to
the USA for 6 weeks as part of a Winston Churchill Travelling Fellowship to
research compare and contrast the services available to US veterans and those in
the UK. Tony is currently campaigning for the introduction of Veterans Courts to
the UK.
Peter Dolan is 39 years old he served with the
Royal Engineers from 1990-1991. Peter, like many Early Service Leavers on return
to the civilian community had direct experience of chronic social exclusion and
struggled with the assimilation back to civilian life. Like many veterans Peter
was for a period of time (10 years ), estranged from his family ,addicted to
drugs and alcohol, homeless and 'sleeping rough' He claims he was close to death
before finally accepting help and spent 12 months in an alcohol and drug
rehabilitation centre. On completion of his treatment Peter joined About Turn
and is classed as one of the About Turn originals. His dedication to the cause
has impressed many and he was invited to become a Director in 2011. Peter brings
to the table a wealth of personal experience and acts as a reality check for the
senior management team, ensuring the organisation is always driven by the needs
of the veteran . Peter now works full time and is a Level 2 football coach and
co-founder of the About Turn Veterans Challenge trophy football tournament.
Colin Hutchinson is a former Warrant Officer who served
for 22 years in the Royal Engineers. He is now business Manager for NECA, an
organisation providing substance misuse services across the region.
" Having made the transition back to civilian life
myself. I am acutely aware of the need to use my personal experiences and skill
to support those that do not find the transition easy. It alarms me that so many
veterans require support from specialist social care organisations on their
return to the UK. Especially as the true cause of their difficulties can be
related to their past combat experiences whilst serving in many of the
operational theatres across the globe. As a Director of About Turn CIC I am able
to make a small but significant difference for those in need."
Mel Creighton, About Turns project manager
and logistical co-ordinator has extensive experience in organising large scale
events around the world. He is also a qualified teacher and a Level 2 angling
coach.
