scholarly journals The Development of Non-Religious Pastoral Support in the UK

Religions ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 812
Author(s):  
David Savage
Keyword(s):  
Religious Beliefs ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Support Network ◽  
Active Listening ◽  
Carl Rogers ◽  
Inclusive Language ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Pastoral Support ◽  
The Uk

In UK society today, over half of the adult population identify as ‘non-religious’. Of those, about three quarters describe themselves as very or extremely non-religious. The ‘non-religious’ can be seen not merely as those without religion but as people with seriously and sincerely held non-religious beliefs. Responding to this situation, Humanists UK set up the Non-Religious Pastoral Support Network to meet the need for non-religious pastoral care. In healthcare and prisons, they have trained hundreds of volunteers to offer an active listening service based on a humanistic Carl Rogers approach, conduct ceremonies, improve education, and provide advocacy, all grounded in non-religious worldviews. Those completing an appropriate Master’s degree have been successfully recruited by the National Health Service into paid professional roles. However, the Prison Service and Armed Forces still restrict such recruitment to people with religious beliefs. Further progress will be enhanced by using more respectful and inclusive language (rather than ‘nones’ and ‘chaplaincy’), promoting equality in recruitment, and adopting a person-centred approach where service users determine their pastoral and spiritual care priorities.

Measuring wet bulb globe temperatures at point-of-exertion in worldwide UK military settings: a longitudinal observational study determining the accuracy of a portable WBGT monitor

2020 ◽  
pp. bmjmilitary-2020-001551
Author(s):  
Patricia Falconer Hall ◽  
J Blackadder-Coward ◽  
H Pynn
Keyword(s):  
Feasibility Study ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Paired Data ◽  
Wet Bulb Globe Temperature ◽  
User Input ◽  
Globe Temperature ◽  
Set Up ◽  
The Uk

IntroductionHeat illness among the UK Armed Forces is usually exertional, and therefore preventable, yet the incidence has not reduced since 2011. JSP 539 explicitly states that wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) should be measured ‘at the location of greatest heat risk’, not ‘that of most convenience’. A handheld WBGT tracker used at point-of-exertion could reduce this incidence if proven to be as accurate as the current in-service device.MethodsLongitudinal observational comparison and equipment feasibility study of the Kestrel 5400 and QUESTemp 34 (QT-34) in worldwide firm base and deployed UK Armed Forces locations. The locations chosen were Kenya, South Sudan, Belize, Tidworth, Aldershot and Brecon. Paired data points of WBGT readings were collected from November 2017 to August 2018 in all weather conditions.ResultsWBGT readings were comparable between the QT-34 and Kestrel 5400 across the UK and overseas. In addition, there was no change in accuracy between readings taken from the Kestrel 5400 when tripod-mounted and handheld. The Kestrel was easy to set up and far less susceptible to resupply or power supply limitations, as it requires no user input for wet bulb temperature, and runs on AA batteries.ConclusionThis equipment feasibility study has shown that the Kestrel 5400 gives an acceptable accuracy and is easier to use than the QT-34. The authors recommend that the Kestrel 5400 is introduced as an adjunct to the QT-34, and its use within the military setting monitored through ongoing comparative data collection in a large-scale proof-of-concept study.

scholarly journals ‘You’re Just Chopped Off at the End’: Retired Servicemen’s Identity Work Struggles in the Military to Civilian Transition

2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 812-829 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Williams ◽  
Jacquelyn Allen-Collinson ◽  
John Hockey ◽  
Adam Evans
Keyword(s):  
Social Science Research ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Support Network ◽  
Civilian Life ◽  
Service Personnel ◽  
Cultural Adaption ◽  
Transition To Retirement ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Military

Promoting positive transition to retirement and cultural adaption for ex-service personnel has been identified as a priority for both social-science research and for public health policy in the UK. The Royal British Legion aims to provide support to service and retired service personnel, but to date the transition to retirement experiences of older (60-plus) ex-service personnel remain under-researched. In this article, we employ a symbolic interactionist theoretical framework to examine older servicemen’s experiences and identity challenges post-retirement from the British armed forces. Data were collected primarily through semi-structured, focus-group interviews with 20 former servicemen. Here, we focus specifically upon the challenges encountered by these ex-servicemen in the retirement transition from military to civilian life, a time of identity flux of sociological interest. To navigate this period of identity change and challenge, many participants constructed a ‘modified military self’ through involvement with the Royal British Legion as a key social support network. For many retired personnel the Royal British Legion offered a form of identification and group identity that resonated strongly with earlier experiences of comradeship in the military.

The UK Centre for Legal Education: Enhancing Learning in Legal Education

2003 ◽  
Vol 3 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 177-178
Author(s):  
Ann Priestley
Keyword(s):  
Good Practice ◽  
Legal Education ◽  
Support Network ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Teaching Support ◽  
Set Up ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Quality Learning

The UK Centre for Legal Education (UKCLE) is the LTSN subject centre for law. LTSN, the Learning and Teaching Support Network, was set up by the Joint Funding Councils in January 2000 to promote high quality learning and teaching and transfer good practice across disciplines. It is made up a generic centre and 24 subject centres.

Evaluation of a personal professional mentor scheme for newly qualified nurses

2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (11) ◽  
pp. 672-676
Author(s):  
Charlotte Austin ◽  
Yvonne Halpin
Keyword(s):  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Potential Outcomes ◽  
Experienced Nurses ◽  
Support Strategies ◽  
Supportive Role ◽  
New Type ◽  
Experienced Nurse ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Pastoral Support

Background: Newly qualified nurses are known to experience a range of feelings and fears in the first transitional 12 months post-qualifying, with absence and turnover among potential outcomes. Aim: To evaluate the personal professional mentor role and scheme, a new pastoral support initiative, from the perspective of participating newly qualified nurses. Methods: Newly qualified paediatric nurses (n=10), who had been assigned a personal professional mentor (an experienced nurse who worked elsewhere in their employing NHS Trust), completed a semi-structured interview. The data were analysed using thematic analysis. Findings: The personal professional mentor counteracted some aspects of transition isolation for the newly qualified nurses. They were an independent, accessible, experienced confidant and a welcome new supportive role. Conclusion: Pairing experienced nurses with newly qualified nurses provided a new type of workplace support during transition. Inexpensive to set up and run, it is an easy addition to any portfolio of support strategies.

Specialist infantry and defence engagement

2020 ◽  
pp. bmjmilitary-2020-001455 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Blair Thomas Herron ◽  
K M Heil ◽  
D Reid
Keyword(s):  
Armed Forces ◽  
Short Term ◽  
The Future ◽  
Uk Government ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Insight Into

In 2015, the UK government published the National Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) 2015, which laid out their vision for the future roles and structure of the UK Armed Forces. SDSR 2015 envisaged making broader use of the Armed Forces to support missions other than warfighting. One element of this would be to increase the scale and scope of defence engagement (DE) activities that the UK conducts overseas. DE activities traditionally involve the use of personnel and assets to help prevent conflict, build stability and gain influence with partner nations as part of a short-term training teams. This paper aimed to give an overview of the Specialist Infantry Group and its role in UK DE. It will explore the reasons why the SDSR 2015 recommended their formation as well as an insight into future tasks.

scholarly journals Military Veterans and Welfare Reform: Bridging Two Policy Worlds through Qualitative Longitudinal Research

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Lisa Scullion ◽  
Katy Jones ◽  
Peter Dwyer ◽  
Celia Hynes ◽  
Philip Martin
Keyword(s):  
Welfare Reform ◽  
Longitudinal Research ◽  
Military Veterans ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Veterans Affairs ◽  
Civilian Life ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Uk

There has been an increasing focus in the UK on the support provided to the Armed Forces community, with the publication of the Armed Forces Covenant (2011), the Strategy for our Veterans (2018) and the first ever Office for Veterans’ Affairs (2019). There is also an important body of research – including longitudinal research – focusing on transitions from military to civilian life, much of which is quantitative. At the same time, the UK has witnessed a period of unprecedented welfare reform. However, research focused on veterans’ interactions with the social security system has been largely absent. This article draws on the authors’ experiences of undertaking qualitative longitudinal research (QLR) to address this knowledge gap. We reflect on how QLR was essential in engaging policy makers enabling the research to bridge the two parallel policy worlds of veterans’ support and welfare reform, leading to significant policy and practice impact.

scholarly journals Military and demographic predictors of mental ill-health and socioeconomic hardship among UK veterans

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Burdett ◽  
N. T. Fear ◽  
S. Wessely ◽  
R. J. Rona
Keyword(s):  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Common Mental Disorders ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
Childhood Adversity ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Sociodemographic Factors ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Length Of Service ◽  
Socioeconomic Outcomes ◽  
The Uk

Abstract Background Around 8% of the UK Armed Forces leave in any given year, and must navigate unfamiliar civilian systems to acquire employment, healthcare, and other necessities. This paper determines longer-term prevalences of mental ill health and socioeconomic outcomes in UK Service leavers, and how they are related to demographic factors, military history, and pre-enlistment adversity. Methods This study utilised data from a longitudinal sample of a cohort study UK Armed Forces personnel since 2003. A range of self-reported military and sociodemographic factors were analysed as predictors of probable Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, common mental disorders, alcohol misuse, unemployment and financial hardship. Prevalences and odds ratios of associations between predictors and outcomes were estimated for regular veterans in this cohort. Results Veteran hardship was mostly associated with factors linked to socio-economic status: age, education, and childhood adversity. Few military-specific factors predicted mental health or socio-economic hardship, except method of leaving (where those leaving due to medical or unplanned discharge were more likely to encounter most forms of hardship as veterans), and rank which is itself related to socioeconomic status. Conclusion Transition and resettlement provisions become increasingly generous with longer service, yet this paper shows the need for those services becomes progressively less necessary as personnel acquire seniority and skills, and instead could be best targeted at unplanned leavers, taking socioeconomic status into consideration. Many will agree that longer service should be more rewarded, but the opposite is true if provision instead reflects need rather than length of service. This is a social, political and ethical dilemma.

scholarly journals Collateral impact of COVID-19: why should children continue to suffer?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Prasad Nagakumar ◽  
Ceri-Louise Chadwick ◽  
Andrew Bush ◽  
Atul Gupta
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Hospital Admissions ◽  
Severe Disease ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
Collateral Effects ◽  
Rsv Infection ◽  
Syncytial Virus ◽  
Set Up ◽  
The Uk

AbstractThe COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-COV-2 virus fortunately resulted in few children suffering from severe disease. However, the collateral effects on the COVID-19 pandemic appear to have had significant detrimental effects on children affected and young people. There are also some positive impacts in the form of reduced prevalence of viral bronchiolitis. The new strain of SARS-COV-2 identified recently in the UK appears to have increased transmissibility to children. However, there are no large vaccine trials set up in children to evaluate safety and efficacy. In this short communication, we review the collateral effects of COVID-19 pandemic in children and young people. We highlight the need for urgent strategies to mitigate the risks to children due to the COVID-19 pandemic. What is Known:• Children and young people account for <2% of all COVID-19 hospital admissions• The collateral impact of COVID-19 pandemic on children and young people is devastating• Significant reduction in influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection in the southern hemisphere What is New:• The public health measures to reduce COVID-19 infection may have also resulted in near elimination of influenza and RSV infections across the globe• A COVID-19 vaccine has been licensed for adults. However, large scale vaccine studies are yet to be initiated although there is emerging evidence of the new SARS-COV-2 strain spreading more rapidly though young people.• Children and young people continue to bear the collateral effects of COVID-19 pandemic

scholarly journals Reliability, Validity, and Gender Invariance of the Exercise Benefits/Barriers Scale: An Emerging Evidence for a More Concise Research Tool

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (7) ◽  
pp. 3516
Author(s):  
Stefan Koehn ◽  
Farzad Amirabdollahian
Keyword(s):  
Factor Structure ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
Research Tool ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Gender Invariance ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
And Gender ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Fit Index ◽  
Northwest Region

The Exercise Benefits/Barriers Scale (EBBS) research instrument has been extensively used to investigate the perceived benefits and barriers of exercise in a range of settings. In order to examine theoretical contentions and translate the findings, it is imperative to implement measurement tools that operationalize the constructs in an accurate and reliable way. The original validation of the EBBS proposed a nine-factor structure for the research tool, examined the EBBS factor structure, and suggested that various factors are important for the testing of the perception of exercise benefits and barriers, whereas a few items and factors may not be vital. The current study conducted a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) using hierarchical testing in 565 participants from the northwest region of the United Kingdom, the results of which provided evidence for a four-factor structure of the benefits measure, with the Comparative Fit Index (CFI) = 0.943, Tucker–Lewis Index (TLI) = 0.933, and root means square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.051, namely life enhancement, physical performance, psychological outlook, and social interaction, as well as a two-factor structure of the barrier measures, with the CFI = 0.953, TLI = 0.931, and RMSEA = 0.063, including exercise milieu and time expenditure. Our findings showed that for a six-factor correlated model, the CFI = 0.930, TLI = 0.919, and RMSEA = 0.046. The multi-group CFA provided support for gender invariance. The results indicated that after three decades of the original validation of the EBBS, many of the core factors and items are still relevant for the assessment of higher-order factors; however, the 26-item concise tool proposed in the current study displays a better parsimony in comparison with the original 43-item questionnaire. Overall, the current study provides support for a reliable, cross-culturally valid EBBS within the UK adult population, however, it proposes a shorter and more concise version compared with the original tool, and gives direction for future research to focus on the content validity for assessing the perception of the barriers to physical activity.

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