Support doesn't have to mean one service, one appointment or one very depressing waiting room.
Different people. Different routes.
The pathways below describe our proposed model. Veterans Backbone is not yet operational, and these are not services currently available through us.
What works for one person may be completely useless for another.
We want our future service to look at what's happening, what support already exists, what may be missing and which route makes sense for that individual.
That would involve appropriate assessment, consent, safeguarding and realistic service boundaries.
Person first. Pathway second.
Different needs may involve one pathway, several or a change of direction over time. Which options can eventually be offered will depend on funding and service readiness.
Sometimes the first job is simply working out what the hell is going on and what needs dealing with first.
Our planned community-based service would focus on practical next steps, problem-solving, appropriate referrals and helping keep support joined up.
What we plan to do →Forms. Departments. Decisions. Phone calls that somehow create three more phone calls.
We hope to develop appropriate advocacy support, helping people understand options, prepare and navigate difficult processes.
The exact boundaries of this work will be established before the service launches.
Explore advocacy plans →Sometimes the immediate crisis has settled, but you're still wondering what the bloody hell comes next.
Flamingo Rise is a separate development focused on rebuilding, confidence, personal direction and life beyond simply surviving.
It is not currently an operational Veterans Backbone support pathway.
Explore Flamingo Rise →Not every problem requires another professional appointment.
Sometimes people need connection, shared experiences, laughter, activities and somewhere they don't have to explain themselves every five minutes.
The RV Crew is our proposed community initiative. Membership and activities haven't launched.
Meet the RV Crew →VB isn't going to pretend one organisation can do absolutely everything.
Our aim is eventually to help veterans identify appropriate existing services, seek specialist advice where needed and avoid getting lost between different organisations.
No referral or specialist service coordination is currently available through VB.
Our support plans →Real life rarely fits neatly into one box.
A person's circumstances may involve practical support, advocacy, community activities and external specialist help at different points.
The proposed model is designed to recognise those connections without promising that every service can be supplied by VB.
That's allowed.
Support shouldn't stop the second somebody is technically “not in crisis anymore.”
There can be a massive gap between surviving something and actually building a life you want afterwards.
Flamingo Rise is being developed separately around rebuilding confidence, identity, goals and personal direction.
Any future relationship between Flamingo Rise and VB would need appropriate arrangements and clear boundaries before services could be offered.
Surviving was step one.
Humans are annoyingly social creatures.
Isolation can make everything harder, and sometimes joining people for something ordinary can be valuable too.
We're developing the idea of the RV Crew around connection, community, experiences, laughter and remembering there's more to life than whatever brought someone to VB.
This is a future initiative, not a group currently offering membership or activities.
Serious purpose. Not serious every second.
People shouldn't need to arrive already knowing whether they require advocacy, practical help, community support or something else.
Once operational, our intention is to assess appropriate needs together and identify realistic routes within the support available.
But VB isn't currently accepting enquiries for individual assessment or support.
“Everything's a mess” is an acceptable starting point.
What somebody needs at the beginning may not be what they need six months later.
A person might initially require practical assistance, later need advocacy, and eventually focus more on community or specialist services.
Life can also throw another problem into the mix and support needs can increase again.
Our planned approach allows for review rather than treating an initial plan as permanent.
Support follows reality.
Veterans Backbone is being designed to connect useful support, not pretend one organisation should own all of it.
As appropriate programmes, partnerships and specialist arrangements are established, new pathways could become part of the model.
Our initial community-based service remains the priority before any wider expansion.
Build what is useful. Bin what isn't.
This is an example of our proposed process.
Listen, identify concerns and assess what support may be appropriate.
Consider one pathway, several pathways or support from another organisation.
If the route stops being useful, we want to change the bloody route.
The whole point of our planned approach is to avoid making people diagnose their own support needs before asking for help.
The service isn't available yet. If you need assistance now, please contact an established veterans' support organisation or an appropriate local service.
