Royal Air Forces Association

Charity registered in Scotland SC037673

A life of service in the RAF can include experiencing some distressing situations and moving around a lot. So, many of our veterans and serving personnel don’t have a close network of friends and family around them to help them through difficult times. Active service can lead not only to physical injury, but also to ongoing mental health issues. It’s our job to make sure nobody who has served in the RAF – or their immediate families – feels abandoned when they’re most in need.


Current opportunities

The RAF Association is a member-led, welfare charity that exists to ensure that all members of the RAF community are supported, when they require it. The caseworker’s role is at the heart of this charity objective and volunteers undertaking this role will be helping us to deliver this support to the RAF community. The role is about supporting and listening to an individual and assessing their needs - this can include anything from helping them to complete a form, applying for funding for a wet-room or new white goods. Caseworkers may also need to gather complex information and ask questions regarding finances and health conditions. You would be required to provide clear and precise information on these topics. A RAF or forces background is not essential, and we welcome applications from all areas of the community.

The RAF Association is a member-led, welfare charity that exists to ensure that all members of the RAF community are supported, when they require it. The caseworker’s role is at the heart of this charity objective and volunteers undertaking this role will be helping us to deliver this support to the RAF community. The role is about supporting and listening to an individual and assessing their needs - this can include anything from helping them to complete a form, applying for funding for a wet-room or new white goods. Caseworkers may also need to gather complex information and ask questions regarding finances and health conditions. You would be required to provide clear and precise information on these topics. A RAF or forces background is not essential, and we welcome applications from all areas of the community.

Loneliness affects tens of thousands of people across the RAF community. Whether it’s a veteran struggling to adapt to life after service, or a family member facing difficulties alone, loneliness can be devastating to people’s mental and physical health. The Connections For Life service offers friendship telephone calls to anyone in the RAF community who needs it, and matches caring, friendly volunteers, with those beneficiaries who are experiencing isolation. The RAF community is made up of both veterans and serving personnel, and their respective spouses, partners, widows or widowers. As a volunteer, you can offer a listening ear, help someone regain their confidence, share discussions around their interests and help them reconnect with the wider world. The Connections Volunteer role would involve contacting a beneficiary over the phone on a regular basis. A friendly, 30-minute chat that a volunteer can offer will make all the difference, providing a vital link for someone who is lonely and isolated. What will volunteers be doing? * Providing regular social interaction and support to members of the RAF community via telephone contact * Checking on a beneficiary’s welfare and alerting them to available support if needed * Relaying any concerns to their Connections Coordinator * Regularly submitting an activity log summarising their interactions so we can make sure everyone is receiving the help they need