The Army Welfare Service (AWS) has the capacity, professional expertise, and national coverage required to provide safeguarding oversight, youth service provision, and coordinated mental health support to survivors of sexual assault across the Army.

For youth services, the AWS Community Support staff deliver early help services, youth engagement, and targeted support to Service children and young people which includes signposting and referral to specialist welfare and safeguarding services as required.

Young people aged 11–18 from Armed Forces families, as well as Junior Soldiers and Cadets, can also access free and confidential online counselling through Kooth, including support for those affected by sexual harassment or assault.

AWS Community Support staff deliver a Life Skills programme to Junior Soldiers at the Army Foundation College Harrogate. This programme includes sessions on consent, unacceptable behaviours, sexual harassment, and healthy relationships.

It is Army policy that units must refer all incidents of sexual assault to AWS who work directly with the victim to agree an appropriate support plan. The AWS Specialist Welfare function delivers accessible, confidential, and independent welfare support to Army personnel and their families across the UK and overseas.

AWS staff are trained to manage complex safeguarding and vulnerability concerns working within established Army and Defence safeguarding frameworks and advising the Chain of Command on their duty of care obligations and ensuring referrals are made to appropriate statutory services.

Through the Vulnerability Risk Management process, AWS coordinates with Medical Officers, Departments of Community Mental Health, civilian GPs and NHS crisis mental health teams. This approach ensures survivors receive timely mental health assessment, therapeutic input, and ongoing multiagency support where required.

However, we are not complacent and keep the provision, and communication of what is available, under consideration. For example, the Victim Support Pathway was launched on 1 September 2025:

https://www.army.mod.uk/support-and-training/health-performance-and-wellbeing/ask-for-help/victim-support-pathway/

Where safety concerns exist, AWS has access to the Service Cotswold Centre, which can be used as a refuge setting, and can signpost victims to Independent Domestic Violence Advocates (IDVAs) funded through the Armed Forces Covenant.

Eleven Army Welfare Service personnel have completed the course in 2022.

The Course is also offered to other Defence personnel across all three Services such as Unit Welfare Officers (Military or Civilian) Service Police and Padres. It is not, however, run for external personnel.

The Army Welfare Service (AWS) is delivered as part of wider welfare support provision across the Army. It provides second line welfare support through a confidential service, to the Army and its families, delivered by a mix of military and civilian specialist welfare workers who are led by civilian registered social workers. First line welfare support is provided at Unit level by the Chain of Command, Unit Welfare Officers, administrative staff, medical staff and pastoral support. The WRVS is also available at some locations.

The AWS is not allocated a separate annual budget. It sits within the Army’s Regional Command budget area. However, AWS expenditure incurred for the period financial year (FY) 2010-11 to FY2020-21 is held and is provided in Table 1 below.

Table 1: AWS expenditure FY 2010-11 to FY 2021-21

Information about the number of staff employed by the AWS is only held for 2012 onwards and is shown in the Table 2 below.

Table 2: AWS staff employed in each calendar year since 2012. This includes all AWS staff, not just caseworkers, such as business support staff.

Information about the number of referrals to the AWS is only held from 2016 onwards and is shown in the Table 3 below. Prior to this, there was no digital casework management system in place and the collation of statistics from paper records would be both time consuming and unreliable.

Table 3: Referrals to AWS for the period 2016 – 2021.

All AWS Personal Support Workers are either qualified Social Workers or graduates of the seven-month Defence Specialist Welfare Worker Course which was comprehensively updated in 2016. Additionally, since 2018 it has been mandated as part of their post qualifying development, they must undertake the AWS run MOD Domestic Violence Informed Practice (DVIP) Course, within six months of qualifying as Army Welfare Workers. Those who qualified before 2018 have also undertaken the DVIP Course. Information about the number of AWS staff who have undertaken specialist domestic abuse training is only held from 2016 onwards and is shown in the Table 4 below:

Table 4: Number of AWS staff who have completed the MOD DVIP Course since 2016.

The Army Welfare Service (AWS) is delivered as part of wider welfare support provision across the Army. It provides second line welfare support through a confidential service, to the Army and its families, delivered by a mix of military and civilian specialist welfare workers who are led by civilian registered social workers. First line welfare support is provided at Unit level by the Chain of Command, Unit Welfare Officers, administrative staff, medical staff and pastoral support. The WRVS is also available at some locations.

The AWS is not allocated a separate annual budget. It sits within the Army’s Regional Command budget area. However, AWS expenditure incurred for the period financial year (FY) 2010-11 to FY2020-21 is held and is provided in Table 1 below.

Table 1: AWS expenditure FY 2010-11 to FY 2021-21

Information about the number of staff employed by the AWS is only held for 2012 onwards and is shown in the Table 2 below.

Table 2: AWS staff employed in each calendar year since 2012. This includes all AWS staff, not just caseworkers, such as business support staff.

Information about the number of referrals to the AWS is only held from 2016 onwards and is shown in the Table 3 below. Prior to this, there was no digital casework management system in place and the collation of statistics from paper records would be both time consuming and unreliable.

Table 3: Referrals to AWS for the period 2016 – 2021.

All AWS Personal Support Workers are either qualified Social Workers or graduates of the seven-month Defence Specialist Welfare Worker Course which was comprehensively updated in 2016. Additionally, since 2018 it has been mandated as part of their post qualifying development, they must undertake the AWS run MOD Domestic Violence Informed Practice (DVIP) Course, within six months of qualifying as Army Welfare Workers. Those who qualified before 2018 have also undertaken the DVIP Course. Information about the number of AWS staff who have undertaken specialist domestic abuse training is only held from 2016 onwards and is shown in the Table 4 below:

Table 4: Number of AWS staff who have completed the MOD DVIP Course since 2016.

The Army Welfare Service (AWS) is delivered as part of wider welfare support provision across the Army. It provides second line welfare support through a confidential service, to the Army and its families, delivered by a mix of military and civilian specialist welfare workers who are led by civilian registered social workers. First line welfare support is provided at Unit level by the Chain of Command, Unit Welfare Officers, administrative staff, medical staff and pastoral support. The WRVS is also available at some locations.

The AWS is not allocated a separate annual budget. It sits within the Army’s Regional Command budget area. However, AWS expenditure incurred for the period financial year (FY) 2010-11 to FY2020-21 is held and is provided in Table 1 below.

Table 1: AWS expenditure FY 2010-11 to FY 2021-21

Information about the number of staff employed by the AWS is only held for 2012 onwards and is shown in the Table 2 below.

Table 2: AWS staff employed in each calendar year since 2012. This includes all AWS staff, not just caseworkers, such as business support staff.

Information about the number of referrals to the AWS is only held from 2016 onwards and is shown in the Table 3 below. Prior to this, there was no digital casework management system in place and the collation of statistics from paper records would be both time consuming and unreliable.

Table 3: Referrals to AWS for the period 2016 – 2021.

All AWS Personal Support Workers are either qualified Social Workers or graduates of the seven-month Defence Specialist Welfare Worker Course which was comprehensively updated in 2016. Additionally, since 2018 it has been mandated as part of their post qualifying development, they must undertake the AWS run MOD Domestic Violence Informed Practice (DVIP) Course, within six months of qualifying as Army Welfare Workers. Those who qualified before 2018 have also undertaken the DVIP Course. Information about the number of AWS staff who have undertaken specialist domestic abuse training is only held from 2016 onwards and is shown in the Table 4 below:

Table 4: Number of AWS staff who have completed the MOD DVIP Course since 2016.

The Army Welfare Service (AWS) is delivered as part of wider welfare support provision across the Army. It provides second line welfare support through a confidential service, to the Army and its families, delivered by a mix of military and civilian specialist welfare workers who are led by civilian registered social workers. First line welfare support is provided at Unit level by the Chain of Command, Unit Welfare Officers, administrative staff, medical staff and pastoral support. The WRVS is also available at some locations.

The AWS is not allocated a separate annual budget. It sits within the Army’s Regional Command budget area. However, AWS expenditure incurred for the period financial year (FY) 2010-11 to FY2020-21 is held and is provided in Table 1 below.

Table 1: AWS expenditure FY 2010-11 to FY 2021-21

Information about the number of staff employed by the AWS is only held for 2012 onwards and is shown in the Table 2 below.

Table 2: AWS staff employed in each calendar year since 2012. This includes all AWS staff, not just caseworkers, such as business support staff.

Information about the number of referrals to the AWS is only held from 2016 onwards and is shown in the Table 3 below. Prior to this, there was no digital casework management system in place and the collation of statistics from paper records would be both time consuming and unreliable.

Table 3: Referrals to AWS for the period 2016 – 2021.

All AWS Personal Support Workers are either qualified Social Workers or graduates of the seven-month Defence Specialist Welfare Worker Course which was comprehensively updated in 2016. Additionally, since 2018 it has been mandated as part of their post qualifying development, they must undertake the AWS run MOD Domestic Violence Informed Practice (DVIP) Course, within six months of qualifying as Army Welfare Workers. Those who qualified before 2018 have also undertaken the DVIP Course. Information about the number of AWS staff who have undertaken specialist domestic abuse training is only held from 2016 onwards and is shown in the Table 4 below:

Table 4: Number of AWS staff who have completed the MOD DVIP Course since 2016.