Armed Forces Covenant Policy

1. Purpose and status

The Armed Forces Covenant is a public promise that those who serve or have served, and their families, should be treated fairly and should not face disadvantage because of Service life. In some circumstances, special consideration may be appropriate for those who have given the most, such as the injured and bereaved.

This is an Association commitment. It does not make the Association a public body subject to every statutory Covenant duty, create automatic priority over others, guarantee membership or certification, or override competence, safeguarding, equality, insurance or public-protection requirements.

2. Who this policy supports

• currently serving members of the Regular and Reserve Forces;
• veterans, including those who served for a short period;
• spouses, partners, children and other family members affected by Service life;
• bereaved members of the Armed Forces community;
• cadet-force adult volunteers where relevant to the commitment being considered.

3. Association commitments

• consider Service-related circumstances fairly in membership, training and Association activities;
• avoid unnecessary disadvantage caused by deployment, posting, relocation, exercises, transition from Service or caring responsibilities;
• offer reasonable administrative flexibility where practicable, without lowering certification or competence standards;
• recognise relevant military skills and experience without assuming clinical or therapeutic competence;
• support reservists and military partners through proportionate flexibility where operational commitments affect attendance or deadlines;
• challenge unlawful discrimination, bullying or harassment connected with military status;
• signpost to specialist military, veterans, health, welfare or crisis services when these are more appropriate than IEMT.

4. Training, membership and certification

Requests for flexibility will be considered individually. Examples may include rearranging an assessment affected by deployment, allowing additional time for evidence where Service duties intervene, or helping a member transfer between available course dates. Any adjustment must remain compatible with learning outcomes, safe practice, trainer capacity and the requirements of the British Board for IEMT.

Membership and certification decisions remain subject to the same published standards, lawful eligibility requirements and fair processes that apply to everyone. Positive action must not become an unqualified guarantee or unfair treatment of another person.

5. IEMT practice with the Armed Forces community

Military experience does not by itself indicate trauma, illness or a need for treatment. Practitioners must work within their lawful scope, avoid stereotyping, obtain informed consent, respect rank and confidentiality boundaries, and recognise when occupational health, NHS, Defence Medical Services, safeguarding, crisis or specialist trauma support is required.

IEMT must not be presented as a substitute for emergency, psychiatric, medical or evidence-based trauma care. A practitioner must not imply Ministry of Defence, NHS or Covenant endorsement of IEMT merely because the Association has signed the Covenant.

6. Requests, concerns and complaints

A person seeking a Covenant-related adjustment should contact AssociationforIEMT@gmail.com, describing the Service-related disadvantage and the adjustment requested. Only information necessary to consider the request should be provided.

Concerns about how a request was handled may be raised through the Member Grievance Policy or public complaints process, as appropriate. Urgent safeguarding or safety concerns follow the relevant specialist policy.

7. Privacy, monitoring and review

Information about military status will be handled under the Data Protection and Online Privacy Policy. The Association may monitor requests and outcomes using proportionate, preferably anonymised information to identify barriers and improve delivery.

Official information about the Covenant is available from GOV.UK and the Armed Forces Covenant website.

Policy owner: The Association for IEMT Practitioners Ltd. Review following material legal, organisational or Covenant change, and otherwise at least every two years.