At SSAFA we know we have many acronyms, SSAFA-isms and jargon. So this page is to help you demystify some of the terminology.
| Acronym or SSAFA Term | Meaning | Further Information |
|---|---|---|
| AGM | Annual General Meeting | Annual general meetings at branch level, where employee representatives are invited to attend. |
| Almonising | Fundraising | The collecting of funds for our clients, using money from benevolent funds and other charities. |
| AMM | Annual Members' Meeting | Our annual meeting for all members and employees, including key external stakeholders. |
| BBU | Big Brew Up | Our annual, nationwide fundraising event to get together over a cup of tea and cake and raise vital funds for our Armed Forces. Each Big Brew Up is organised by our dedicated supporters. |
| BFC | British Forces Cyprus | SSAFA employees in Cyprus supporting serving members of the Armed Forces. |
| BFSG | Bereaved Families Support Group | A group for the parents, families, partners and siblings of service personnel who have died whilst in service. |
| Branches | Our UK wide branch network (generally one branch per county) is where both local fundraising events and volunteering roles are managed from. |
We have more than 80 branches around the UK and overseas including France, Germany, Cyprus and Republic of Ireland. Each has a branch chair responsible to the National Chair for ensuring the wellbeing, efficiency, organisational effectiveness, and financial probity of the branch. Some branches have divisions they work with, within the same local area/region. |
| Case working / caseworkers | The process of linking clients to services that suit their needs, from assessment to comprehensive intervention for equitable client care. |
Caseworking is carried out by volunteer caseworkers, who contact and meet with clients to assess and understand their needs, and how we can support them. After meeting a client, caseworkers complete an application for assistance (Form A), write a report, almonise for funds and input an application onto Mosaic (CMS2) (casework management system). Caseworkers also signpost clients to services if we’re unable to assist. |
| CC | Chair's Conference | Invited by the National Chair, the CC is a conference for all branch chairs' and attended by the Senior Management team and our trustees. |
| CCC | Community Connection Champions | A volunteer role specifically to help alleviate loneliness and isolation in the serving community through running events and activities to bring the community together. |
| CEM | Community Engagement Manager | Designed to engage with and support branch volunteers, helping coordinate awareness and fundraising activities. |
| Central Office | The registered head office for SSAFA | Senior Management team and our support functions are based in London. It is also referred to as Queen Elizabeth House (QEH). |
| Clients / beneficiaries | The people we support | We support clients and beneficiaries in need, who are still serving in the Armed Forces, veterans, and their families in the UK and around the world. Beneficiaries is the preferred term. |
| CMS2 / Mosaic | Casework Management System | Casework management system. Volunteers input client and beneficiary data – with their consent – into the system. This is linked to almonisation. |
| Compass | Online Volunteer Knowledgebase publication for our volunteer caseworkers | Led by the Welfare team, Compass is available on SSAFA Volunteer Knowledgebase for access to casework info., advice and guidance, to enable the provision of the best service for our clients. |
| CEO | Chief Executive Officer | Air Marshall Steve Shell, responsible to the charity’s trustees for the management of our global activities. |
| Council | Our trustee body | The Council (SSAFA trustees or Council of trustees) are ultimately responsible for all matters concerning governance, strategic direction, legal operation and financial probity. |
| CWR | Casework Refresher | Our caseworkers attend refresher training every three years with our Learning and Development team, which can be found on SSAFAnet. |
| DBS | Disclosure and Barring Service | Criminal record check required for some paid roles and all our volunteer caseworkers to ensure safeguarding in regulated work. |
| DWO | Director of Welfare Operations | The DWO is responsible for volunteer operations and the DWO e-newsletter to update key volunteer stakeholders with the latest updates. |
| ESOL | English for Speakers of Other Languages | English classes are provided through Gurkha services, to Gurkhas and their families who have relocated to the UK. |
| FANDF (pronounced FANDAF) | Forces Additional Needs & Disability Forum | FANDF is a support group for those currently serving in the military and reservists, who have a family member with an additional need or disability. The FANDF Committee explores the issues surrounding the support provided for those with additional needs in the Service community. |
| FISP | Families of Injured Service Personnel | FISP for the parents or partners of service personnel who have become wounded, injured or sick while serving in the Armed Forces. |
| FHS365 | Family Health Service 365 | |
| Flagbook | Online network directory | Accessed via SSAFAnet the Flagbook provides up to date information on the network structure, including regional branches, divisions and service committees and staff contacts. |
| Forcesline | Our free and confidential helpline for the Armed Forces community | Forcesline provides a free confidential listening, information and signposting service to service personnel, veterans, their families, and professionals who are looking for help, advice and support on a wide range of issues. |
| GDPR | General Data Protection Regulation | GDPR is a regulation in EU law on data protection and privacy for all individuals. Now in UK law under the Data Protection Act from May 2018. All volunteers and employees need to complete the mandatory e-learning to learn about GDPR and our data breach process. |
| GHH | Glasgow's Helping Heroes | GHH is a partnership between SSAFA and Glasgow City Council, helping those who have served in the Armed Forces, their immediate family and carers in the local Glasgow area. |
| GA | GoAssemble |
SSAFA database for volunteer information under NDP. Also referred to as "Assemble". |
| L&D | Learning and Development | Training organised by the L&D team for volunteers. |
| L&OD | Learning and Organisational Development | Development and engagement activities organised by the People team for employees and departments. |
| MFAS | Military Families Affected by Suicide of a Loved One Support Group | We facilitate meetings providing a safe environment and peer support for those who have been through similar situations. |
| MOD | Ministry of Defence | The Ministry of Defence is the British Government department responsible for implementing the Defence policy set by Her Majesty's Government and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces. |
| MWCF / MWC | Military Wives Choirs/Foundation | An independent charity run by, for and with women in the military community. previously a SSAFA subsidiary, they work side by side with us and support our mission to relieve need, suffering and distress amongst the Armed Forces, veterans and their families. |
| National Chair | Leader of the volunteer network | Sir Simon Bollom, who is also Chair of Council. |
| NDP | Network Delivery Project | The Network Delivery Project is a change programme designed to create a more sustainable welfare delivery model to provide consistent, timely, quality-assured support to all our beneficiaries. |
| Norton House / Fisher House | Accommodation for the families of service men and women during their physical rehabilitation | Norton House Stanford Hall is in Loughborough near the Defence medical Rehabilitation Centre. Fisher House is in Birmingham near the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. |
| O365 | Microsoft Office 365 software | SSAFA uses O365 which includes Outlook, Word, Power Point, Viva Engage and other applications. |
| POD | People and Organisational Development | One of our seven departments alongside Community Healthcare Operations, Social Care Operations, Volunteer Operations, Fundraising, Marketing & Communications and Finance |
| PS&SWS RAF | Personal Support & Social Work Service – Royal Air Force | If you’re in the RAF, as a single serving person or a family, our Social Workers and Personal and Family Support Workers are there to help when times get tough. |
| PVG | Protecting Vulnerable Groups scheme | Scotland's Version of DBS. |
| QEH | Queen Elizabeth House | Our London head office location. |
| RC and RCC | Regional Chair and Regional Chairs Committee | RC’s are volunteers responsible to the National Chair. They facilitate two-way communication between the SSAFA Council and volunteers at local and national levels. |
| RM | Regional Managers | RMs are SSAFA’s employees who liaise with their local branches and service committees, and are part of the Volunteer Operations department |
| SAVI | Supporters and Volunteer Information | SSAFA database which holds our volunteers, donors and supporters’ data within non-NDP regions. |
| SCTs | Serving Community Teams | Volunteer-led Serving Community Teams help the serving community access financial, practical and emotional support whenever they need it at military bases around the UK and overseas. |
| SPOC | Single Point of contact | The main volunteer line (open 0900 - 1730) offering multiple support options including reporting safeguarding concerns, case working support, grants and support with cases (staffed by welfare team VS. [email protected]) and general volunteering enquiries such as support with Office 365, awards, recruitment and offboarding (staffed by the Volunteer Experience Team [email protected]) |
| SSAFAnet |
Employees’ and volunteers online portal |
All employees and volunteers in the UK and abroad can access SSAFAnet, your go to point for information where you can find news, key updates, policies, HR documents and more. |
| Stepping Stone Home / Gildea House | Sheltered housing for women and children | Women of the Armed Forces community may find themselves without somewhere to live or require a place of safety. Stepping Stone Homes provide safe accommodation in times of need. |
| Support Groups | See FISP, BFSG, MFAS | |
| Tellus | Mailbox for volunteers and employees to send stories, events and feedback |
Please send all news stories to [email protected] This is monitored by the Internal & Change Communications Manager. |
| Town Hall | Employee meeting | Online meeting held every four weeks for employees. Giving updates from around the charity. |
| VCC | Vice Chair's Committee | VCC considers matters pertaining to governance, human resources, remuneration, and honours and awards, reporting to Council. |
| VCJS | Veterans in the Criminal Justice System (Formerly Prison In-Reach) | VCJS in the prison in-reach service providing support to ex-serving personnel or members of their families whilst they are in prison and/or on release. |
| VDM | Volunteer Development Managers | Volunteer Development Managers are volunteering professionals who provide specialist advice and support to our network. |
| Volunteers / Volunteer network | Our volunteers supporting the Armed Forces community | Our charitable works are delivered by a network of approximately 2,500 volunteers across the UK and abroad, which has its own council. |
| Viva Engage (formerly Yammer) | Internal Social Platform | Engage is an online social platform for employees and volunteers to connect and collaborate. Visit our Viva Engage group to like and share stories and, and join employee only groups. |