Published: 09 March 2007
Safe Training in the Army
The Adult Learning Inspectorate (ALI) has published its follow-up report to Safer Training, the first ever independent assessment of the armed services’ training establishments by an external agency.
Two years on, the MoD and the armed services have ‘made extraordinary strides forward’, but there are still areas of concern.
Safer Training was commissioned by the Minister for Armed Services, Adam Ingram, in response to the Surrey Police Inquiry into the deaths of four young soldiers at Deepcut barracks.
It reported widespread failings in the armed forces’ management of training & duty of care and concluded that the risks to recruits and trainees were too high. The report set out clear recommendations for change.
Better Training highlights progress made against those recommendations over the last two years and its main findings are:
· Very substantial improvements have been made in all aspects of initial training & welfare as a result of focused effort & investment by the MoD and the armed services
· Management of the risks associated with bullying & harassment, self-harm & suicide and access to firearms & ammunition have been amongst the greatest achievements
· BUT there are still some areas where too little progress has been made and which remain of concern
Given the scale of the armed services, it will take time for policy to be fully matched by practice at individual establishments; there is some way to go before a culture of continuous improvement in the management of welfare and training is embedded.
David Sherlock, Chief Inspector of Adult Learning, said:
“Two years ago, the MoD and armed services had to face up to some harsh truths.
We found systematic failures in the management of training and the risk to young recruits.
Some tough messages have been taken on the chin and transformed into a determination to put things right.
The events that triggered our involvement could not have been more serious; the armed services’ response to them could not have been more decisive or proper. We have witnessed a genuine and enthusiastic commitment to change.
This report, Better Training, necessarily describes work in progress, but it also reveals that things are much more right than they were two years ago. Marked and continuing improvement is the overall verdict, but with still more to achieve.
To minimise the chance of a cluster of events like Deepcut ever happening again, the armed services needed to do what they normally did, only much better; they did not need to start doing anything profoundly different.
There should be no doubt whatsoever that Better Training describes something of a triumph of focused effort to resolve serious problems.
It charts the progress of an improvement programme which might serve as a model for turning round performance deficits in other big organisations.”
The key achievements are:
· Welfare and risk management are now seen as integral parts of training, with responsibility lying within the military chain of command rather than being the preserve of specialist welfare staff - Recruits seldom expressed anything but praise for the support they receive from their immediate instructors or for the range of welfare services available to them.
· Recruits are supervised far more closely, particularly at night and at weekends - Special care is also now given to those aged under 18, with dedicated support services being well organised and highly effective.
· There has been an energetic approach to reducing harassment, bullying and inappropriate punishment - The number of group punishments or inappropriate punishments reported to inspectors has fallen dramatically since the previous round of inspections.
· Significant progress has been made in managing the risk of self-harm and suicide
· Access to firearms and ammunition is more carefully managed and recruits and trainees are given responsible training in their use
· Phase 1 recruits are no longer used for guard duty. Where Phase 2 trainees undertake armed guarding they receive appropriate training and supervision
· Health, fitness and injury are much better managed
· Much greater efforts are made to keep the recruits’ families informed about and involved in their training, which helps ease the transition from civilian to military life
· Accommodation for many recruits has been upgraded as part of a multi-million pound programme of investment - Although this is often in marked contrast to the accommodation for staff and their families.
However, the Chief Inspector also highlighted significant areas where he is not yet satisfied that enough progress has been made:
· Implementation of service-wide policies and guidelines is inconsistent - each establishment is free to decide how best to proceed and, inevitably, wide variations occur
· The importance of using accurate data and specific local intelligence to guide decision making and solve problems is still not widely recognised
· There is very little systematic handover of command - so that some new commanding officers come in with different priorities from their predecessors, halting or even setting back some of the improvements previously made
· Progress in extending equality of opportunity and diversity has been disappointingly slow - with the focus still on compliance rather than a genuine change in attitude
· There has been a lack of progress in getting instructors trained before they take up their posting to a Royal Navy or Army training establishment, compared with the Royal Air Force
· Recruitment material and procedures are sometimes misleading - Some recruits report being steered into trades for which they are unsuited or have little interest, but where shortages exist.
The fitness level of some new recruits, particularly women, continues to be a problem. As a consequence, some recruits are discharged shortly after entry, disappointing the recruit and wasting valuable resources.
· There is inconsistent use of the new service-wide procedure for monitoring & analysing complaints a year after its introduction and a continuing ambivalence about the useful role that an open approach to resolving complaints can play in organisational improvement.
Many recruits are still wary about using the complaints system, citing concerns regarding confidentiality and the possible risk of reprisals.
· The lack of control of commanding officers over small-scale maintenance (which now rests with regional prime contractors) has, if anything, worsened - leading to poor conditions even in some good modern accommodation
· ‘Evening’ meals continue to be provided in the late afternoon, with no fourth meal to give a flow of nutrition appropriate for young people undertaking hard, physical exercise
· Too little progress has been made in making overseas recruits quickly effective and at home by providing good teaching in English as an additional language
Further information
Better Training – Managing Risks to the Welfare of Recruits in the British Armed Services: Two Years of Progress
Safer Training
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