All quiet on the home front

Family problems or unexpected events may occur while a soldier is deployed in the theatre of operations. Often he/she is not in a position to offer effective support to his/her family due to the geographical distance and the schedule of the mission – and that may represent an added pressure to deal with.

For this reason, the Army’s Personnel Support Directorate (DIAPER in its Spanish acronym) is launching a pilot programme to assist the families of military personnel during their deployment. The beneficiaries will be those deployed since May in Lebanon (12th Armoured Infantry Brigade 'Guadarrama') and Iraq (6th Light Infantry Parachute Brigade 'Almogávares').

A pilot initiative

However, it is crucial not to lose sight of the programme’s experimental nature. Colonel Federico Caballero of DIAPER’s Vice-presidency of Personnel Support explains that the initial implementation of the programme “will make it possible to detect uncontemplated needs, difficulties in the application of the solutions devised and other possible mistakes which will be detected and corrected so that the programme works as it is supposed to”.

DIAPER is initially launching eleven modules (see adjoining box) to start supporting the families. Assistance will be provided through the Personnel Support Office backed by the Personnel Section of the relevant Unit. The latter will be responsible for coordinating volunteers and liaison teams, which are made up of personnel from the Unit and are charged with direct contact with the families.

Liaison teams

Liaison teams will assess each case and decide whether the assistance will be provided by a private company hired by the Army or by volunteers – either colleagues from his/her Unit or members of one of the veterans’ associations.

In any case, any assistance provided by the private company will be limited to a few hours or a few days, depending on the module, and will only be a first, immediate response to the emergency situation in the home.
 

Soldiers deployed in operations will be able to carry out their mission safe in the knowledge that their families are well looked after in Spain
 

11 Support Modules

1. SUPPORT IN THE HOME. Support for the family in domestic chores and repairs; emergency service in exceptional circumstances.
2. CONNECTED. Facilitating communication between the deployed personnel and their families. It includes IT assistance, both remote and at home, family videoconferences on request, etc.
3. CONTACT. Helping the family not to feel isolated during the mission. Liaison teams will contact the families, who will be provided with a contact telephone number (a 900 number for urgent matters) and psychological or religious support if needed.
4. HOME SCHOOLING. For children who cannot attend school for more than eight days. They will receive up to 20 hours of private lessons at home or in hospital.
5. TUTOR. Tutorial support for families with troublesome children, which includes monitoring their academic performance, establishing desired behaviour patterns, applying for scholarships and social security benefits, offering psychological support…
6. PAPERWORK. Supporting the family in administrative matters such as tax returns, dealings with local government, certificates, scholarship applications…
7. VACATIONS
8. LEISURE ACTIVITIES. Weekend activities for children, Unity Day for the families, summer camp for the children of deployed personnel.
9. THE ELDERLY. Home care available for the elderly (help with the shopping or domestic chores).
10. CHILDREN. In the case of the children, home care, walks and rides to school if necessary.
11. DECOMPRESSION. Helping the soldier readapt to family life when he/she returns. The family will be granted priority in military vacation homes at a discount rate for the first five days (from 2016).