Army: Sexual Offences
(asked on 3rd March 2026) - View Source
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the capacity of the Army Welfare Service to provide safeguarding, youth services, and mental health support to survivors of sexual assault within the Armed Forces.
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:
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.