27: Transitioning from service life; changing careers
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The 2019 Parliamentary Inquiry into Transition from the Australian Defence Force found:
'around 80 per cent of the transitioning cohort each year do so apparently without significant issues, the 20 per cent who experience challenges, often have difficulties across several areas of life' (p. 18).
Research shows that the transition from defence to civilian life is very challenging for some families. Therefore, we have provided the information in these modules to support families. In doing so, we are aiming to avoid the situation described in the quote below"So if you don't help people transition at the end of their time then what you're effectively doing is a form of genocide because suddenly they're disconnected, they're divorced.........All their family no longer exists" (Indigenous veteran Professor Brad Murphy [OAM]). Click here to read the articleThe Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide Interim Report (2022) noted
'The cascade of changes that occur during transition can increase suicide risk. But the transition period is also an opportunity for protective factors to be put in place and strengthened' (p. 131).
This module aims to support you in planning a well-supported transition and raising awareness about potential challenges for the family and each individual member.
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Thinking about children during transition
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Thinking about transitions, veterans’ advice, individual and family strengths
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Thinking about children when their parent have service-related injuries
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While transition from the military can be a big time in the life of defence families, it is important to remember that the majority of families come through this time well. For example, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Report into the wellbeing characteristics of ex-serving ADF members found ex-serving ADF families were more likely to earn $800 or more than the general population.
Transition can therefore be both an exciting and challenging time for the entire family.
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Learning from Veteran's stories Veteran's transition stories
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This magazine was created from research data from Rogers (2017) Australian study 'Young children's understanding and experiences of parental deployment within an Australian Defence Force family (ADF). Pages 4-7 have a story about a family who transitioned to civilian life.
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These five 10-minute video conversations between veterans are very interesting and useful for exploring some challenges veterans face when transitioning to civilian life. N.B. There are discussions about war and mental health in these videos.
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This story is about the options for veterans wanting to study through university. Please note that this article features the Australian Catholic University, but similar programs are available through other universities.
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Resources and Supports
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This co-produced storybook and accompanying resources is freely available on the Forces Children Scotland website.
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If the only certainty is uncertainty, how do we manage our anxieties about the unknown?
Listen to this conversation to explore why the mind struggles with uncertainty and what we can do to manage it.
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Documents
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This module was co-created with some members of our research team (Marg Rogers, Amy Johnson [veteran partner and veteran parent, current reservist], Emily Small [adult child of a veteran], Ingrid Harrington and Yumiko Coffey), together with:
- Tegan Kanard (Legacy Club Services and Steering Committee member), and
- Jeanette Davis (Veterans Centre - Ex-Service Organisation [ESO]).
- Tegan Kanard (Legacy Club Services and Steering Committee member), and