Over the past few months, I’ve had the great privilege of working alongside the Centre for Military Women’s Research (CMWR) at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) to deliver specialist training for 100 Independent Sexual Violence Advisers (ISVAs) to enable them to better support victims and survivors of military sexual trauma from the Armed Forces.

Between 2020 and 2023, LimeCulture was commissioned by the Hydrant Programme – the National Police Chiefs’ Council programme for Child Protection and Abuse Investigations – to deliver the National ISVA Coordination (NISVAC) Service to support ISVA Services to tailor their provision for victims/survivors from “seldom heard groups”. ISVAs identified victims and survivors within the Armed Forces as a key cohort requiring improved support. Guided by a dedicated special interest group, this work led to the development of a national resource to help ISVAs navigate the Service Justice System. It was in recognition of the learning from this work that the Armed Forces Covenant Fund provided funding to allow LimeCulture and ARU to deliver the Hidden Voices programme training series and the development of a supporting toolkit.

Bringing together ISVAs from different services across the UK to ensure consistent messages are shared across the whole workforce is one of the key principles we build into our training programmes at LimeCulture. It is so very important, but not easy to achieve.  Therefore, we are delighted that this training series has been able to reach ISVAs from 59 different ISVA Services across England and Wales – an important success.

Today we delivered the final session in this training series, and the ISVAs have been fantastic. It’s a real learning curve for ISVAs to get to grips with the nuances of the Armed Force’s complex internal structures, the Service Justice System and the operation of their Court Martial. While it shares some similarities with the civilian criminal courts, the military system has its own structures, language, legislation and processes that can be challenging to navigate. Understanding these differences, the boundaries and the barriers, is vital for ISVAs if they are able to deliver effective support for victims/survivors, and it’s been encouraging to see so much engagement and kind curiosity from the ISVAs who have attended our training series.

Gaining the trust of serving personnel or veterans can be particularly challenging, particularly when they are engaging with support services for the first time or have experienced complex, institutional systems during their career in the Armed Forces that may not have been supportive.  We have been delighted to have had veteran input in the development of the training and within the sessions themselves where veterans have spoken personally about their experienced of military life and the barriers they have faced to accessing support.

In breaking down barriers and building trust with this client group, it is vital that ISVAs demonstrate an understanding of the unique needs of those in the military, as well as independence, professionalism, and integrity in every interaction. Providing ISVAs with factual, high-quality training helps build confidence and competence across the workforce, reinforcing trust by showing learners that the guidance they receive is accurate, evidence-based, and directly relevant to the military context.

By combining specialist knowledge with a trauma-informed approach, we have sought to create a space where ISVAs feel confident, informed, and equipped to support veterans more effectively. We were privileged to include veterans in each delivery, ensuring their lived experiences were heard, valued and treated with respect.

As ever, I’m struck by the empathy, professionalism, and kindness of ISVAs. They consistently show up for those they support, with compassion and clarity, even in complex and unfamiliar systems.

At LimeCulture we are thrilled with the feedback from the ISVAs who have attended the training, which has been overwhelmingly positive. Many have reported that they found the training content and materials,  together with the Q&A session with a veteran, thought-provoking and insightful and immediately useful in their roles.

Some of the great feedback includes:

“Training was one of the best I have been to! It was so comprehensive and varied and so lovely to be in a space full of people who are equally as passionate and with so much knowledge to give. I don’t think there is anything I would add for improvements!“

“The training has been absolutely fantastic. It has been really informative with lots of useful information. I was not aware there were so many barriers to reporting. Thanks to the trainers and especially the guest speakers it has been invaluable.”

“I feel grateful to have been part of such a committed community of professionals working to make justice processes safer, fairer, and more supportive for those affected by sexual violence.”

Finally, we at LimeCulture, together with our partners at ARU’s Centre for Military Women’s Research (CMWR), have learned so much from the ISVAs who took part in this training series. We want to extend our sincere thanks to everyone who attended and contributed so meaningfully. Materials and resources collated as part of the training will be brought together into a toolkit for ISVAs to be shared in 2026.

This programme and the discussions amongst ISVAs have reaffirmed our belief that there is still more to do to ensure victims and survivors currently serving within the Armed Forces can be supported more effectively, and we will continue to explore how we can take forward this important work.

Significantly, with huge thanks to the funding from the Armed Forces Covenant Fund, we can be confident that 100 ISVAs are now better equipped to support veterans and that is a fantastic step forward.

Peach Smith
Training Manager, LimeCulture