VALOUR moves into second phase as veteran support network expands
Updated: 4 days ago
The government has announced a further £13.2 million for the next phase of the VALOUR veteran support system, with funding being distributed to 21 organisations across the UK.
The second wave is expected to launch by the beginning of 2027. Citizens Advice Rushmoor in Aldershot and City of York Council are among the organisations confirmed so far.
The government says the wider VALOUR network will grow from 14 to 34 organisations. The figures do not translate directly into individual buildings or locations. Earlier this year, Round 1 was described as 14 funded organisations operating across 17 locations.
Since the first VALOUR-recognised centres were announced in March, the programme has been moving from system design towards delivery.
At the Armed Forces Covenant Conference in June, VALOUR leadership described the immediate work as recruiting remaining field officers, launching Round 1 centres and coordinating the second funding round. The next stage was described as bringing those elements together into a more cohesive system, with greater sharing of standards, learning and good practice.
VALOUR is built around four parts: MOD Veterans Services, VALOUR Field Officers, VALOUR Recognised Centres, and VALOUR headquarters and digital services.
Field officers are not intended to act as individual veteran caseworkers. Their role is focused on partnership, coordination and understanding the support available within their region, including where services overlap, where gaps remain and how local information can inform wider national development.
The recognised centres are also being built around existing provision rather than replacing it.
Veterans Outreach Support, one of the first-round centres in the South East, told the Armed Forces Covenant Conference that its partnerships with local authorities, NHS services and charities were already in place before its VALOUR bid. VALOUR funding is being used to increase its reach and capacity and add specialist support within that existing network.
This reflects the wider model being developed through VALOUR: national oversight and regional coordination, with local delivery shaped around existing services and partnerships.
Other developments during 2026 have also added to the routes through which veterans can be identified or connected with support.
In England, the Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance launched the national ASK campaign across the NHS, encouraging services to identify and record whether patients have served in the Armed Forces.
A new MOD Veterans Services online referral route was introduced in June, while Northern Ireland launched its own Veterans Support Line earlier in the year.
These services operate within different systems and are not all part of VALOUR itself, but they sit within a wider move towards clearer access and better coordination for veterans across the UK.
VALOUR remains a developing system. The second wave of recognised centres is expected to become operational in early 2027, and the full picture of locations, regional coverage and local delivery arrangements is still emerging.
What is clearer is that the programme has moved beyond its initial announcement phase. The next stage will show how effectively the different parts of VALOUR work together across the four nations and how the expanding network connects veterans with the support already available in their communities.
VALOUR Recognised Centres
The second funding round includes 21 awards. Twenty organisations are new to the VALOUR network, while East Durham Veterans Trust, which received funding in the first round, has received additional support. This takes the network from 14 to 34 funded organisations.
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