Provision of Actors for Role Play to Support the Training of Visiting Officers

The Bereavement and Aftercare Support (BAS) Team is located in Ramillies Building, Marlborough Lines, Andover, and is responsible for the training of Visiting Officers (VO), whose job is to support Army bereaved families. BAS plans between 15 and 20 courses each year, with ten held at the Armed Forces Chaplaincy Centre (AFCC), Beckett House, in the Defence Academy at Shrivenham near Swindon in Wiltshire, with the remainder run in the more distant Garrisons as required, such as Northern Ireland, Scotland, South Wales, Preston, Colchester, Hereford, Catterick and Cyprus. Courses cater for a maximum of 35 students, drawn from regular and reserve Army units, and last for three days, with the third day being devoted to Role Play with professional actors. The role play is based on five syndicates of seven students each, and uses 20 pre-written scenarios, issued by the Authority, spread between three female and two male actors on each course of 35 students - this requirement will vary if there are fewer students on the course as explained in Para 5 below. Each student conducts one role play of 15-20 minutes, followed by 15-20 minutes critique and discussion, which includes feed-back from the actor.

Scope:

The actors must appreciate that they are taking part in the training of professional soldiers, many with long service and operational experience, and that the role-play is not there to test them. When in character, they must portray the full emotions of the bereaved person within the scenario setting, and should be alert to the strengths and weaknesses of the student, responding accordingly so as not to break them. They must appreciate that any nerves or diffidence, demonstrated by the student, are quite likely to be replaced by compassion and general confidence when away from the unreality of a syndicate role-play setting. The actors are also expected to show an awareness of the military environment, and an understanding of the aim of the training, to enable visiting officers to provide support to the bereaved, and not to act as counsellors, for which a separate background brief is available.