Sgt Paul Fillingham is the RN FPS Caseworker currently supporting the Serving Personnel and families of 45 Commando Royal Marines. To further understand his role, we asked him a few questions.
Sgt Paul Fillingham has served 23 years in the Royal Marines, conducting several different roles including operational tours in Northern Ireland, Iraq, and Afghanistan as well as Recruit Troop Instructor and 45 Commando’s Rehab Troop Sgt. He lives in Arbroath with his wife and two children and enjoys spending time with his family, being in the outdoors and mountaineering.
Sgt Paul Fillingham has agreed to share his perspective on what it means to work for RN FPS and support Service Personnel and their families in Scotland.
As a serving Royal Marine, why have you chosen to work for RN FPS?
I first heard about RN FPS when I was looking for a new challenge within the Royal Marines (RM), I had specialised as a Signaller after leaving the RM for a short period, but the highly technical role was less ‘people focused’, and this was a struggle for me as I’d always enjoyed the human factor involved with command positions and working within teams of various sizes. So, when I heard that RN FPS were recruiting, I jumped at the chance to take on a new role and to learn a new skill set, one which had supporting and working with people at its core, giving me the unique opportunity to have a very tangible and positive impact within the service.
I joined RN FPS in 2021, and after a 7-month course qualified as a Defence Specialist Welfare Worker. The course was challenging and interesting in equal measures, teaching basic counselling skills and techniques, covering a variety of presenting issues, as well as giving us in depth theoretical knowledge to inform our practice and assist us in making accurate assessments. The course was very academic (Level 7 Diploma), so as a relatively typical ‘bootneck’, I really had to put in the ‘graft’ to meet the standards expected, especially when it came to essay writing!
I have worked in Scotland for 3 years now and it has been a real pleasure to support the serving members and their families in the local community. As a long-term case worker, I regularly see the experiences, determination, and resilience of the families I support. Because of this, I really see my role as a huge privilege; I am there to support our people, often when they are having very real and often upsetting difficulties in life, working hard to make a positive contribution however small, and that is an extremely humbling place to be.
RN FPS offers a range of specialist welfare services, and it is an integral part of Navy Command’s People Support organisation. We have a blended workforce; in that we employ both military and civilian staff. The key is that all our staff are qualified and trained to ensure they have the skills and knowledge to deliver their role, for example as a caseworker or community development worker. We also employ qualified social workers, and again they are both military and civilian personnel. RN FPS can also provide specialist advice and guidance to the Chain of Command when needed, to support coherent welfare provision.
What is it like to be a Caseworker for RN FPS in Scotland?
Busy! Every day is different, every person and every issue you come across is different. I will often have a variety of cases, and each one requires entirely different skill sets.
For example, compassionate cases are cases which require comprehensive engagement with the service user, the Chain of Command and any local authority services or healthcare professionals involved in the case. As a caseworker, our role is to then consider all this information and make a professional ‘compassionate assessment’ and advise the Chain of Command accordingly. This always requires a high level of professional judgement, empathy, compassion, and effective communication skills. The outcome of our work can often make a real difference for the families who are seeking support.
Other cases will often cover a spectrum of presenting issues, including housing issues, stress, anxiety, depression, domestic abuse, childhood trauma, supporting neurodiversity or relationship issues. In all cases, we are trained to identify risk such as child/adult safeguarding, make assessments and develop work plans with the service user. Sometimes this means we can take on direct work with them, for example working on financial or relationship issues, self-compassion, or self-confidence. We can do this specialist work by conducting home visits, online calls, or they can simply visit one of our offices. Sometimes there will be other specialist support required, and so we will signpost and coordinate the service users’ engagement with the relevant agency or organisation. All our work is governed by the Code of Confidentiality and the data protection legal framework.
We have regular supervision to give us advice and guidance where necessary and to support us as caseworkers. The sometimes difficult and upsetting nature of our work requires assurance that we, as caseworkers, are coping with the subjects and information we handle so that we can offer our best to our service users. Supervision is the opportunity to discuss these issues in a confidential, non-judgemental, and professional manner in order to give the best support to both caseworker and service user alike.
We are also working closely with the third sector to make sure RN families get the support they need, in their own community. Although we may have different employers, we have a shared goal, and that is to provide the best support to the families we work with, be that through information, guidance, or advocacy to more formal casework intervention.
What is the best way to contact RN FPS?
Our main service access point for referrals and enquiries is through the RS FPS Portal Team: [email protected]. We have several satellite offices so when in doubt, please approach any one of us and we are more than happy to help.
The Royal Navy Forum is the Royal Navy’s official communication channel between units and their families. This is where families can find service-related updates and more information about upcoming events and activities, as well as access peer-to-peer support.
What do you hope RN Forum readers will take away from this interview?
I hope they will know who we are and what we can do to support if Serving Personnel and their families are faced with potential difficulties which may arise because of both ordinary and service life. We cover the length and breadth of the UK and can be deployed overseas; we are there for Serving men and women and their families.
