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

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MINISTRY OF DEFENCE awarded a contract to Full Circle Roleplay for the provision of actors to support the training of Visiting Officers (VO) in the Bereavement and Aftercare Support (BAS) Team.

The BAS Team, based in Ramillies Building, Marlborough Lines, Andover, trains VOs who support Army bereaved families.

The contract covers 15-20 courses annually, with ten at the Armed Forces Chaplaincy Centre (AFCC), Beckett House, Defence Academy, Shrivenham, and others at distant Garrisons such as Northern Ireland, Scotland, South Wales, Preston, Colchester, Hereford, Catterick, and Cyprus.

Courses cater for up to 35 students from regular and reserve Army units and last three days, with the third day dedicated to role play using professional actors.

The role play involves five syndicates of seven students each, using 20 pre-written scenarios spread between three female and two male actors per course.

Each student conducts one 15-20 minute role play followed by 15-20 minutes of critique and discussion, including actor feedback.

The actors must portray the full emotions of the bereaved person, respond to student strengths and weaknesses without breaking them, and show awareness of the military environment and training aims.

The contract value is £106,163.