1. The Armed Forces Covenant
Actions
The Armed Forces Covenant
The Armed Forces Covenant is a promise by the nation ensuring that those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces, and their families, are treated fairly and are not disadvantaged in accessing public or commercial services due to their military service. It also allows for special provision when appropriate for those who have sacrificed the most, such as the bereaved and injured.
The Armed Forces Community is made up of:
- The Royal Navy / Royal Marines
- The Army
- The Royal Air Force
- Reservists
- Families of those who serve, including spouses/ partners and children
A copy of the Armed Forces Covenant can be found on the GOV.UK website.
The Armed Forces Act 2021
The Armed Forces Act 2021 enshrines the Armed Forces Covenant into law and places a legal obligation on public bodies (including local authorities, schools and other public organisations such as NHS England) to pay ‘due regard’ to the principles of the Covenant when delivering services in relation to housing, healthcare and education.
The aim of the new Duty is to increase awareness of the Covenant among service deliverers and policy makers, and to build their understanding of how the unique nature of Service life can affect Service people’s ability to access key public services. This will therefore help improve overall delivery of public services to the Armed Forces community.
Armed Forces Covenant Duty Statutory Guidance, which the bodies in scope of the Duty must have regard to, provides examples of good practice and useful information to help understand the Covenant principles, the Covenant Duty, and the Armed Forces community.
Further information:
The Covenant Legal Duty toolkit provides information about the Legal Duty aspect of the Armed Forces Covenant.
Further information about the Armed Forces Covenant can be found on the Armed Forces Covenant website.
Living in our shoes: understanding the needs of UK Armed Forces families
In 2019 Andrew Selous MP was commissioned by the Ministry of Defence to conduct an independent review to consider the diverse needs of Service families.
Key themes arose from the review as detrimental to modern family life and relationships including; mobility, deployment, health and wellbeing and the impact of Service life on Military children.
The majority of Service parents spoken to during the review raised concerns about the effect their lifestyle has on their children, particularly on their education. Parents raised concerns about the frequency of school moves and the disruption this can have on their child’s education. They also noted the variations in support available from school to school, with those schools with higher numbers of Service pupils more likely to understand their needs and challenges.
The review outlines 110 recommendations for change with the highest number of recommendations in relation to the impact of Service life on Military children. Most recommendations outlined within the review are actions for the Ministry of Defence and the Services, although some have implications for other government departments, local authorities and a range of organisations within the statutory, private and charitable sector.
The Armed Forces Covenant and the Armed Forces Family Strategy 2022 to 2032 are seen as key for taking these recommendations forward.