Selous Review
Living in Our Shoes: Understanding the Needs of UK Armed Forces Families
Independent review commissioned by the Ministry of Defence into the concerns and needs of UK Armed Forces families, covering accommodation, healthcare, education, employment for partners, and the impact of frequent moves and deployment. Made 110 recommendations.
110recommendations
110Not Yet Responded
Government Response
Government welcomed all findings and committed to strengthening the Armed Forces Covenant through legislation, improving service family accommodation, and enhancing employment support for non-serving partners.
29 March 2021
Recommendations
Recommendation 1
The Ministry of Defence to ensure that: • there is continued and urgent significant investment in poor quality SFA that is intended for occupation • remedial maintenance and high quality repairs are carried out swiftly and efficiently, and continued preventative maintenances is ongoing • The Amey call centre is better equipped to respond to calls from Service families and that staff understand the challenges of military life.
Recommendation 10
The Ministry of Defence to allow families to retain SFA to enable non-serving partners to manage their work commitments and protect their career; and/or children to complete the school year, whenever possible.
Recommendation 100
The Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces to review legislative requirements and remove the use of terminology which is regarded as being out-of-date, demeaning and disempowering, particularly references to non-serving partners/spouses as ‘dependents’, in all policies and procedures which relate to everyday military family life.
Recommendation 101
The three single Services to: • review current policies which require frequent moves and repeated upheavals in family life • make a commitment to facilitate greater stability and choice for military families while maintaining operational effectiveness • review the length of deployments and associated training activities pre- and post-deployments to minimise the additional time spent away and provide greater certainty about return dates wherever possible.
Recommendation 102
The Armed Forces to ensure that, as far as is possible, Ministry of Defence Harmony Guidelines and reasons for breaching them are fully understood by military families and that they are adhered to and breached only in unavoidable and exceptional circumstances.
Recommendation 103
The Ministry of Defence to promote research to develop a greater understanding of ‘what works’ to support Serving families to aid recruitment and retention.
Recommendation 104
The Ministry of Defence to: • ensure that, prior to coming to the UK, recruits to the Armed Forces from Foreign and Commonwealth countries and their families are always very well informed about the immigration, settlement and visa requirements and costs that could have a significant impact on their family life • implement a series of Tri-Service recommendations underpinned by an Action Plan to improve the support to non-UK personnel • review the availability of a ‘get-you-home allowance’ on an annual basis for single and unaccompanied Foreign and Commonwealth members of the Armed Forces. Foreign and Commonwealth: medium term
Recommendation 105
The Home Office to undertake a review of the policies relating to the Minimum Income Threshold and settlement requirements as applied to Foreign and Commonwealth members of the UK Armed Forces, and take action to reduce the negative impacts on their families and their family life as required by the Family Test.
Recommendation 106
The Home Office and the Ministry of Defence to review the cost of visas and the settlement process for Commonwealth Service personnel and their families in the light of the Armed Forces Covenant.
Recommendation 107
The Ministry of Defence, Government Departments in England, and the Devolved Governments to: • reinvigorate and strengthen the Armed Forces Covenant through legislation to drive recognition of the critical role played by the Armed Forces and their families, and raise ambition across society to harness better targeted support for Service families • ensure that the Armed Forces Covenant eliminates real and perceived discrimination of Armed Forces families • ensure children and young people are not disadvantaged in pursuing sport and leisure activities in their local community because of frequent relocations • ensure all organisations and agencies that sign up to the Covenant are held accountable for acting on their pledges and delivering them to Serving personnel and their families • work together with all organisations that have signed the Covenant to actively promote it throughout society • ensure that those who deliver their pledges are recognised and rewarded.
Recommendation 108
The Ministry of Defence, in collaboration with the Chain of Command and the Families Federations, to ensure every Serving member of the Armed Forces and every spouse/partner knows about the Covenant and understands how it can benefit them. Armed Forces Covenant: medium term
Recommendation 109
The Department for Education and the Ministry of Defence to work together to introduce the Armed Forces Covenant in schools and colleges to increase awareness among children and young people of the nation’s promise to Armed Forces personnel and their families. Final recommendation
Recommendation 11
The Ministry of Defence to: • ensure that families continue to have choices in accommodation, and that future options take account of the outcomes, both positive and negative, from the three FAM pilots • continue to maintain sufficient SFA stock at an acceptable standard and reduce the amount of SFA only if it is surplus to current and predicted requirements.
Recommendation 110
The Ministry of Defence to establish a robust mechanism for an independent review of the recommendations in this report, monitoring their implementation every six months, noting the progress made, and ensuring public accountability.
Recommendation 12
The Ministry of Defence to: • reconsider the expectation that families are required to move SFA on assignment • promote geographical clustering of military bases where operationally possible • retain sufficient SFA to enable families to remain in the same SFA while the Serving partner commutes between different military establishments in the same area, if they wish to do so.
Recommendation 13
The Ministry of Defence to consider whether offering additional incentives in remote areas would encourage home-ownership in the future.
Recommendation 14
The Ministry of Defence to continue to improve the messaging around the FAM to reduce suspicion and fear of it being seen as a cost-cutting exercise, and to enable families to make fully-informed choices that are appropriate for them.
Recommendation 15
The Governments of the UK to make ‘Getting It Right for Service Children’ a national education priority in all nations of the UK, and take all necessary steps to ensure that Service children, especially those with special educational needs and disabilities, are not disadvantaged by Service life.
Recommendation 16
All three Services to ensure that their career managers have a consistent understanding of the issues facing vulnerable families, especially those with special educational needs or disabilities, and take all necessary steps to ensure that children do not have to change schools unless this is absolutely unavoidable and necessary for operational reasons.
Recommendation 17
The Ministry of Defence to ensure that SFA is allocated as soon as possible when a posting in England is known, to enable families to select and apply for the most appropriate school.
Recommendation 18
The Armed Forces to minimise short-notice postings wherever possible, enabling parents to apply for school places in the normal admissions timeframe, and to develop a common agreed short-notice posting timeframe. Relocation: medium term
Recommendation 19
The Armed Forces to limit the number and frequency of relocations and facilitate extended postings to allow for more educational stability for military children.
Recommendation 2
The Ministry of Defence to remove the four year rule and the distinction between eligibility and entitlement to SFA for couples in long-term partnerships, and render SFA accessible with the same requirements as for couples who are married or in a civil partnership, including in the FAM pilot areas.
Recommendation 20
The Armed Forces to take account of the needs and situation of military children and the non-serving partner when posting a Serving person to another area, and ensure, wherever possible, that the assignment process aligns to a much greater extent with defined stages of education and school years.
Recommendation 21
The Armed Forces and Ministry of Defence to ensure that appropriate, high quality, information guides for Serving and non-serving parents and age-appropriate guides and books for children (such as that written by the Naval Families Federation) are routinely provided directly to all parents and to children and young people in all three single Services to help them understand and cope with the emotions they might feel during parental separation and deployments.
Recommendation 22
The Department for Education, the Devolved Governments and the MOD to prioritise more detailed, robust research into Service children’s academic choices, attainment levels, educational outcomes and career progression, and explore the factors which might hinder educational outcomes.
Recommendation 23
The Department for Education to review the funding for schools where the high mobility of Service children leads to ‘funding gaps’ and a ‘funding lag’.
Recommendation 24
The Ministry of Defence and Department for Education to continue to work urgently with Local Authorities in England to ensure a more coherent and consistent interpretation of the provisions for Armed Forces families in the School Admissions Code.
Recommendation 25
The Department for Education and Devolved Governments to ensure that all children with a parent in the military are identifiable with a marker that enables them to be tracked throughout their education between different schools and education systems, and that their educational outcomes are reported at all Key Stages, alongside destination data.
Recommendation 26
The Ministry of Defence to distribute MODLAP papers and outcomes to all Local Authorities in England and strongly encourage them to engage with MODLAP.
Recommendation 27
The Department for Education to: • ensure that the Service Pupil Premium (SPP) is available in England throughout the child’s final two years of sixth form education • require all schools in England in receipt of the SPP to provide evidence of the pastoral care or other practical support given to Service children • make it clear that the SPP can be used to assist a child to make up lost learning in key subjects • build a more comprehensive evidence base as to the use of the SPP • promote the sharing of good practice.
Recommendation 28
The Department for Education and the Devolved Governments to encourage all Local Authorities to appoint a Service Pupils’ Champion.
Recommendation 29
The Department for Education and the Devolved Governments to ensure that teaching staff in all schools, including Early Years professionals, undertake training in supporting the needs of Service children.
Recommendation 3
The Ministry of Defence to provide every family with the fullest information possible about the houses available so that more informed choices can be made regarding facilities and location, and ensure that non-serving partners are fully aware of the process which enables them to apply for housing.
Recommendation 30
The Department for Education and the MOD to support the development of evidence-based tools, resources, and practitioner guides for all education professionals working with Service children throughout the UK.
Recommendation 31
The Ministry of Defence to continue to work with the Welsh Government to introduce a greater degree of flexibility offered to some Service children with regards to the learning of the Welsh language as an additional language, focusing especially on those children who may already need support for English as an additional language (EAL), and take into account the nature/length of a particular posting.
Recommendation 32
The Ministry of Defence and the Department for Education to continue to work together through the Admissions Working Group to revise guidelines relating to normal points of entry and in-year school admissions.
Recommendation 33
The Department for Education and the Ministry of Defence to encourage the Centre for Transforming Access and Student Outcomes in Higher Education (TASO) to focus on investigating the needs of pupils with a parent in the military entering higher education and developing support to widen participation of this group of students.
Recommendation 34
The Department for Education to work with the Office for Students and higher education establishments to: increase guidance for students with a parent in the military on the UCAS website; place a marker on their applications and admission to higher education colleges and universities; and monitor their academic achievements and onward career choices.
Recommendation 35
The Department for Education to update the SEND Code of Practice in England so that it mirrors the duties placed on local authorities through the School Admission Code and requires them to allocate a place to a Service child with special educational needs ahead of the child arriving in a new area. Devolved Governments are asked to consider equivalence.
Recommendation 36
The Department for Education and the Ministry of Defence to explore how to avoid Service children’s Education, Health and Care Plans (ECHPs) lapsing as a result of accompanying their parents on deployments outside of England, to ensure a continuity of provision for Service children with EHCPs.
Recommendation 37
The Ministry of Defence and Department for Education to encourage all local authorities in England to develop a collective approach to providing consistent support for all Service children, especially SEND children, throughout their education, by adopting the MODLAP principles, and work with the Devolved Governments to extend this collective approach throughout the UK.
Recommendation 38
The Department for Education and the Ministry of Defence to work closely with the Devolved Governments through MODLAP to ensure EHCPs, SCANs and other similar records are fully transportable and transferrable, and ensure that they include information from previous schools, including those overseas.
Recommendation 39
The Department for Education to: • strengthen the SEND Code of Practice to ensure local authorities make full use of assessments made by MOD professional disciplines as part of the MOD SCAN (Service Child Assessment of Need) documentation • require local authorities to use assessment of needs contained within MOD SCAN documentation, to inform the Special Educational Provision within Section F of the Education Health and Care Plan, in order to reduce the time taken to convert SCAN documentation to EHCPs • consider making SCAN documentation statutory documents.
Recommendation 4
The Ministry of Defence to review the rule about time-limited payment of removal expenses in order to fully support children’s educational needs and spousal/partner employment options.
Recommendation 40
The Armed Forces and Ministry of Defence to: • improve the identification of young carers within Serving military families • ensure that appropriate support is available • provide information directly to children and families about the support available • ensure that the education, accommodation and support needs of families with a young carer are taken into consideration when the Serving person is assigned to a different area.
Recommendation 41
The Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces, together with the Devolved Governments, to ensure research is undertaken to extend understanding of the additional challenges faced by Service children who have caring responsibilities and the kinds of support they need.
Recommendation 42
The Ministry of Defence to: • remove the requirement to re-apply for CEA on entry to the Sixth Form to ensure the continuity of boarding education for pupils already in receipt of CEA • ensure that decisions about continuing eligibility for CEA are based on the educational needs and best interests of each child, with an emphasis on ‘continuity’, while managing the cost to the public purse. General: medium term
Recommendation 43
All UK Governments to include the voices of Service children and young people in the development of all policies and support services that impact on them.
Recommendation 44
The Armed Forces to collect information to understand how dispersed living impacts on the time families spend apart over and above normal Harmony Guidelines.
Recommendation 45
The Department for Education to work with the Devolved Governments to consider how their respective education management information systems might be aligned to enable data relating to Service children to be transferred more smoothly across the whole of the UK.
Recommendation 46
The Ministry of Defence and Devolved Governments to continue to raise awareness amongst employers through the Employer Recognition Scheme of the significant skills and expertise offered by military spouses/partners and about the commitment in the Armed Forces Covenant that Service families should be treated fairly and not be disadvantaged.
Recommendation 47
The Ministry of Defence to strengthen the Armed Forces Covenant Employer Recognition Scheme by requiring employers to support the whole military family and giving awards only to those who provide tangible demonstration of this commitment through job interviews and job offers.
Recommendation 48
The Ministry of Defence to challenge the FSB, IOD, CBI and Chambers of Commerce to: • apply the Armed Forces Covenant more effectively to partners of Serving personnel, • facilitate continuity of employment when spouses/partners are relocated • eliminate real and perceived discrimination.
Recommendation 49
The Department for Work and Pensions to ensure that staff in JobCentrePlus offices understand the challenges that mobility and frequent relocation create for military spouses/partners seeking employment, and to advise and support them appropriately.
Recommendation 5
The Ministry of Defence to review the current ‘improvements’ policy to promote greater pride in SFA, and update the information to make it clear that families are allowed to undertake approved improvements to their home.
Recommendation 50
The Armed Forces to enable non-serving partners to take advantage of training opportunities which are already available on a base, where resources allow, to advance spousal/partner employment opportunities.
Recommendation 51
The Ministry of Defence to encourage Barclays and other employers to promote the Armed Forces Covenant, and promote partnership with the Armed Forces to develop employment initiatives for non- serving spouses and partners.
Recommendation 52
The Ministry of Defence and Devolved Governments to support the development of Forces Families Jobs to become the ‘go-to’ place for high quality information, advice, guidance, training and job opportunities, and partner employment support.
Recommendation 53
The Ministry of Defence to undertake comprehensive evaluation of the revised spousal support programme that allows further understanding of the drivers for participation, the outcomes in respect of employment uptake, sustainability and satisfaction, and the impacts on retention. Spousal/partner employment: medium term
Recommendation 54
The Ministry of Defence to enable military partners to apply for ‘gapped’ civil service jobs via the Forces Families Jobs portal where appropriate and when a post remains vacant.
Recommendation 55
The Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces to: • undertake an assessment of the demand for childcare by military families living on or in the vicinity of each UK military establishment • encourage the establishment of affordable nursery and child care facilities at every military establishment wherever the demand is shown, and where it would enable continuity of childcare provision and facilitate non-serving partners to seek and take up employment • work closely with local schools in the provision of before- and after-school clubs • support families with ‘right to request’ applications, and provide evidence that articulates to schools the needs of the local military community • provide local authorities with the evidence to incorporate childcare needs of Service children within their statutory sufficiency assessment processes and action plans • enforce mandatory completion of the Community Needs Assessments by Commanding Officers. Childcare: medium term
Recommendation 56
The Ministry of Defence to consider ways in which the variations in childcare costs in different bases and localities can be addressed so that families who are moved around the UK are not disadvantaged and spousal/partner employment is facilitated.
Recommendation 57
The Department for Education and Devolved Governments to ensure that child care professionals are provided with information/training to enhance understanding of the needs of Service children and the specific challenges of the military lifestyle.
Recommendation 58
The Armed Forces to encourage and facilitate military spouses/partners to train in child care and/or train in child minding if they wish to do so as supported by the Defence Childcare Strategy. Postings and relocation: medium term
Recommendation 59
The three single Services to: • take account of the nature of a non-serving partner’s employment when relocating the Serving partner and to ensure that a period of time is allowed in which to manage a shift of employment (including retaining SFA) • review the necessity for frequent postings every two or three years and consider whether the current military model could be redrawn to allow families to stay longer in one location or commutable area without compromising operational effectiveness.
Recommendation 6
The Ministry of Defence to: • reconsider the three month rule on a case-by-case basis when families split up and ensure every possible assistance is given to the non-serving partner to access accommodation for themselves and their children in a timely manner • ensure appropriate family accommodation and contact facilities are readily available on every military base for separated/divorced Serving personnel who live in SLA to execute shared parental responsibility.
Recommendation 60
The Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces to encourage research to understand the needs of early years Armed Forces childcare and to discern the most appropriate evidence-based practice which should be employed by the sector to enhance the positive aspects of childcare provision, mitigate any risks, and encourage the sharing of good practice across the Armed Forces community.
Recommendation 61
The Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces to ensure robust evaluation of the individual employment initiatives to assess the role they play in supporting non-serving partners, the resources they need, the numbers of partners they are able to support and the demand for using them, their effectiveness in promoting and sustaining employment and other outcomes in respect of partner satisfaction and wellbeing, the appropriate governance structures, and their impact on retention.
Recommendation 62
The Ministry of Defence, through the Partner Employment Steering Group, to develop greater understanding of what works best for which military partners/spouses, and foster collaboration and joined-up initiatives to enable better coordinated partner employment support across the nations of the UK.
Recommendation 63
The National Health Service England and Improvement (NHSEI), NHS Scotland, NHS Wales and Health and Social Care Northern Ireland to ensure that information leaflets, guidance and top tips for delivering healthcare to Service families are provided to all GPs in the UK.
Recommendation 64
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the Devolved Governments to require GPs to transfer records speedily when Service families are relocated.
Recommendation 65
The NHSEI, NHS Scotland, NHS Wales and Health and Social Care Northern Ireland to require GPs to: • reinforce the veteran-friendly GP practice accreditation scheme to include Serving military families • routinely ask whether adults and children are members of a Serving military family • identify previous GP/dental practices for transference of health data relating to military families, upholding the requirements of confidentiality, as stated in the Armed Forces Covenant.
Recommendation 66
The Royal Colleges to require medical and healthcare professionals across the UK to undertake an accredited programme of training to increase awareness and understanding of the health needs of military families.
Recommendation 67
The Ministry of Defence to continue to work with the national health services across the UK to ensure that an Armed Forces Family Code articulates what is required to deliver appropriate continuity of care for Service families as they move around the UK, and to ensure that information is available to advise families about maintaining continuity of care on posting to a new area or healthcare system.
Recommendation 68
The DHSC in England and national health services across the UK to ensure that family members of Serving personnel are able to retain their relative place on waiting lists when they move to another area, and that GPs and other healthcare professionals support their transition from one area to another, in line with the commitments made in the Armed Forces Covenant.
Recommendation 69
The Clinical Commissioning Groups in England to be required through the Armed Forces Covenant to ensure timely access to CAMHS and paediatric services and that children and young people maintain their relative place on waiting lists when their parents are required to relocate to another area.
Recommendation 7
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to facilitate speedy eligibility for and access to social housing via local authorities for partners of Serving personnel who have no accommodation to go to and no local connection when they leave SFA following separation and/or divorce.
Recommendation 70
The Ministry of Defence to take account of the healthcare needs of military families when posting Service personnel to a new area.
Recommendation 71
The NHSEI, NHS Scotland, NHS Wales and Health and Social Care Northern Ireland to ensure that all Armed Forces families have access to an Armed Forces Care Coordinator or an Armed Forces Champion if they need support and help in accessing healthcare services. Integrated care: medium term
Recommendation 72
The Ministry of Defence to work with the providers of national health services across the whole of the UK to evaluate new models of integrated primary care being established in some military bases and consider how to extend effective models to other military bases.
Recommendation 73
The Ministry of Defence and the Defence Medical Services (DMS) to consider allowing family members to access Defence primary care services wherever possible and appropriate, and particularly when national health facilities are not easily accessible in the immediate locality.
Recommendation 74
The Ministry of Defence to consider how families of Serving personnel can be more involved in breaking down the stigma of mental health issues, and can benefit from the comprehensive activities and treatments to support Serving members of the Armed Forces in order to promote better mental health and wellbeing for the whole family.
Recommendation 75
The Ministry of Defence, in consultation with the DHSC and the Devolved Governments, to ensure that future mental health and wellbeing plans include mental health awareness activities and communication strategies aimed specifically at families of Serving personnel, perhaps via a designated App.
Recommendation 76
The Ministry of Defence and Defence Medical Services (DMS) and the national health services across the UK to explore ways in which a range of mental health services could be better integrated to provide holistic care for Serving personnel and their partners and children. Parenting support: medium term
Recommendation 77
The Ministry of Defence and the Defence Medical Services (DMS) to consolidate and refine a Parental Support Programme and facilitate roll out to bases in all three Services.
Recommendation 78
The Ministry of Defence transition and resettlement pathways should always include family members to ensure a holistic approach to support before, during and after the Service Leaver has exited the military. Transition and resettlement pathways: medium term
Recommendation 79
The Ministry of Defence to continue to work with other government departments, local authorities, Devolved Governments, the Families Federations, and the private and charity sectors to provide joined-up, consistent and seamless transition and resettlement processes for Service Leavers and their partners. 298 Defence Holistic Transition Policy 2019 op.cit. p5.
Recommendation 8
The Ministry of Defence to review the complaints process to render it more responsive, transparent and better able to resolve disputes quickly and effectively via a web-based complaint system.
Recommendation 80
The Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces to take a pro-active approach to supporting families and preventing relationship breakdown by: • being more aware of the cumulative pressures on couple relationships • ensuring every family is given information about the potential stressors on their family relationships as a result of Service life, particularly before, during and after deployment, and about the support available • providing clear information in plain language, avoiding military acronyms, about how to access confidential help and support • ensuring early intervention and personal support are available and accessible for all families.
Recommendation 81
All three Services to take steps to aid the retention of Serving personnel in dual-serving relationships, particularly those in different Services, and ensure that career managers liaise with each other to manage work requirements and deployments in order to minimise relationship stress.
Recommendation 82
The Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces to work in partnership with an established helpline, such as ChildLine, to set up a confidential helpline specifically for children and young people from military families.
Recommendation 83
The Chain of Command and Welfare staff to ensure greater awareness of factors which increase loneliness and social isolation and pro-actively reach out to families who are especially vulnerable as a result of deployments, mental health concerns, additional needs or disabilities, postings to new areas, and dispersed living arrangements.
Recommendation 84
The Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces to: • ensure all Serving personnel and their partners are aware of the confidential support available for those experiencing intimate-partner violence, domestic abuse and stalking, and how to access it • undertake research to better understand the incidence and nature of intimate-partner violence and domestic abuse in Serving military families.
Recommendation 85
The three single Services to work together to: • ensure there are no gaps in welfare support when Serving personnel and their families relocate • offer welfare support to all military families irrespective of whether they live on the patch or are dispersed, and to find new ways to reach the most vulnerable families • ensure appropriate support is available and accessible to all military families without stigma or fear • break down barriers to seeking help • harmonise terminology and move away from references to ‘welfare’ (following the Royal Navy lead). Increasing welfare support: medium term
Recommendation 86
The Armed Forces to actively explore the integration of specialist welfare support with deployed units and ways to provide better coordinated support across the Armed Forces community.
Recommendation 87
The Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces to: • review and refresh the Tri-Service Welfare Policy to encourage a more integrated and pro-active approach to welfare which includes prevention, early-intervention and specialist support available to all military families in all three Services • establish a more coherent, consistent Tri-Service offer of support for all military families, including the use of modern technology, recognising that one size does not fit all • realise the benefits of greater harmony across the three single Services and a Defence-wide approach to specialist welfare provision to ensure parity of support and better reflect the increased joint working environment. Increasing welfare support: longer term
Recommendation 88
The Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces to establish a Defence Case Management Information System to ensure continued support for all military personnel and their families.
Recommendation 89
The Armed Forces/Military Charities to: • continue to facilitate access for Serving personnel and their families across all three Services to independent, professional relationship support services outside the Chain of Command • promote through-life support and encourage Serving personnel and their families to seek timely and appropriate help.
Recommendation 9
The Ministry of Defence to allow families to organise for urgent repairs (for example, when ovens have broken or heating systems have failed) to be undertaken by approved local contractors if Amey fails to respond quickly and appropriately.
Recommendation 90
The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust to: • support the use of a range of robust, validated and appropriate evaluation tools to measure outcomes, benefits and the effectiveness attributable to each project/programme of work • consider the appropriateness and modifications needed to use the Outcomes Measurement Framework with UK Serving personnel and their families • ensure learning is widely disseminated and best practices identified to enable replication of projects which are effective and which meet a clear support need • continue to encourage greater coordination of support services for military families and ensure the long-term sustainability of effective interventions • take the lead in building a directory of evidence as to ‘what works’ in supporting military families.
Recommendation 91
The Ministry of Defence to: • take into account the learning from welfare approaches elsewhere • encourage increased international research to build the evidence base of ‘what works’ in providing welfare support for Service families • encourage further research into the effectiveness of early intervention programmes which aim to enhance the wellbeing of military families and prevent relationship breakdown.
Recommendation 92
The Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces to: • encourage the replication of good practice across the Armed Forces to support military children and young people • strengthen the delivery of the Defence Youth Offer through appropriate resourcing and investment in community spaces for military children and young people • ensure that all children and young people from military families are able to access specialist, confidential counselling if they need it. Welfare support: medium term
Recommendation 93
The Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defence to: • encourage small acts of kindness, including a welcoming committee to engage with families moving into a new area • promote pro-active support to enhance wellbeing through a family centre/family hub on every military base as the safe ‘go to’ place for information, group activities, education, co-working hubs, children’s activities, informal peer support and professional support programmes, and to encourage community integration • develop support through webinars, FaceTime/zoom/skype and Apps to include dispersed families unable to access family centres in person • break down barriers to help-seeking by reaching out to families and adapting the military culture of maintaining a ‘stiff upper lip’ to make it acceptable and normal to ask for help.
Recommendation 94
Charities and organisations offering support to Armed Forces families to work closely together; cooperate, collaborate and combine their resources wherever possible; reduce complexity; and ensure clear information and referral pathways to provide better coordinated support for military families.
Recommendation 95
The Ministry of Defence to establish a dedicated Serving Families Gateway, separate from the Veterans’ Gateway, to collate information and advice about the support available, and ensure greater coordination of the range of interventions and how to access them.
Recommendation 96
The Prime Minister to spearhead a change of culture to: • make the recognition and care of Armed Forces families a national priority • ensure that the UK population understands the critically important role played by the Armed Forces in keeping our country safe • promote pride in and respect for Serving personnel and their families; and ensure that all Serving personnel and their families feel valued.
Recommendation 97
The Armed Forces to ensure that families are recognised and thanked for their service and commitment whenever possible.
Recommendation 98
All Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces policies and procedures should: • fully embrace a range of family structures and remove any disadvantage • apply the Family Test and actively consider the impact on Service families.
Recommendation 99
The Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces to address improvements in communication with families as a key priority by: • exploring and implementing changes to the JPA DPA questions to encourage Service personnel to give permission for their spouses/partners to receive direct communications • supporting the development and availability of online Apps for family members to access and receive information. Policy: medium term