Annual Armed Forces Covenant report released

Homeland January 16, 2020

The government has released the annual Armed Forces Covenant report which looks at services available to serving and former personnel.

The Armed Forces Covenant report looks at how public services and the government are ensuring that serving and former personnel are not disadvantaged by their service. The 2020 report looks at what has been changed over the last year and the expansion of the Armed Forces Covenant as well as the improvements that still need to be made. The Armed Forces Covenant is expected to be further incorporated into law following the Queen’s Speech earlier this month.

The first chapter looks at governance, with the key achievement noted as the creation of the Office for Veteran’s Affairs (OVA). The OVA aims to secure veteran’s welfare across the public sector including housing, mental health and physical health, employment, and education. The report notes that the office represents the first time that veteran’s issues have been overseen by a ministerial group at the centre of government and was given £5million in funding in the 2019 Spending Round.

The next chapter looks at a number of developments in healthcare for serving and former personnel, including the UK Service Families Health Working Group, the Veteran’s Mental Health High Impact Service, and an NHS study on suicide. As well as this, the report examines the continued work of the NHS and the government on providing mental and physical healthcare as well as case studies of the appointment of a Covenant Officer to Milton Keynes Council. NHS Improvement and NHS England are set to launch an engagement to understand the health needs of Armed Forces families and improve the commissioning of help from the patient group.

The third chapter looks at education, including childcare for service families and education and training within the MOD. The report looks at expansion in a number of services including the Service Children’s Progression Alliance, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, and the MOD Education Support Fund (ESF). The chapter examines how the MOD plans to improve opportunities available to personnel through the introduction of a Professional and Personal Development Plan in the Through Life Development Policy to encourage personal development among service personnel.

The report looks at the Future Accommodation Model pilot, which is due to launch this year, and aims to improve the flexibility of accommodation on offer to service people. Last year saw an increase in spending and £123million has been set aside for improvements and modernisation. The report includes MOD commitments to reduce the number of empty properties on their estate through demolishing, handing over properties, and widening eligibility to cohabiting couples with an aim of a 10% reduction by Autumn of next year.

Chapter five addresses Inquests & Judicial Engagement and covers legal protections, the Defence Inquests Unit, and Northern Ireland legacy issues. The report details efforts made by the Secretary of State for Defence earlier this year to conduct a public consultation on legal protections for personnel who have served outside the UK. The MOD has promised to work with the Northern Ireland Office to ensure legacy cases are fairly represented and justice can be found for any victims.

The next chapter looks at family life, including the planned evaluation of the Families Strategy, Flexible Service, and issues facing defence staff and their families such as mental health and domestic abuse. A case study in the chapter looks at the excavation of a Roman building in Lincolnshire that gave RAF families a chance to take part in an archaeological project, which they say had positive results for participating groups. Services such as Military Coworking Hubs and the Forces Families Jobs website have expanded, offering opportunities and advice to families as well as the ability to socialise with other defence personnel.

Transition and through-life support is explored in the report, described as a core factor of the MOD’s Armed Forces Families strategy as well as a key part of their contribution to the 2018 government-wide Strategy For Our Veterans. The section looks at government commitments to veterans, non-UK nationals, widows/widowers, and holistic transition and explores a HMRC internship launched last year for service leavers. The Office for Veteran’s Affairs was created in 2019 and has worked with the government to improve issues facing veterans and shape policy to ensure they are not disadvantaged once they have left the army.

The section of the report covering business and the community features a number of case studies including support for local public services and employment projects. In 2019, the DWP secured £5million to expand the roles of Armed Forces Champions and over 4,000 organisations signed up to the Armed Forces Covenant and commited to treat service members fairly, including businesses. There has also been an expansion in the Defence Discount Service, with 12,000 new businesses signing up to provide benefits to service members, and an increase in covenant signings from organisations and businesses within the public sector, defence, and trade bodies.

The report finishes with a list of commitments for the next year and the future. These include commitments to work with other organisations to make services easier to access across education, health, accommodation, and other areas. It also details ongoing projects and the stage of development they are in as well as the specific promises made by the government and where they apply.

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