The Forces in Mind Trust (FiMT), established to help ex-Service men and women make a successful transition back to civilian life, has awarded 2 separate awards linked to commissioning a new 2017 Transition Mapping Study: Firstly, FiMT has awarded £110,000 to The Futures Company and secondly, £60,000 to Arkenford.

The 2013 Transition Mapping Study, which was conducted by The Futures Company, reviewed the entire transition process from military to civilian life and how it was viewed by stakeholders and Service leavers.   Three years since this report was published, FiMT are keen to understand how and where this process has changed.  The award to Arkenford will focus on evaluating the Transition Mapping Studies (2013 and the report due in 2017) to understand the extent and manner in which they influenced and impacted on policy development and service delivery.

The 2013 Transition Mapping Study was used to develop an economic model which calculated the total cost of poor transition to the UK as a whole of £113 million in 2012.   The study included the calculated costs to the UK for every aspect of poor military transition, including mental health issues at £26 million and alcohol misuse at £35 million.  It also contained over 40 recommendations on how to reduce the number of these poor transitions, which were relevant to Government, the charity sector and individual Service leavers.  The 2017 Transition Mapping Study, which has just been commissioned by FiMT will consider how these recommendations have been implemented, with a particular focus on employment and the transferability of skills and qualifications.

Ray Lock CBE, Chief Executive of Forces in Mind Trust said: “The 2013 Transition Mapping Study enabled the Forces in Mind Trust to provide key stakeholders in the Ministry of Defence, the Armed Forces charity sector and all those involved in transition with evidence to help explain where transition fails, and what those failure costs are, as well as giving clear recommendations for improving the process and outcomes for the individuals involved and their families.  These latest grants will build upon the important work already done and will help us review progress made to-date as well as understanding how we can achieve greater impact in the future.

We know the 2013 Transition Mapping Study informed such diverse policy makes as:   the Ministers responsible for veterans in Westminster, Edinburg and Cardiff; Lord Ashcroft; bidders for the Career Transition Partnership contract; and many others well outside the military charities sector.   We are determined to make this 2017 Study even more credible, and even more influential.”

Andrew Curry, the director of The Futures Company who is leading the new study, said:  “Having worked with FiMT on the 2013 Transition Mapping Study, we are delighted to be working with them again on the newly commissioned 2017 Transition Mapping Study.   We hope that it will identify ways to help service leavers transition better into employment, which is often a critical factor in determining the success of transition.”

Ben Moxon, Director at Arkenford said:  “We are delighted to have been appointed to carry out the evaluation of the 2013 Transition Mapping Study and the 2017 Transition Mapping  Study. Our goal is to learn from policy makers and service deliverers so we can provide clear insight and recommendations that enable the FiMT to further their support for military personnel transitioning to civilian life.”

ENDS

Ray Lock is available for interviews.  To arrange an interview please contact Kerrie Josephs at kjosephs@theproffice.com or on 07788 540 924 or 0207 284 6941 or Kate Turner at kturner@theproffice.com or on 07919 887 036 or 0207 284 6944.

About the Forces in Mind Trust (FiMT):

  • FiMT came about from a partnership between the Big Lottery Fund (‘the Fund’), Cobseo (The Confederation of Service Charities) and other charities and organisations.  FiMT continues the Fund’s long-standing legacy of support for veterans across the UK with an endowment of £35 million awarded in 2012.  http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/.
  • The mission of FiMT is to enable ex-Service personnel and their families make a successful and sustainable transition to civilian life, and it delivers this mission by generating an evidence base that influences and underpins policy making and service delivery.
  • FiMT awards grants (for both responsive and commissioned work) to support its change model around 6 outcomes in the following areas: Housing; Employment; Health and wellbeing; Finance; Criminal Justice System; and Relationships.

 All work is published in open access and hosted on the Veterans’ Research Hub.  A high standard of reportage is demanded of all grant holders so as to provide a credible evidence base from which better informed decisions can be made.