Forces in Mind Trust (FiMT) has awarded £174,737 to Shared Intelligence and NatCen, to research how organizations, excluding Local Authorities and Government departments, are delivering pledges under the Armed Forces Covenant in Great Britain.

The decision to commission this research came about from the impact of FiMT’s Our Community-Our Covenant report and the desire to understand delivery of the Armed Forces Covenant more widely.  Shared Intelligence, in partnership with NatCen, were appointed to deliver this research following a competitive tender process.

The research will explore two main areas;

  • Employment opportunities for the Armed Forces Community and any relevant policies or practices employers have in place, and
  • The provision of services to the Community, covering a broad range of sectors such as commercial contract variations or support offered by social groups.

Organizations who have not signed the Armed Forces Covenant, and their reasons for this, will also be explored as part of this project.

Evidence from the research will provide ideas on how the delivery of the Covenant could be improved, and offer recommendations for local and national levels in support of this.

Ray Lock, Chief Executive of Forces in Mind Trust said: “Forces in Mind Trust was created to ensure that all ex-Service personnel and their families have a successful and sustainable transition to civilian life. The delivery of the Armed Forces Covenant has a significant impact on the transition pathway.

This timely research will identify how improvements to the delivery of the Covenant could be made.  It will be essential reading for all organizations, including service providers and policy makers, who share in the nation’s commitment to the UK Armed Forces Covenant.”

Phil Swann, Executive Chair of Shared Intelligence said: “We are committed to ensuring that this research helps to increase the use of the Covenant to reflect the contribution of the Armed Forces Community.”

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Note to Editor:  Ray Lock is available for interview. To arrange please contact Tina McKay, Communications Officer at FiMT on co@fim-trust.org or on 07956 101132 or 0207 901 8916.

Phil Swann is available for interview. Please contact phil.swann@sharedintelligence.net or call 020 7756 7600

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 Forces in Mind Trust Research Centre’s Veterans and Families 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.

Useful links

Website: www.fim-trust.org

Reports: www.fim-trust.org/reports/

Who we have helped: www.fim-trust.org/who-we-have-helped/

Twitter: @FiMTrust

About the Mental Health Research Programme: www.fim-trust.org/mental-health/research-programme/

About the consultants

Shared Intelligence is a consultancy which uses data and evidence, facilitated conversations and logical ways of thinking to help our clients deliver better outcomes for the places and communities they serve.

NatCen is Britain’s largest independent social research agency. For the last 40 years we’ve worked on behalf of government and charities to find out what people really think about important social issues and how Britain is run.