8th July – Forces in Mind Trust (FiMT) has awarded £221,000 to Shared Intelligence in partnership with RAND Europe and Meri Mayhew Consulting to examine the impact of the Armed Forces Covenant.

The project will follow on from the previous Our Community-Our Covenant reports and will go beyond examining how the Armed Forces Covenant is delivered, to evaluate the impact of the Covenant in reducing disadvantage for the Armed Forces Community and how the work of public sector organisations has developed as a result. This UK-wide project will provide a baseline for future impact evaluation before certain aspects of the Covenant are enshrined into law through the anticipated Armed Forces Bill 2021. The project will also explore the impact of Covid-19, and other challenges, on the public sector’s ability to deliver the Covenant, as well as identifying areas of best practice where success can be shared.

The project team will conduct surveys and interviews with stakeholders in local authorities, other public sector organisations, Armed Forces charities and members of the Armed Forces Community. This will enable the team to better understand the extent to which the Covenant has contributed to reducing disadvantage across key policy and delivery areas of education, health, housing, children’s services, adult social care and employment.

This 12-month project commenced in June 2021. If you would like to find out more, or be involved in the project, please contact Charlotte Boulton at charlotte.boulton@sharedintelligence.net

Thomas McBarnet, Director of Programmes at Forces in Mind Trust, says: “I am delighted that we have commissioned this project which continues our ongoing scrutiny of Covenant delivery and the realities of tangible change. Our previous Our Community-Our Covenant reports have been invaluable resources for the Services charity sector, local authorities and Government, and I hope this new study can deliver the same impact.

“As aspects of the Covenant progress toward being enshrined into law, this study will allow us to understand what is being done, baseline existing delivery so as to measure progress in the future, and provide another important resource for service deliverers and public sector organisations in delivering on their responsibility of ensuring no member of the Armed Forces is disadvantaged as the result of service.”

Phil Swann, Director at Shared Intelligence, says: “We are proud of Our Community Our Covenant and the way it has helped councils to ensure that members of the Armed Forces Community do not suffer disadvantage. The challenge of evaluating the impact of the Covenant is an important and exciting one, as is the opportunity to produce a resource to help all local public providers to better meet the needs of service personnel, veterans and their families. We know from our previous work that councils, the health service, schools and other organisations are committed to delivering the Covenant. Our ambition is to produce the evidence and good practice to help them deliver that commitment even more effectively.”

 

-Ends-

Notes to Editors

About Forces in Mind Trust (FiMT):

FiMT was founded in November 2011 by a £35 million endowment from the Big Lottery Fund (now The National Lottery Community Fund). As a member of Cobseo – the Confederation of Service Charities and a permanent member of its Executive Committee, the Trust works within the Armed Forces charities sector, and much more widely, to support the UK’s Armed Forces Community.

The mission of FiMT is to enable ex-Service personnel and their families to make a successful and sustainable transition to civilian life. FiMT delivers this mission by generating an evidence base that influences and underpins policy making and service delivery, and by strengthening the Armed Forces charities sector through collaboration and leadership, and by building its capacity.

FiMT’s grants and commissions are designed to generate sustained change that improves the lives of ex-Service personnel and their families. FiMT awards grants to support its Change Model based on six outcomes: Housing; Employment; Health; Finance; Criminal Justice System and Relationships.

Website: www.fim-trust.org

Reports: www.fim-trust.org/reports/

What we fund: www.fim-trust.org/what-we-fund/

Twitter: @FiMTrust

About Shared Intelligence

Shared Intelligence is a public policy and research consultancy that helps its clients be clear about what they are trying to achieve, develop robust plans for doing so and evaluates progress. We specialise in local governance, local economies and local public service delivery.

Website: https://sharedintelligence.net/

Twitter: @Sharedintel

About Meri Mayhew Consulting Ltd

Meri Mayhew Consulting Ltd offers strategic and operational support to charity and public sector leaders in a range of areas including project management, strategy, and policy development.  Meri Mayhew | LinkedIn

meri@mericonsulting.co.uk

About RAND Europe:

RAND Europe is a not-for-profit research organisation whose mission is to help improve policy and decision making through research and analysis. RAND Europe’s work lies on the spectrum between that of universities and consultancies, combining academic rigour with a professional, impact-oriented approach.

Website: www.rand.org/randeurope

Twitter: @RANDEurope