Following on from the Armed Forces Covenant consultation last year, the latest developments in the plan to target Covenant funding where it’s needed most have been announced.
Over the next three years, they’ll address the challenges and disadvantage faced by our serving and Veteran community, and their families, while extending crucial support to those who’ve made extraordinary sacrifices.
Last Summer, the Trust ran a consultation to discover how the Armed Forces community thought Covenant funding could make the biggest impact now and in the future. It received tne biggest ever response to a survey, and wants to thank each of the 500+ people who shared their thoughts and experiences. This feedback highlighted key areas where the Armed Forces community wants greater support:
- Reducing stress and challenges that are unique to the Armed Forces community
- Mental health and wellbeing support
- Addressing loneliness and isolation
- Holistic family support
Adopting this three-year (2024-2027) funding model allows for significant impact on the lives of those in the Armed Forces community. Importantly, it will also allow grant applicants more time to look ahead at their needs and plan their work and next moves accordingly.
Having listened to the public’s thoughts on how best to approach new programmes going forward, the Covenant Fund Trust is delighted that many of your suggestions align with what they’ve already been trying to achieve.
- Prevention
- Long-term impact
- Targeted approach
- Collaboration between projects and organisations
These principles will be at the core of each of the programmes they’re due to launch. A host of themes emerged from the consultation responses that showed what matters to our Armed Forces community. The range of topics included:
- Mental health and wellbeing
- Transition after Service
- Cost of living
- Support with family life
- The challenge of mobility on education, employment and isolation
The Trust will ensure these are woven into the design of our future programmes to help deliver support exactly where it’s needed most.
The Trust has a longstanding commitment to supporting programmes that address loneliness and isolation. Where need has been evident, they’ve focused on specific groups within the Armed Forces community who are traditionally underrepresented. They extend their support not only to those who serve and have served but also to those who stand by them.
The Trust will publish the full results of the consultation shortly, and there will be further opportunities to work with the Trust in developing work for the next three years. The Trust is hosting a Lunch & Learn webinar on Thursday 25 April, 12 noon to 1pm, where they’ll share more of the findings from our consultation and how they are underpinning the Covenant fund programmes they are currently developing.