An expansion of the Armed Forces Covenant means all government departments will have a legal duty to consider the needs of military personnel when making policy decisions.
Part of the Armed Forces Bill going through Parliament, it covers regulars, reservists, veterans and their families, including the bereaved.
The Armed Forces Covenant Legal Duty Extension is intended to ensure policies take the challenges of Service life into account. That includes areas like childcare, education, employment, health and social care, housing, social security benefits, criminal justice, pensions and immigration.
It widens the scope of the current legal duty, which applies to local authorities, state schools and some NHS organisations. They are required to give due regard to the Armed Forces Covenant when making decisions that might affect the Forces community.
AFF Head of Policy Rachel Smith said: “As a data-driven charity, AFF will continue to work closely with the MOD and other organisations involved in the delivery of the Armed Forces Covenant to use evidence from serving personnel and their families to show where areas of best practice exist, and also where areas of ‘due regard’ should evolve to better meet the needs of the Army family.”
The Armed Forces Covenant has been in place since 2011 as a promise that those who serve or have served, and their families, should not be disadvantaged. The Armed Forces Covenant Legal Duty Extension, which also covers the devolved governments, means they and their families must be considered right at the start of policy development.