A House of Commons Defence Committee report published this week says evidence given to an inquiry suggests a worrying number of Service personnel and their families believe the Armed Forces Covenant has failed them.
The Armed Forces Covenant is a recognition from the nation of the commitment of all serving personnel and their families, as well as veterans. It is intended to ensure they aren’t disadvantaged by their service.
In its report the committee calls for the Legal Duty – the duty to give due regard to military service – to be expanded to central government departments and the devolved administrations. And it wants understanding of the Armed Forces Covenant to be deeply embedded in the country’s institutions as well as wider society.
AFF gave evidence to the inquiry and Chief Executive Collette Musgrave said: “AFF fully supports the recommendations of the report, which reflect the experience of many Army families. Speak to your families federation if you feel disadvantaged as a result of Service life.”
Committee chairman Tan Dhesi MP said when the Armed Forces Covenant worked it worked well. “But this is a lottery, made worse by the unpredictability and mobility of service life.”
He added: “Our report calls for the Covenant to be strengthened and expanded in law, and for Government to be much more proactive in ensuring the Covenant is properly understood and consistently implemented across all parts of our society.
“Government must provide guidance and direction, so that both the private and public sector have clarity on what their responsibilities to Service personnel and their families are, and so that personnel, families and veterans can rely on the Covenant wherever they are.”
Families still face challenges
The inquiry explored whether the Armed Forces Covenant is working well for the Armed Forces community. It found soldiers and their families continue to face challenges in accessing services such as childcare, education and financial services, and that in many areas not covered by the existing Legal Duty little was done to address disadvantages.
Serving members of the Forces were given special permission to submit written evidence to the inquiry about their experiences. One anonymous contributor said they ended up waiting five years for medical treatment after being dropped to the bottom of the waiting list following a move to a different location. The NHS trust response to being challenged was to say it didn’t recognise the Armed Forces Covenant.
Another wrote: “My experience of the Armed Forces Covenant is that companies are keen to sign up, but less keen to implement or put these grand gestures into action at a tactical level.”
But there were examples where it had worked well, including one case where a serving parent succeeded in getting their son’s case moved up the waiting list after finding their NHS trust had signed up to it and was a member of the Employer Recognition Scheme.
POSTED ON 9 APRIL 2025
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