and deploy just one more time. We in the Families Federations believe that families make all the difference to a Serviceperson’s motivation to serve and that they are key to retention. Whether we ‘Recruit the Man, Retain the Family’, or ‘Recruit the Family to Retain the Man’ is not important; what is important is the link between the uniform and the family which underpins so much of our work and is central to the work of the Covenant and the supporting People Strategies in each of the Services.
But they can only have this positive impact on recruitment and retention if the Serviceman or woman believes that his/her family is receiving appropriate support from the Government, the MoD and the single Service community. Take that belief away, raise doubts in a Serviceperson’s mind, and you create distraction and stress, worries that divert attention from the operational imperative and cause the individual to worry about that niggling housing repair, the child’s next school place, or the impending loss of the partner’s job.
Raise those doubts or fracture that belief and you have a less than optimal focus on operations, compassionate returns from theatre and, eventually, a desire to leave the Services in order to put the family first. Indeed, repeated surveys indicate that the key reason for uniformed personnel opting to leave the Armed Forces is to secure family stability and ensure more time together. The pressure on the Service person, trying to balance a family life with unlimited military obligations, is significant and the reason we are all here is to try and minimise that pressure by providing the best family support we can afford to deliver.
And here we come to the bones of it. What is affordable and how can we sustain investment in an area of support whose impact is so very difficult to measure or quantify? Over recent months, the RAF, alongside the other Services, has had to face up to massive budget cuts, with every area of proposed expenditure measured against the infamous Comprehensive Commitment Control Regime, otherwise known as the 3CR process requiring all expenditure to be scrutinised against core strategic Defence criteria.
The budget for the RAF Families Federation contract fell within this process and I was horrified to learn that, of all the Defence criteria listed, the only one we could tick was ‘None of the Above’. We couldn’t demonstrate our direct contribution to operations, the nuclear deterrent, health and safety, statutory or legal obligations, international treaties or standing tasks and commitments. So we had to tick the box ‘None of the Above’ and hope that the budgeteers and contracts specialists would
www.raf-ff.org.uk
be persuaded by the argument that the Federation, supported by and in partnership with, the chain of command and the wider welfare support services, makes an indirect but vital contribution to the operational outputs of the Service.
I can’t help but wonder how many others in this room, who clearly make a contribution to the welfare of Service personnel and their families, also fall into the ‘None of the Above’ criteria. And if many of us do, perhaps there needs to be some serious consideration of a new box – the one that justifies public expenditure on indirect support to operations, evidenced by the Federations, the charities here represented and the raft of work undertaken by DCDS Pers and his staffs and the supporting single-Service activity. To ignore this element of indirect support to operations is, in my view, short-sighted and could lead to hidden retention costs that prove far more expensive than upfront investment in key welfare agencies delivering support to the Armed Forces community.
So what lies ahead for military families in the next 3-5 years? In simple terms, a massive restructure of the three Services, arising from the SDSR and subsequent announcements. All three Services will face base closures and unit moves, with thousands of Army families returning from Germany and, in some places, RAF families making way as RAF bases turn into Army bases. The turbulence this will create for many thousands of families should not be underestimated, with impact on children’s education, family access to health services, and partners seeking employment, just the top three issues that spring to mind.
On top of that, compulsory redundancy is raising its unwelcome and ugly head across all three Services, with hundreds in the RAF hearing (today) whether they have been selected for redundancy against their wishes. We understand that over 50% of the first Phase will be non- volunteers, a situation many could not have imagined in the RAF only a few years ago. In early 2012 the next Phase will be announced in the RAF, Phase 2 is expected to be similar in size to Phase 1, so raising more fears of further compulsory redundancies.
And the RN/RM and Army share this misery, with previous cuts to the RN and recent announcements about massive cuts to the Regular Army generating significant concerns amongst their respective families. And this is where my point about the military way of life hits home. These redundees are not just losing a job. Many are losing a home and a community, too, a way of life they have bought into and their families have bought into, with many hoping it would last for significantly longer than the
next twelve months. To be declared ‘surplus to requirements’ is a kick in the teeth for loyal Servicemen and women who have served with distinction and whose families have sacrificed much to support them.
On top of that, families are still adjusting to the two-year pay freeze, the loss of certain allowances, and the fears over future pension provision. Cuts in the wider Welfare State, including child benefit, disability and unemployment benefits are also undermining families’ disposal income and price increases, be that fuel or food, simply add to the pressure.
So, at times like these, it is all the more important that a Welfare Conference such as this keeps a clear focus on the families who support those in uniform. The Armed Forces Covenant speaks highly of the contribution that families make to the Services. The MoD has a Family Forum, a Family Working Group and a wide range of other groups committed to identifying and meeting the needs of Service families. The single Services each have their People Champions and each commits to supporting families as part of the wider welfare delivery to their people.
But the proof of the pudding will be in the eating. Fine words and carefully crafted plans are all well and good, but families need to see investment, of funds, time and staff resources, to ensure delivery of the intent. Make families feel valued by protecting their interests and listening to their voice, be that articulated via the chain of command or via the independent Families Federations or other supporting military charities. Ignore them at your peril. For as the wife or partner walks out of the door, kids in tow, rest assured that many in uniform will go with them, unwilling to put Service before family without a fair and tangible return on their own significant personal investment. Look after the families, and in turn they will look after your personnel. ‘Force multipliers’, a ‘force for good’, call them what you will, we think they are an amazing group of people, the unsung heroes and heroines of the modern military, and we believe they truly deserve the best support you can offer.
Envoy Autumn 2011 21
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