FEDERATION NEWS
The FIRST SURVEY of 2012
So what did you say – that we could print – about SDSR and the Covenant? Dawn McCafferty, Chairman of the RAF FF, reports
A
s part of the Federation’s evidence-gathering activity, in April 2012 we ran an
on-line survey, supplemented by interactive workshops at RAF stations Cranwell, Marham and Brize Norton, exploring the impact of the Strategic Defence & Security Review (SDSR) and the Armed Forces (AF) Covenant.
Our reason for seeking evidence on SDSR was primarily to build on evidence gathered last year and to measure the continuing impact of the allowances review, base closures and redundancies, all of which stemmed from the 2010 SDSR. Given the time-scales involved in the implementation of some of the SDSR measures, we felt it was appropriate to establish how families felt now that base closures had been confirmed and the selections for the first of the Redundancy Phases had been announced. We are acutely conscious that Phase 2 selections have just been announced so findings reported from this survey will probably be exacerbated by the feelings of the second wave of families affected by redundancy.
Our reason for including questions on the AF Covenant was to inform our work as independent members of the Covenant Reference Group and to measure levels of awareness and expectations amongst RAF family members. Again, we were building on evidence gathered last year but, with the publication of the Interim Report in Dec 11, and the establishment in Jan 12 of a new Ministerial Committee to oversee Covenant implementation, we felt an update on how RAF families were responding to the Covenant would be of value.
378 family members voted online and 293 at workshops. Thank you to everyone who participated and special thanks to those who took the time to write comments, which added real depth and colour to the evidence gathered. It was good to see that, of the respondents, 23% were non-serving family members and we were pleased to see votes gathered from across the rank structure and from around the world.
The top themes emerging from this survey were as follows: On SDSR, families continue to feel very
bruised by the impact of base closures, redundancies and cuts to allowances and there is a distinct lack of confidence in the future of the RAF beyond 2015. Many reported that SDSR had had a negative impact on their desire to remain in the Service and there was a real sense of anger from many respondents and a feeling that the RAF had been let down by the Government and senior staffs.
On the Covenant, the overwhelming message was one of a woeful lack of awareness of its existance and how it might improve military family life. In each of the workshop sessions Jenny and I spent a great deal of time explaining elements of the Covenant, from the basic principles that underpin it to the more detailed commitments that are aimed at improving the provision of healthcare, housing, education, T&COS, and other aspects of Service life.
Most respondents had heard of the Covenant but very few had any real understanding of its potential impact on their and their families’ lives, with
20
Envoy Summer 2012
www.raf-ff.org.uk
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