Image: A Royal Air Force Sentinel aircraft prepares for take-off at an air base in the Middle East. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.


Serving Personnel uDual Serving Families


As with some of our previous surveys, the number of comments we received from dual-serving families about the particular challenges and stresses they face was noteworthy. There were mixed opinions and experiences about how much support (or not) the Service provides but managing deployments and, to a lesser degree, family life when not serving on the same base featured in many of the comments we received. We know that RAF manning does everything it can to support our dual-serving families and that every circumstance is impossible to cater for but, as a group, they do have a view that sometimes it consists of every possible assistance short of actual help. Local line management can have a huge role to play but, coupled to the resource versus task pressures many are struggling to cope with, some dual-servers feel disenfranchised.


‘I have been very lucky to have supportive line management, who have helped me get the tours I wanted/needed and have ensured my next tour (on return from maternity) assists both my career and my domestic situation (my husband is also serving) we have two children under the age of 3.’


‘‘I feel extremely unsupported by the RAF to complete my job. I am posted 3 hours away from my husband and children and constantly struggle to maintain a work life balance. I struggle with fatigue which effects everyday home and work life.’


‘Outdated policies continue to cause issues for serving personnel, especially when it comes to family life. Modern living and expectations do not meet what the RAF has to offer, e.g. policies do not allow me to live with my wife (serving) as neither of us can get stationed together. This is mostly due to outdated policies, incorrect priorities, and a ‘that’s how it is’ attitude.’


www.raf-ff.org.uk


9


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20