Meeting biannually, the Board will drive forward the
existing Armed Forces Covenant commitments
community across all Government departments
responsible for delivery, with a specific focus on the
priority areas of healthcare, including mental health.
Housing, education, and employment opportunities are also
other areas which will be covered. In addition,
the Defence Secretary and the First Secretary
of State will meet separately with leading Service
charities and the single Service Family Federations to
discuss the Covenant on an annual basis. This will ensure
the views of the wider Armed Forces Community are
represented in government decisions.
Government initiatives delivered to date through the
Armed Forces Covenant include:
• The Forces Help to Buy scheme (MOD), which has allowed
thousands of Armed Forces personnel and their families to
borrow up to half their salary to get on the housing
ladder.
• The Armed Forces Covenant Fund, which provides £10M per
annum to support mutually beneficial projects and
programmes being delivered by organisations across the UK
in partnership with the Armed Forces Community.
• The Job Centre Plus Armed Forces Champions (DWP) helps
current and former members of the Armed Forces and their
families access Jobcentre Plus services • The Transition,
Intervention, and Liaison (TIL) veterans’ mental health
service (NHS) acts as a front door to a range of mental
health services across the health and care system for
veterans.
• The Service Pupil Premium (DfE), which is paid to
schools to engage with service children to mitigate any
adverse impact of family mobility and parental
deployment. The Board will also seek to maximise
the potential of the Armed Forces Community through
mutually beneficial partnerships with businesses, as well
as with local communities throughout the UK.
