Armed Forces Covenant Survey: Community Organisations and Partners
Overview
The national Armed Forces Covenant was introduced by the Government in 2011. It is ‘a promise by the nation ensuring that those who serve or who have served in the armed forces, and their families, are treated fairly.’ The Covenant is fulfilled by different groups including Central Government, local government, the armed forces, businesses, charities and communities.
Local covenants are very important in delivering the national Armed Forces Covenant. Local covenants aim to complement the national Armed Forces Covenant at a local level: -
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by encouraging local communities, voluntary and community organisations, local businesses, local authorities and other public service providers to work together to support the local armed forces community and nurture understanding and awareness of the issues affecting veterans, serving personnel and their families;
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by encouraging activities which help to integrate the armed forces community into local life;
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by recognising and encouraging ways in which the armed forces community can use their skills and experience to support the wider civilian community.
In Stockport, we produced our first local Covenant in 2012 and we have refreshed our Covenant every three years since. Our Covenant is developed and overseen by our Armed Forces Covenant Partnership Group which comprises representatives from Stockport Council and other public service providers, charity and voluntary sector organisations and representatives of the local armed forces community.
Our most recent Covenant was published in 2018 and includes a list of priorities that we aimed to focus on between 2018-2021. In the three years since we published this Covenant we have seen huge changes which have impacted on all sectors of society, including the armed forces community.
The Armed Forces Covenant Partnership Group would like to hear from veterans, serving personnel and their families, and people who work with the armed forces community, in order to get a true picture of what it is like to be a member of the armed forces community in Stockport in 2021. This will provide us with invaluable information which will shape our priorities for the next 3 years.