AFF Research

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Stability V Mobility Survey - Sept 2011

AFF sought to understand why Army families choose certain lifestyle options. This enabled us to be better placed in helping influence policy decisions and in briefing the press and general public.

In particular to understand why a family might choose to send their children to boarding school rather than live away from their Serving spouse. Or why despite evidence that mobility can cause problems educationally, families choose not to claim CEA and to serve married accompanied? What influences a Service person to settle their family and commute to their unit? How do families decide what is best for them?

There was no 'one size' fits all solution to the questions or the challenges being faced but AFF was very interested in the reasoning behind the decisions that families make.

This survey was completed by 359 respondents. AFF passed the results on to the New Employment Model (NEM) who are looking at reducing mobility for military families. We also used the data to brief the media on the announcement of the results of the CEA enquiry. Click here to download the results.

Redundancy Survey - Sept 2011

On the 1st September 2011, the Army announced the results of the first tranche of redundancies. AFF wanted to hear from all families about how they felt these redundancies affected them. 288 families responded.

From the results, two problems became apparent. One, that families with children undertaking public examinations who had been made compulsorily redundant were struggling to maintain continuity of education at a critical time for their children. Whilst the MOD had made provision for those children undertaking public examinations whilst in boarding school, there is no provision in place for those families who chose not to claim CEA. AFF is lobbying the chain of command for a resolution to this. Secondly, families overseas expressed concern regarding their ability to settle back in the UK and to get time off to undertake interviews etc. AFF is engaging with the chain of command to pass these concerns on.

There was no 'one size' fits all solution to the questions or the challenges being faced but AFF was very interested in the reasoning behind the decisions that families make.

Click here for a full copy of the report.

Future of Army Housing Survey - July 2011

In the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) published last year, the government made a commitment to develop a New Employment Model (NEM) for Service personnel. The NEM aims to promote greater stability in service life balanced against the needs of defence.

*The NEM programme will seek to maximise stability and reduce dependency on publicly supported accommodation. The Future Accommodation Project (FAP) is one of five project teams reporting into the NEM’s final report for summer 2012.

FAP is developing options for a different approach to the provision of accommodation. AFF was invited with the other families federations to a meeting with FAP, as a result the three federations decided to ask families what they thought about future provision. The RAF Families Federation compiled the questions which AFF has adjusted for our own use. FAP have agreed to take our results into consideration to aid their decision making.

FAP will report their findings in April 2012.

The project considered the definition of a family and so those not currently entitled to accommodation were also asked to complete the survey. There is an assumption that accommodation will continue to be provided for the most mobile personnel and for those overseas.

Single Army personnel were invited to complete the survey as it also affects their future if they plan to stay in the Army.

* Defence Internal Brief Serial: 2011DIB/38 10th May 2011

Click here to download the results of this survey.

Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) Survey - Feb 2011

AFF conducted a Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) Survey to allow families to express the importance of CEA to their children and to their commitment to the Armed Forces. The survey was available on our website and was open to families with children younger than eighteen years old. It ran from 4 February 2011 to 16 February 2011 and received 3,204 responses. The survey was produced in response to the ministerial review into CEA and principally their Defence Analytical Services and Advice (DASA) written survey and the huge amount of negative feedback we received from their respondents. The level of response was unprecedented. By allowing families to comment, AFF has collected over 3,400 points of view.

Click here to download the Continuity of Education Allowance survey results.

The results of the Ministerial Review into CEA were released on 13 October 2011. Visit the Continuity of Education Allowance page in the Education and Childcare section to read the report.

Op Herrick 12 Deployment Survey

Between February and November 2010, AFF surveyed the experiences and concerns of the families of soldiers deployed on OP HERRICK 12. The aim was to specifically identify issues which may not come to light in a Families’ Continuous Attitude Survey or AFF’s own Families’ Concerns. Where possible to address low-level issues from the perspective of those left behind caring about loved ones, while 4 Mechanised Brigade were in harm’s way in Afghanistan.

The results have revealed a wide disparity in how Army families ‘feel’ before, during and after their brigade was engaged in protracted and well-publicised combat in Helmand. Contributions have been made from families whose soldiers have been significantly physically injured, and from those whose soldiers have been significantly mentally altered as a result of their experiences. The data is presented in three sections; Pre-deployment, Deployment, and Post-Deployment; themes are identified and conclusions drawn together in the summary.

Overall the experiences of families have been positive and they remain supportive of their soldier and unit. They generally empathised with the very difficult situation of unit rear parties, and understood the practicalities of Notification of Casualties (NOTICAS) and the difficulties of providing accurate information in the confusion of combat ops; “praise and thanks can never be enough for all that has been done for my soldier and us as a family”. Others have been less supportive of the whole experience and advised others to; “get divorced and marry a civvie”. There are however, many themes of best practice that emerge throughout the report and it is these that AFF seeks to present as recommendations to the Army, from the families’ perspective.

Op Herrick 12 Survey Report - Digital Version
Op Herrick 12 Survey Report - Pdf Version

AFF is currently running an Op Herrick 14 Survey - to take the survey please click here.