Help contribute to research into the needs of the bereaved Armed Forces community

Armed Forces families face unique challenges when experiencing the loss of a loved one who served in the military.

According to a recent comprehensive consultation run by the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust, the bereaved military community continues to face unmet needs.

In response to this, Alma Economics has been commissioned by the Trust to explore the needs, experiences and priorities of the bereaved Armed Forces community. We will also map the bereavement support currently available.

The findings from this research will contribute to the Trust’s design of a future grant programme to improve the provision of bereavement support.

A key element of this work will be interviews conducted with members of the bereaved Armed Forces community and professionals in the sector. Our aim is to carry out these interviews in September 2024.

More specifically, through the interviews, we will seek to:

• Gain an in-depth understanding of the needs of the bereaved Armed Forces community,

• Map the existing services that support this community,

• Understand what is working well with current support, and where there are gaps and limitations,

• Develop detailed recommendations for future support by the Trust.

If you are a member of the bereaved military community or a professional conducting relevant work, we would be extremely grateful for your input.

Hearing a wide range of views, both personal and professional, is an important part of our work, and these conversations will make sure that our recommendations are as inclusive, accurate, and impactful as possible, helping improve future support for the bereaved.

Please also note that we place extremely high importance on the privacy of individual participants, and all responses will be fully anonymised unless we have express, written permission to the contrary. Any expression of interest in taking part will also be treated with the utmost confidentiality.

You can read more about the research we will be conducting and how it relates to the Trust's broader work here.

Can you help?

If you feel you are able to assist with this research:

For the sector professional focus groups, our sign-up form can be found here. We will be in touch shortly with dates once these have been set. Any written submissions or unpublished material can be sent directly to Sarah Garrone by 18th October.

For the community interviews, our sign-up form can be found here. If you would prefer to attend a group interview with a particular member(s) of the bereaved Armed Forces community (for example, family members or members of a military bereavement support group), you can say this in the form. You can also let us know if you would like to have someone attend with you for support in a one-to-one interview (for example, a support worker or family member).