This case study research examines the implementation of the Armed Forces Covenant in five local authority areas across England, Scotland, and Wales, including the different delivery models used as well as identified cases of good practice.

Local approaches to delivery of the Armed Forces Covenant and wider support for the Armed Forces Community

Findings from the Our Community, Our Covenant and beyond case studies

Edward Bryan, Linda Slapakova, Harper Fine, Conlan Ellis, Tony Blake, Lisa McCance, Geordie Milligan, Meri Mayhew

ResearchPublished Oct 14, 2025

Local authorities, other public service providers, and third sector organisations play an essential role in advancing the Armed Forces Covenant’s aim of ensuring that the Armed Forces Community faces no disadvantage compared to other citizens when accessing public and commercial services. While previous research has outlined a ‘core infrastructure’ for Covenant implementation among these organisations, there is growing appreciation that Covenant delivery models and approaches differ across different local and regional settings.

In recognition of variation, Forces in Mind Trust commissioned the ‘Our Community, Our Covenant and beyond’ study to better understand local realities of Covenant delivery across England, Scotland, and Wales. This sought to provide a more nuanced understanding of how the Covenant and wider support to the Armed Forces Community are implemented, what progress has been achieved, and what constitutes good practice.

This report describes findings from case study research focused on how the Covenant and related support are delivered in five local authority areas: (i) Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan; (ii) the East Riding of Yorkshire; (iii) Glasgow; (iv) Greater Manchester; and (v) Oxfordshire. Rather than advocating for a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach, the report critically examines how models and partnerships vary in different local contexts, reflects on aspects of good practice, and offers direction as to how existing structures might be expanded or amended in a tailored manner to facilitate progress in achieving Covenant outcomes.

For a full discussion of the study’s findings, see the main report.

Key Findings

There are various models and approaches for supporting Covenant delivery.

  • While all case study areas displayed many features of the ‘core infrastructure’ for Covenant delivery, how these structures operated in practice was found to vary significantly. This included the composition and role of partnership forums, use of strategic documents, and the degree of engagement with other regional and national stakeholders assisting the Covenant’s implementation.

Covenant delivery is fundamentally shaped a wide range of contextual factors.

  • The observed variation in Covenant delivery between the case study areas reflected a host of local and regional factors, including local authority structure, physical geography (e.g. rural, urban), Armed Forces Community profile and presence, the extent and composition of the support landscape, as well as local stakeholder capacity and capabilities.

Aspects of good practice identified in the case studies could help guide efforts to amend, extend or update Covenant delivery approaches depending on local contexts and circumstances.

Good practices highlighted in the case study research include:

  • The use of local Covenant funds to develop existing support structures.
  • Concentrating Covenant services in a local hub to improve their accessibility.
  • The appointment of regional coordinators to cohere Covenant delivery across larger areas.
  • Fostering cultures of accountability and improvement.

Topics

Document Details

  • Copyright: RAND Corporation and Shared Intelligence
  • Publisher: RAND Corporation
  • Availability: Web-Only
  • Year: 2025
  • Pages: 70
  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.7249/RRA4068-2
  • Document Number: RR-A4068-2

Citation

Chicago Manual of Style

Bryan, Edward, Linda Slapakova, Harper Fine, Conlan Ellis, Tony Blake, Lisa McCance, Geordie Milligan, and Meri Mayhew, Local approaches to delivery of the Armed Forces Covenant and wider support for the Armed Forces Community: Findings from the Our Community, Our Covenant and beyond case studies. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2025. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA4068-2.html.
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This research was sponsored by the Forces in Mind Trust, an independent UK Trust supported by the National Lottery Community Fund and conducted within the Defence, Security, and Justice Program of RAND Europe.

This publication is part of the RAND research report series. Research reports present research findings and objective analysis that address the challenges facing the public and private sectors. All RAND research reports undergo rigorous peer review to ensure high standards for research quality and objectivity.

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