The Armed Forces Covenant | Campaigns

We continue to call on the government to expand the Covenant Duty.

The Royal British Legion and Poppyscotland want the Covenant Duty to be expanded to cover more of the everyday issues that affect veterans and their families. Issues such as:

Social Care
Employment
Military Compensation
Immigration

The Covenant Duty should cover all UK and devolved governments and cover all policy matters.

Those who deliver services must also be resourced with funding and training so that they can understand the needs of the Armed Forces community and can uphold the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant.

We want to hear about your experiences with the Armed Forces Covenant. If it has helped you, or if you think it should have helped you but has not, please get in touch and tell us about your experience.

Share your story at [email protected].

The Armed Forces Community faces unique challenges.

People who have served in the Armed Forces often face unique challenges. For example:

Moving frequently during service can make it hard for families to receive consistent support from public services like healthcare and education, or for spouses to build careers.
Veterans can also struggle to navigate complicated systems to access pensions or benefits.
Those serving in the Armed Forces who were born outside the UK may face extra barriers when it comes to immigration issues.

Expanding the Covenant Duty will help public services better respond to these challenges. It would additionally make sure that the Armed Forces community is treated fairly, no matter where they live in the UK.

Chief Petty Officer from HMS Richmond reunited with family after deployment at sea

Reflections on a decade of the nation's promise

This review explored the impact of the Covenant and the extent to which our campaign’s aspirations have been realised. Through focus groups, a review of existing literature, over 100 thought leader stakeholder interviews from a variety of sectors of UK society and a suite of surveys, we have gathered together a nation’s reflections on the Covenant.

Read the full report

How else can you help?

We’re working with governments and public services to ensure expansion of the Covenant Duty is clear, practical, and effective. This means making sure that relevant organisations have the guidance and resources they need to fulfil their obligations properly.

Expanding the Covenant Duty will help ensure we are doing right by the people who serve our country.

You can join our call on governments and public services to Keep the Covenant Promise by signing up to our Campaigner Community.

The story so far

The Armed Forces Covenant is a promise by the nation to look after those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces, and their families.

Following a campaign led by the Royal British Legion and Poppyscotland, the Armed Forces Covenant was introduced in the UK in 2011.

We spent the next decade campaigning for a stronger Covenant, culminating in an independent report reflecting on the Covenant’s impact on the wellbeing of serving personnel, veterans, and their families.

We welcomed the introduction of the Armed Forces Covenant Duty in 2022, which now means that some public services—like councils, schools, and healthcare providers—must take the needs of the Armed Forces community into account when making decisions.

However, as the legal duty currently applies only to some areas of housing, education, and healthcare, we believe it’s time to go further to ensure the Covenant Promise is kept.