AFF attended the third annual Community Covenant Conference on Friday 22 November 2013.
Our stand at the event attracted lots of interest and provided information on our work with local Government to identify and remove any disadvantage faced by Army families when accessing services.
Six workshops were held around the themes of housing, education, health, Reserves, Community Covenant good practice and submitting bids to the Community Covenant Grant Scheme. AFF attended each workshop, presenting the Army family perspective.
We continue to develop important contacts amongst Local Authorities (LAs), as our representation of Army families at this level is increasingly important, and AFF was delighted to see the outstanding measures some LAs have put in place since signing Community Covenants with many now having designated Armed Forces/Community Covenant sections on their websites.
An upcoming article in Army&You magazine will cover, in more detail, LA initiatives to support the Armed Forces community.
The conference, held by the MOD in association with the Local Government Association, the Welsh Local Government Association and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, had over 200 delegates attend including LAs, Service charities and the Armed Forces.
Sir Merrick Cockell, Chairman of the Local Government Association, highlighted the importance that LAs attach to their Community Covenant work, and Lieutenant General Andrew Gregory, Chief of Defence Personnel, outlined the changes taking place in defence and how these affect the Armed Forces community.
For further information on all aspects of the Armed Forces Covenant, visit www.aff.org.uk and click on the Armed Forces Covenant section.