Accessible support for Army families everywhere

If there’s one thing for certain in your military career, it’s that one day it will come to an end.

The Army Families Federation (AFF) supports all Army families, whether just starting out, seasoned pros and even those moving back onto civvy street.

We are the independent voice of Army families, working at both a local and strategic level to bring about positive changes on many aspects of Army family life while providing a link between families and decision makers, including chain of command.

AFF widened its remit a few years ago to more formally offer support to families up to a year after they leave the Army. Since then, our work around transition has deepened, culminating this year in a piece of tri-Service research funded by the Forces in Mind Trust (FiMT) which confirmed that a culture shift is needed to reflect the fact that the impact of leaving the military spans much wider than the soldier, affecting the other family members too.

AFF has Specialists covering each of the main areas affected by transition out of the Army: housing, health and wellbeing, employment and finances, education and children, as well as a highly knowledgeable Foreign & Commonwealth (F&C) team offering much-needed support to F&C families whom our research shows face additional (and not fully appreciated) challenges during transition.

A key issue for AFF is encouraging soldiers and their families to plan well in advance for leaving the military. Part of this is ensuring all members of the transitioning family can access the support they need. This is something we will be focussing more on in the coming year.

Our website is a great place to start for information on re-joining civvy street. Check out our transition pages for everything from registering with a doctor or dentist to changing your child’s school to leaving your military house. There’s also a handy FAQs section where families can get to grips with the terminology of transition – for example the important difference between transition and ‘resettlement’ – and go back to basics about how to start planning and where to access support. Visit aff.org.uk and search ‘transition’.

If you need advice or support on any aspect of your Army family life, wherever you live and whatever stage in your military career, get in touch with our friendly team who will be happy to help or signpost you to the best support.