The Impact of “Living in Our Shoes” Five Years On: Evaluating Progress and Determining Priorities for Meeting the Needs of Armed Forces Families Going Forward

The report ‘Living in Our Shoes: Understanding the needs of UK Armed Forces families’ (LiOS) was published in June 2020. The government accepted the vast majority of the 110 recommendations either in full or in part, and laid out its plans for implementing them, primarily through the MOD Armed Forces Families Strategy (AFFS) 2022-2032. While welcome progress has been made in addressing the particular difficulties that Armed Forces families face, many of the recommendations have still to be implemented.
Aims
This new study employs a mixed method sequential approach, within two distinct phases aiming to
• Review the findings of the LIOS to reflect on the continuing relevance of its recommendations in the current economic, geo-political and defence contexts
• Evaluate the progress that has been made in implementing its many recommendations
• Indicate ongoing and any new gaps in meeting the needs of Armed Forces families and determine where progress needs to be accelerated
Method and Results:
The conference presentation will report preliminary findings from Phase One f the study comprising:
1. Policy analysis since 2020 underpinned by a ‘Theories of Change’ framework, including its objectives, and implementation environment
2. Stakeholder Involvement (including policymakers, implementers, beneficiaries, and experts) underpinned by an adapted Policy Delphi method to gather insights and build consensus on the questions and priorities.
Conclusion
The need for positive change for Armed Forces families has never been more apparent in the current geo-political security challenges and the continuing concerns relating to recruitment and retention.