Championing the Voices of Women Veterans
“You’ve got to go over and above and beyond just to be at the same place… just because you’re female.” ~ We also served: the health and wellbeing of female veterans in the UK, published in 2021, found significant gaps in our understanding of how in-service experiences impact on health and wellbeing after service and the impact of service on socio-economic outcomes. One of the key recommendations of the report was for tailored support for female veterans.
In 2023, the Women’s Royal Army Corps Association (WRACA) received funding under our Transformational Grants Programme for their Female Veterans’ Transformation programme addressing the growing concerns about the unique needs of female veterans.
Empowering women veterans
The funding helped ensure that women veterans feel confident in seeking the right support, at the right time, and in the right way for them.
At the heart of this project lies a simple but powerful goal: to improve outcomes for female veterans by understanding the barriers they face. Through collaboration with services and a focus on tailored provision, the project seeks to build bridges between services and the women who need them most.
Engaging directly with female veterans, the project works to boost confidence, break down barriers, and provide meaningful support.
The Female Veterans’ Transformation programme is not just about offering services; it’s about creating a legacy. The project will develop a toolkit to assist service providers in the commercial, statutory, and charity sectors. This digital resource will include a range of awareness materials, as well as an interactive app, designed to help organisations better serve veteran women and meet their specific needs.
Ensuring continued success
The work doesn’t stop there. The project’s success has led to an additional grant of £49,335 under the OVA Raising Awareness of Women Veterans Programme ensuring continued progress.
Liza Jarvis, Programme Lead, told us:
“We are really pleased to have received this extra funding as it will help us to raise awareness and recognise the amazing contribution of so many women who served in our armed forces. We will use the money to showcase on a national level the diversity of female veterans, in terms of who they are, the experiences they have had and the positive impact they continue to have in civilian life.
The aim of this will be to both celebrate female veterans, but also ensure that services better understand their needs, by seeing that that they are from all backgrounds, ages, ethnicities and from all ranks and services and at the very least encouraging them to ask everyone ‘have you every served’ regardless of gender”.
With this funding, the programme will refine its approach, focusing on dedicated and targeted communication. It will raise awareness of the unique needs and valuable contributions of veteran females, ensuring services across all sectors are better provided to offer support.
Driven by the voices of over 800 female veterans who participated and shared insights during an evidence review process, the feedback highlighted ongoing needs. These included awareness, diversity, recognition, inclusion, education, and support.
Many veteran women reported feeling misunderstood by organisations or unwilling to seek help due to a lack understanding of their specific needs.
The legacy
The project isn’t just about providing services; it’s about changing the culture around how female veterans are supported. By listening to their needs and ensuring that services reflect their unique experiences, the Female Veterans’ Transformation programme is creating a future where every woman from service feels empowered to seek the help she deserves.
Anna Wright, CEO of Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust concluded:
“We’re pleased to see this fantastic programme continue its vital work in amplifying the voices of our female veterans and taking action to address their unique needs by listening, understanding, and responding. It ensures these veterans are not only heard but fully supported in ways that matter the most to them.”
Find out more
We encourage you to find out more about the work taking place in under the Female Veterans’ Transformation programme. You can also read more about WRACA’s Transformation Grant award in our Knowledge Network.
Raising Awareness of Women Veterans – Projects we’ve supported