When a serving person is wounded or becomes injured or poorly, the impact doesn’t stop with them. Family life can change quickly and deeply – routines can shift, relationships adapt. Partners, parents and close family members may find themselves becoming carers, advocates, organisers and emotional anchors, often while trying to understand what support is available.
For some, recovery reaches into identity, confidence, relationships, intimacy, family life and the ability to feel connected again.
Later this week, we’ll launch our latest FieldNotes podcast episode where our CEO, Anna Wright, speaks with Dr Mary Keeling about the Scar Free Foundation‘s Covenant Fund-backed study exploring the impact of conflict-related intimate scarring and loss of function, and the need for evidence-based support shaped by lived experience.
It’s a sensitive conversation, and an important one. It reminds us that the impact of injury or illness can extend far beyond the individual. Families and partners may also be adapting, supporting and finding their own way through change.
We know that families may be juggling medical appointments, caring responsibilities, financial worries, changes at home and the emotional effects of injury or illness. We also know that support works best when it’s built around real family life. That might mean early help after a brain injury, resources that help children understand change, peer groups for military carers, or practical tools that help people rebuild confidence outside clinical settings.
During this week, we’ll also bring you content from BOWRA Foundation, who received £250,000 earlier this year to help build resilience after an acquired brain injury. We’ll explore how they are helping people feel less alone and supporting earlier recovery outside hospital care by combining practical tools, peer support and inclusive activities.
Could your organisation help?
Through our Family Focus programme, we’ve funded 33 projects that help families affected by physical, psychological or emotional injuries linked to service. These projects offer practical help, trusted guidance, peer support, creative activities and safe spaces where families can talk openly with people who understand.
The programme is currently open for applications from organisations that can support armed forces families with care needs. Grants of £100,000 to £200,000 are available for projects lasting two to three years. Applications close at midday on Wednesday 4 November 2026.