Improving transition out of the Armed Forces: engaging families through behavioural insights

Abstract: Each year, approximately 15,000 Service personnel transition out of the UK Armed Forces.1 Service personnel face a number of challenges after military life- from approaching the civilian job market to managing their finances, and building new social networks and identities. Whilst most will make a successful reintegration into “Civvy Street”, a small but significant number will struggle.2 A consistent finding is the importance of the family to a successful transition.3 Yet, family engagement with transition support services remains low. This report draws on evidence from a variety of fields- psychology, economics and behavioural science- to better understand what factors cause families’ low uptake of services and identify ways to address these.