March 2026

What do we know about Service families’ experiences of transition to post-Service life?

In June 2025, the Office for Veterans' Affairs (OVA) and the Office for National Statistics (ONS) released results from the 2022 Veterans’ Family Survey (VFS). Among the main findings was that one in five of the Armed Forces families surveyed felt that adequate support for the transition from the Armed Forces to civilian life was ‘lacking’.

While recognition of the central role that families play during military Service and military-to-civilian transition (MCT) continues to grow in the United Kingdom (UK), suprisingly little is known about how Service families themselves experience transition [1]. The recent findings from the VFS demonstrate a need to understand more so that tailored support may be developed and provided where needed.

In this News Feature, we review the VFS’s key findings relating to families’ experience of MCT within the context of existing research evidence. Specific issues encountered by Service families during MCT are highlighted, together with their implications for service provision, and future research priorities.

Understanding the scope and limitations of the VFS

The VFS was conducted alongside the Veterans’ Survey 2022 and open to the family members of UK ex-Service personnel, with data collected between 10 November 2022 and 3 February 2023.

The survey’s definition of ‘family’ comprised husbands and wives, partners (co-habiting but not married), bereaved partners, fathers and mothers (including step and adopted), brothers and sisters, and children (including stepchildren), who resided in the UK and were over the age of 18 [2]. As shown in Figure 1, nearly one-third of survey respondents self-identified as ‘husband or wife’ (32.87%), while just under a quarter just were a ‘son or daughter’ (23.28%), and almost a fifth were ‘father or mother’ (17.79%). A smaller number of responses came from ‘other’ unspecified relations (4.62%) along with additional categories such as 'stepchild' (0.78%) and ‘father-in-law or mother-in-law’ (0.44%).

The survey was divided into two sections. The first included a series of quantitative questions about respondents’ (i) caring responsibilities for their ex-Serving family member, (ii) experiences of loneliness, (iii) economic activity/employment, (iv) finances, (v) awareness and use of ‘Veteran-related services’, (vi) and feelings of community belonging and government influence. The second section consisted of the following open response question: ‘Can you tell us what service and support would be helpful for you as a Veterans’ family member but is currently lacking?’ [2].

While 2,390 respondents provided answers to the survey’s quantitative component, only 705 (29.50%) completed the qualitative open response question [2]. Additional information about the demographic profile of those who responded specifically to the qualitative question was not provided, limiting our ability to identify potential trends in the answers given.

It is important to note that over two-thirds of respondents (66.17%) said that their ex-Serving family member had left the UK Armed Forces 20 years or more ago (see Figure 2). Of the remaining participants, 16.10% stated their ex-Serving family member left 10 to 19 years ago, 8.53% said their ex-Serving family member left 5 to 9 years ago, and 9.21% said their family member left less than 5 years ago [2]. Given significant changes in transition support for Service leavers and their families in recent years, the experiences shared by many of those who took part in the survey should be viewed with caution. This is because they are likely to reflect historic, as opposed to current, available support and experiences of transition [2, 3]. In addition, as participation was voluntary and Service charity and support organisations were one of the key sources for promoting the survey during its open period, it is possible that a good proportion of respondents had an identified support needs or had established connections to the Service charity sector, introducing a further degree of bias [2, 4].

Loneliness: Overall, 63% (or close to two thirds) of all the respondents reported some degree of loneliness, with 10.79% of all respondents reporting they felt lonely ‘often’ or ‘always’ and just over half (52.29%) reporting feeling lonely ‘some of the time’ or ‘occasionally.’

When breaking the respondents into those who did and did not have caring responsibilities for their ex-Serving family member, it is evident that reporting some degree of loneliness was higher among those with caring responsibilities. This may reflect the potential isolating effect of long-term caring (Figure 4).

Employment: The majority (63.18%) of family members were employed or retired [2]. Interestingly, those who had a caring role for their ex-Serving family member reported roughly the same level of economic activity as those who did not. However, bereaved partners were more likely to be economically inactive than those who were not [2].

Finance: Just under half of all the family members reported having had money worries in the last month (48.86%), with more bereaved partners (53.33%) and family members with caring responsibilities (63.64%) reporting money worries [2]. This may reflect the financial burden borne by caring for a relative (e.g., additional medical costs or limitations on available working time), as well as the potential reduction of financial stability that comes with losing a partner.

Sources of information about services and support: Family members were most likely to learn about ‘Veteran-related issues, services or benefits’ via word of mouth (24.81%), social media (24.39%), and Veteran’s charities (20.00%) [2]. This remained generally consistent across age groups, except for younger respondents who were more likely to rely on social media. Overall, respondent’s awareness of ‘Veteran’s services’ was relatively low - the most known services were Veterans UK (15.94%), Career Transition Partnership (14.94%), and Veterans' Gateway (12.05%) [2]. This highlights the importance of having targeted social media outreach as well as focused Armed Forces community marketing to make sure that families are aware of available services.

Community belonging: Family members were asked the extent to which they felt they belonged to their local community, with just under a half (43.86%) reporting that they did feel they belonged. However, just under a quarter (22.83%) reported that they did not feel they belonged, and a third were unsure stating they neither agreed nor disagreed. This indicates a potential low sense of community belonging as less than half felt that they do belong [2].

Say in the government: When asked the extent they felt they had a say in what the government does, most (63.79%) reported feeling they did not have any say, with just 15.37% feeling they did have a say in what the government does, and 19.38% being unsure [2]. While this overall sentiment was mirrored among bereaved family members, those with caring responsibilities reported a limited sense of influence over government policy at higher rates (72.01%).

Qualitative findings: What support would be helpful but is lacking?

Qualitative analysis of open-text responses to the question ‘Can you tell us what service and support would be helpful for you as a Veterans’ family member but is currently lacking?’ revealed an overall need for easily accessible support services from charities, government, and other services [2].

Overlapping and confusing modes of assistance, uncertainty over where to find information or how to connect with organisations that could support them, and disparity in service availability based on where respondents lived, were raised as areas for improvement [2].

Specific areas where current support was felt to be lacking or insufficient were also highlighted and included finance and pensions, general health services, mental health services, transition support, and housing [2].

Finance and pensions: Approximately 1 in 5 responses were about finance, with many family members stressing financial challenges in relation to medical discharge, general medical needs, disability, budgeting, and the cost of living. Several also described specific issues when attempting to access benefits and pensions following Service injury or illness, together with the need for simpler and faster pension application processes more generally. Other noted challenges and areas for improvement included the burden of tax implications from pension payments, expanding pension eligibility criteria, and improved pension access for bereaved families [2].

General health: Quality and accessibility of general health support was reported by approximately 1 in 5 family members. This included care for their physical health, as well as the administrative challenges of dealing with health services. Among the transition-related health administrative issues, registering with the NHS post-Service and accessing an ex-Serving person’s medical record from Defence Medical Services featured prominently. Participants also mentioned a lack of understanding of Service life and the Armed Forces Covenant among healthcare providers, in addition to challenges relating to securing appropriate care and support [2].

Mental health: Mental health challenges were mentioned in about 1 in 30 responses. Family members noted that the limited mental or physical health care which their ex-Serving relative received had impacted their own mental health – particularly in cases involving disability or long-term care requirements for their ex-Service family member. Additionally, some family members reported struggling to help their partner manage their own mental health difficulties and expressed a desire for formal training opportunities to help meet this requirement.

Transition support: 1 in 5 responses specifically named MCT as a specific challenge for both ex-Serving personnel and their families. This was indicated as due to a general lack of knowledge about transition support services or feeling support services were inadequate, describing MCT as when they felt most ‘lost.’ This was particularly associated with a sense of ‘shock’ upon leaving the Armed Forces and that family members felt they had not been prepared for what it meant to be a ‘civilian’ [2].

Housing: Housing featured in 1 in 20 responses, with family members reporting difficulties in negotiating the civilian housing market and accessing available support. Many expressed a desire for greater guidance and information on key requirements for obtaining appropriate accommodation, such as improving one’s credit score and securing a mortgage [2].

In addition to the challenges described above, difficulties in finding employment featured in several of the open-text responses. Partners reported that they had struggled to find stable or regular employment due to the need to support their partner while in-Service – an observation that was linked by some to a need for greater recognition of the professional sacrifices that many must make during a partner’s military career [2].

Consistent with the quantitative findings, approximately 12.50% of family members discussed feeling lonely or socially isolated both during and following transition. These experiences were often attributed to struggling to connect with the local community as well as a lack of understanding among the non- ex-Serving public about what it meant to come from a Service family. Some respondents also reported that their children had experienced bullying and other integration issues following the conclusion of a family member’s military career, in addition to reflecting on the wider challenge of enrolling their children in school post-Service [2].

What other research tells us about family’s transition

While to date limited UK research has specifically focused on understanding families’ experience of transition and post-Service life, findings from existing research reflect many of the key issues and topics found in the VFS.

Access to and use of support services: A recurring theme across research is the fragmented nature of support services and families’ limited understanding of how to access them [1, 2, 5, 6, 7]. Previous research published in 2018, found low levels of engagement across welfare and support services, with a lack of knowledge of available services being a key limiting factor [7]. Potential stigma around certain types of support such as mental health has also been found to potentially deter help seeking [8]. These findings suggest that care needs to be paid not just to making information accessible but to identify and alleviate associated stigmas.

Loneliness and social connection: The UK Veterans Family Study found 45% to 50% of partners and adult children met criteria for probable loneliness using a validated measure, which is a similar proportion to those who self-reported loneliness in the VFS [1, 2]. Interestingly, many of those who reported loneliness in this study also expressed satisfaction with their social support networks [1]. However, it also found that having caring responsibilities could put pressure on social support networks and the carers’ ability to socialise, potentially exacerbating feelings of loneliness [1]. This contrast suggests that perceived support may not equate to emotional connection, pointing to a need for more tailored interventions to alleviate loneliness especially among partners with caring responsibilities [1].

Mental health: Like the VFS, preexisting UK research found some families experienced mental health challenges which they linked to their family members military Service [1, 2]. One study found that over two-thirds of surveyed ex-Service personnel and their family members wanted more information on recognising symptoms of mental health issues and understanding when to seek help [8]. The UK Veterans Family Study specially found 75.6% of partners and 76.8% of adult children reported at least one transition-related issue during and after transition, with mental health challenges being one of the most prominent [1].

Consistencies in evidence regarding employment, finance, and housing are also noted between the VFS and existent research [1, 5, 6, 9]. For example, the impact of the demands of military life, frequent moves, and childcare challenges, have been reported to affect the ability to continue education and hold consistent employment [1, 5]. With such barriers during Service then limiting career growth and opportunity after Service [5].

Financially, existing research echoes the struggles reported by respondents to the VFS such as accessing financial support, the cost of living, as well as a desire to increase general financial knowledge [1,5].

In terms of housing, existing research, consistent with the VFS, has found that the current ‘housing crisis’ as well as Service families limited knowledge around the civilian housing market, can lead to difficulties in finding satisfactory housing post-Service [6].

Additional evidence from existing research

While there are several areas of consistent findings between the VFS and existing research, one key area not explored in the VFS is the impact of discharge type. Past research highlights discharge types as an important area when considering transition experiences on ex-Service personnel and their families. Existing evidence indicates that ‘non-routine’ (such as medical) or early discharges from Service may lead to higher risk of challenges for both the ex-Service person and their family [1, 5, 6]. Limited time to plan for transition, reduced social support, and stigma around discharge type, may hinder integration into civilian and ‘Veteran’ communities [6].

The impact of transition on family member identity is also an important area not addressed in the VFS. UK research exploring shifting identity of military families indicates that partners and children may experience confusion or loss of personal identity following their Serving family members departure from the Armed Forces [1, 9, 10, 11, 12]. Disruption in identity has been found to be linked to increased levels of stress and loneliness, particularly for those with caring responsibilities and when access to formal support services or community networks are limited [9].

Implications for transition support and future research

As demonstrated by the VFS and other existing research evidence, family members of transitioning Service personnel must also navigate MCT and may have their own distinct support needs [8]. Yet the evidence indicates that, at least historically, these needs have often not been met. A step in the right direction is the recent 2025 Veterans Strategy [13], which highlights the need to ensure that both ex-Service personnel and their family members receive adequate assistance during and after their transition from Service.

To enable the effective meeting of this need, the findings from the VFS and other research can be used to guide improvements and additions to support. The most pressing issue is ensuring that family members are aware of available support, that routes to access support are clear, and that support is consistently provided regardless of geographic location. Additionally, ensuring that family members can access information about transition directly and not via their Serving partner, so they can plan and prepare for transition is crucial. Specific areas that family members may especially benefit from guidance include civilian housing, finances, and pensions, especially for those whose Serving partner was medically discharged.

While the VFS and other existing research provides some evidence of the experiences of families in terms of MCT, as previously mentioned, the samples included are not representative of the wider ex-Service families population, with an over reliance on those already using support services and those who left Service several years ago.

Future research should aim to understand current experiences and from representative samples of family members, including those of minority and underrepresented groups. This includes communities who may face intersecting challenges, such as bereaved families, non-UK ex-Service families, LGBT+ families, and those from ethnic minority backgrounds. Greater understanding of the experiences and potentially specific support needs of the family members of those with differing discharge types, such as medical, administrative, and misconduct, discharges, as well as those of early service leavers, is needed. Additionally, focusing on individual types of family member, e.g. partners, children, and parents, separately, will allow for granular understanding of what different family members may need in terms of guidance and support. Understanding what good looks like through those who report ‘successful’ transitions is also important to illuminate ways to enable positive transition experiences among family members [2]. Finally, evaluations of existing support are needed to understand if and for who they work, and to identify potential opportunities for improvement.

References

[1]. Gribble, R., Spikol, E., Parkes, S., Dighton, G., Palmer, L., McShane, T. Armour, C. & Fear, N.T. (2024). The UK Veterans Family Study: Psychological health, wellbeing, and social support among UK veteran families, Forces In Mind Trust. Available at Link

[2]. OVA & ONS. (2025). Services and support, responses from family members of UK armed forces Veterans: Veterans’ Survey 2022, UK. Ons.gov.uk; Office for National Statistics. Available at Link

[3]. Walker, J. Misca, G., &Davis. P (n.d.) Briefing 4. Tracing the Approach to Armed Forces Families Policy in Defence. Available at Link

[4]. Lavrakas, P. (2008). Encyclopaedia of Survey Research Methods. Encyclopaedia of Survey Research Methods, 1(1). Available at Link

[5]. Slapakova, L., Thue, K., & Huxtable, L. (2023, June 28). Examining the financial stability of UK military families: An exploratory analysis. Rand.org. Available at Link

[6]. Sottini, M. V., Keeling, M. (2025). Housing among ex-Service personnel and their partners: Research Summary. Centre for Evidence for the Armed Forces Community. Available at Link

[7]. Halkiopoulos, S., Makinson, L., & Heal, J. (2018). Behavioural literature review: Improving transition out of the Armed Forces: engaging families through behavioural insights, the Behavioural Insights Team. Available at Link

[8]. Fulton, E., Wild, D., Hancock, J., Fernandez, E., & Linnane, J. (2018). Transition from service to civvy street: the needs of armed forces veterans' and their families in the UK. Perspectives in Public Health, 139(1), 49–58. Available at Link

[9]. Keeling, M., Borah, E. V., Kintzle, S., Kleykamp, M., & Robertson, H. C. (2019). Military spouses transition too! A call to action to address spouses’ military to civilian transition. Journal of Family Social Work, 23(1), 3–19. Available at Link

[10]. Spikol, E., McGlinchey, E., Fear, N. T., Armour, C., & Gribble, R. (2024). Who am I? A qualitative exploration of the identities of spouses/partners of UK Armed Forces Veterans'. Journal of Military Veteran and Family Health, 10(2), 22–36. Available at Link

[11]. Centre for Evidence for the Armed Forces Community (2025). ‌Evidence points to the important role of identity in transition. Centre for Evidence for the Armed Forces Community. Available at Link.

[12]. Robinson, L. (2024) How does military life shape service children’s identity and school experiences? Available at Link

[13]. Ministry of Defence. (2025, November). Veterans' Strategy. GOV.UK. Available at Link

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