Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of support provided for families of serving personnel separating from their spouses.

Defence recognises the unique challenges faced by families of Serving personnel during separations. Families of Serving personnel are provided with access to a wide range of support, which includes housing assistance and guidance, emotional support, financial and legal signposting to charities and organisations. The support provided is designed to assist families through the emotional and logistical difficulties of relationship breakdowns.

Joint Service Publication (JSP) 770 ‘Armed Forces Welfare Support Policy’ contains a chapter focussing on matters of separation and divorce and which provides a link to an online guide ‘Separation and divorce guide for military personnel spouses and partners’ which contains a wealth of support and guidance. JSP 770 also includes an annex ‘The Welfare HARDFACTS Handrail’ which is used by the chain of command and Service welfare teams to guide how they support affected personnel.

The ‘Separation and divorce guide for military personnel spouses and partners’ can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/separation-and-divorce-guide-for-military-personnel-spouses-and-partners/separation-and-divorce-guide-for-military-personnel-spouses-and-partners