The Armed Forces Covenant
In Dorset, local authorities, Armed Forces organisations, health services, schools and charities work together to support the Armed Forces community and deliver the Armed Forces Covenant.
The Armed Forces Act 2011 placed these principles into law. Since 2022, local authorities, state-funded schools and NHS bodies must consider the needs of the Armed Forces community when making decisions.
From 2026, this duty will extend to a wider range of public bodies and service providers whose work affects serving personnel, veterans and their families. This means organisations must consider how their decisions, services and policies affect the Armed Forces community.
The Office for Veterans’ Affairs (OVA) supports this work by providing guidance and resources to local authorities and partner organisations to help embed Covenant principles into everyday practice.
The Dorset Armed Forces Covenant Board
The Dorset Armed Forces Covenant Board (DAFCB) helps deliver the aims of the Covenant across Dorset Council and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council areas and meet three times each year.
The chair of the board is the Dorset Council Armed Forces Member Champion.
The DAFCB includes representatives from:
- Strategic Lead – CEO Dorset Council
- Dorset Council Member Champion for the Armed Forces
- BCP Member Champion for the Armed Forces
- BCP Council Armed Forces Lead
- Dorset Council Armed Forces Programme Lead
- Blandford Garrison Welfare Officer
- Bovington Garrison Welfare Officer
- Hamworthy Barracks Welfare Officer
- NHS Dorset
- DCHFT and UHD Armed Forces Champions
- Wessex RFCA
- Department for Work and Pensions Armed Forces Lead
- Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner
Representatives from Armed Forces charities include:
- Help for Heroes
- Royal British Legion
- SSAFA
- Op Nova (Forces Employment Charity, Care After Combat)
- Dorset Forces Community Network CIC
Additional partners
The following partners are not required to attend every covenant board meeting unless they are directly involved in delivering strategic objectives:
- MOD/OVA Armed Forces Covenant Team
- Citizens Advice
- Dorset Veteran NHSE
Council representatives from Dorset Council and BCP may also attend, including:
- Adult Social Services representative
- Housing representative
- Education representative
- Economic Development representative
Legal duty
Under legislation, public bodies must consider the needs of the Armed Forces community when developing policies and making decisions.
At present, this duty mainly applies to local services in 3 areas:
- housing
- healthcare
- education
It does not currently apply to central government departments.
The extension of the duty in 2026 will strengthen support for the Armed Forces community and help embed covenant principles into public services.
Dorset’s Armed Forces Covenant Directory
The Help And Kindness Armed Forces Covenant Directory for Dorset connects serving personnel, veterans, reservists and their families with local and national support services.
The directory is a partnership between Help And Kindness and the Dorset Armed Forces Covenant Board for Dorset.