Service evaluation and designing ‘what good looks like?’ Consultation & Co-Production Overview – why are we doing this and what do we hope to achieve?

Over the last few years lots of work and academic research has been conducted on the challenges female veterans face as a result of their time in the Armed Forces. However, we recognise that we need to now use this research as a basis to take action and make improvements so women get the right support at the right time and in a way that matters to them.

We pulled together the key themes of the research in an Evidence Review and Statement of Need (www.fvtp.org.uk), but now want to hear from you – what are the solutions? How do we improve things? What is currently working well and what needs to change and how does it need to change? You are the experts, and we need to hear what you think needs to change.

We also need to make sure that these improvements are across ALL services, not just veteran specific organisations – how do we raise awareness and educate professionals such as GP’s, social services, hospital staff, leisure services, employers etc.

But this isn’t just about focusing on what’s wrong, we also want to celebrate what is currently working well and where good practice exists– how can we share this and demonstrate how to do things well?

We know that you have probably been asked for your opinions and views A LOT and may feel like there is ‘no point’ or ‘no-one ever listens’, so we are committed to letting you know what we did with your feedback. We will produce a ‘you said…..we did’ response to the co-production which will eventually be available on our website for you to see and to check we listened.

This co-production will take place in 3 stages, firstly we are asking as many female veterans as possible and those that support them to complete the questionnaire attached, once we have these back we will then pull together the key themes and then take these to a series of focus groups that we plan to hold in June and July both face to face and online. The focus groups will help us create the main sections and criteria of the toolkit – setting out the self-assessment section which identifies ‘what you need to do to provide good services for women veterans’.

The last stage of this process moves us into phase 3 of the overall transformation programme by testing and changing the toolkit based on feedback from women veterans and those that support them, with the final version being available in the last stage of the project.

Your opinion matters so any information you can provide will go a long way to helping other female veterans in the future.

Thank you.