About the project

DSC continues to provide independent research expertise and experience in the voluntary sector to bear on a segment of the charity world which remains little explored or understood.

How it all started

In 2014, the Directory of Social Change (DSC) was commissioned by the Forces in Mind Trust (FiMT) to undertake research that would provide an overview and analysis of the armed forces charity sector. The subsequent report was aimed at members of the charity sector, and those interested in it, including those who work in the sector, policymakers, government officials and media organisations. It was also intended as a resource for members of the public with an interest in armed forces charities.

Our work

The report, Sector Insight, UK Armed Forces Charities (2014), provided the most comprehensive account of the armed forces charities sector. Accompanying the report, DSC also produced this free-to-search online resource for members of the public and the charity sector alike, to explore details of charities that make provision for the armed forces community.

In 2016, DSC published an Impact Evaluation report of the project to date. The learning from which helped shape DSC’s report Sector Insight, Armed Forces Charities in Scotland (2016). This was the first report to focus on the charities which operate solely in Scotland, as well as cross-border charities registered in England and Wales which also operate in Scotland.

Our current work

In 2017 DSC published the first in a series of reports designed to explore the provision being made by armed forces charities. Each of the six Focus On reports therefore focuses on a particular topic of support. Five of the six reports published already published include:

Focus On Mental Health Provision - June 2017
Focus On Education and Employment Provision - October 2017
Focus On Physical Health Provision - January 2018

Focus On Housing Provision - June 2018

Focus On Sector Trends - March 2019

In 2019 DSC will also publish a Sector Insight report, five years on from the original report.

DSC and FiMT

DSC is proud to extend our relationship with FiMT, as this project continues to provide a body of work to illuminate the sustained support being provided by the UK’s armed forces charities for their many beneficiaries.