The Female Veterans Transformation Programme (FVTP) is proud to announce the official launch of its much-anticipated toolkit, took place on Wednesday 19 November 2025 at the iconic Royal Hospital Chelsea.
The toolkit is designed to support and empower service providers in the commercial, statutory and charitable sectors transform service provision for the circa 272,000 female veterans living within the UK1. This UK-wide programme is funded by the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust (AFCFT), NHS England and the Veterans Foundation, in partnership with the Cobseo2 Female Veterans Cluster and the Women’s Royal Army Corps Association. In addition, the Office for Veterans’ Affairs provided funding to develop communications products to raise awareness of women as veterans, as well as their needs and experiences, which are also available as part of the toolkit. The toolkit will be hosted on the AFCFT website and feely available.
“Female Veterans are not treated the same or celebrated the same – adverts are all men. It has got better but there’s still work to do. There’s lots of charities out there to help, but women still don’t see themselves as veterans so won’t ask for help even if they need it.”
– Anonymous Female Veteran
As part of its wider mission to shift perceptions, raise awareness and celebrate the service, skill set and unique needs of the UK’s female veteran community, the FVTP is also excited to announce three creative initiatives including:
Professional Photographs. Agora Photography captured portraits of 79 female veterans, showcasing them in their post-service lives. These will be available as a poster campaign which aims to highlight the diversity of women who served and highlight that there is no one way to ‘look like a veteran’, normalising the idea that women of any age and background have served. These photographs also appear throughout the toolkit.
Short Films. Legasee has filmed a variety of service providers and female veterans capturing ‘what good looks like’ when supporting women who served. These will be included within the toolkit and shared on social media and websites.
Theatre Production. The Drive Project and Theatre Royal Plymouth codesigned a short production with 18 female veterans surrounding their experience in service and beyond. This performance will be premiered at the Toolkit Launch and will be available online as an educational film embedded within the toolkit. The aim of this is for service providers to watch then have open conversations about what they can do to encourage and welcome female veterans. This is further enhanced by a facilitation question bank to be a conversation starter in organisations supporting women who served.
Drawing on extensive research, reviewed and condensed for accessibility as part of FVTP’s Evidence Review3, coupled with co-production with over 800 female veterans’, service providers and employers, the toolkit offers guidance, case studies, and signposting to aid service providers in giving female veterans support so they can thrive after service.
- 53% of female veterans said their needs are not met by current veteran services4.
- 73% of women reported witnessing or experiencing sexual discrimination whilst serving, including rape and sexual assault5.
- 31% of women who served identify with the term ‘veteran’6.
- 82% of the public said they knew ‘not very much’ or ‘nothing at all’ about female veterans7.
The launch will bring together veterans, policymakers, community leaders, and supporters to spotlight the often-overlooked experiences of female service leavers and celebrate the strength, resilience, and diversity of women who once wore uniform.
“The programme aims to build a legacy where female veterans feel confident to access the right support, at the right time, and in the right way for them.”
– Colonel (Retd) Alison Brown OBE, Chair of the Cobseo Female Veterans’ Cluster.
“We don’t need special treatment, but we do need to see representation. How am I supposed to get support from a service that I only see men in? I don’t feel I belong.”
– Anonymous Female Veteran
Following the launch, the FVTP will be launching the ‘Education’ phase of their programme, aiming to further equip and enhance service providers with the Toolkit.
“For me, the success of this trailblazing project is down to the focus on collaboration and co-production throughout. This strong understanding of the female veteran cohort … has allowed the development of this fantastic toolkit which tackles the key themes of mental and physical healthcare, pensions and financial advice, care provision, housing provision, employment services, self-identification as a veteran and combatting loneliness. I commend this fantastic toolkit to any and all organisations seeking to offer appropriate support to female veterans.”
– Anna Wright, CEO Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust
For more details about the FVTP, visit https://www.fvtp.org.uk/.
To view the Female Veterans Toolkit, visit https://covenantfund.org.uk/female-veterans-toolkit/
References:
1 271,973 in England, Wales (2021) and Scotland (2022) via Census Data (no data for Northern Ireland)
2 Cobseo is the Confederation of Service Charities.
3 Evidence Review (2024) available at: https://www.fvtp.org.uk/publications further summarised on FVTP’s Statement of Need available at the same link.
4 HCDC, Sarah Atherton MP, Protecting Those Who Protect Us, 2021
5 Godier-McBard, Gillin and Fossey, We Also Served, 30.
6 Godier-McBard, Gillin and Fossey, We Also Served, 104.
7 Centre for Military Women’s Research, “Public attitudes towards women who have served in the UK Armed Forces: Findings from a household survey,” (Chelmsford: Anglia Ruskin University, 2022): 1-8.
