Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity (RNRMC) today announced the launch of the full research evaluation report into its ambitious Strengthening Families: By Your Side Programme at the University of Birmingham.
Designed to support Royal Navy and Royal Marines families — no matter where they are living — the Strengthening Families: By Your Side Programme is a core programme for RNRMC ensuring our beneficiaries have integrated, meaningful support.
The independent research evaluation, undertaken by Emeritus Professor Jan Walker OBE, of Newcastle University and Dr Gabriela Misca, of the University of Birmingham, examined the implementation of the programme, the challenges facing naval families and the ways in which the interventions supported them. Their research report points to the valuable learning from this ambitious programme. Follow this link to read the report in full: https://research.birmingham.ac.uk/en/publications/strengthening-families-by-your-side-programme-research-evaluation/
In 2019, four charities—Relate, Kings Active Foundation, Home-Start, and the Naval Families Federation (NFF)—were invited to take part in the programme. Each organisation brings specialist expertise and delivers a range of services and activities directly to families, including targeted support for children and young people.
Emeritus Professor Jan Walker and Dr Gabriela Misca said:
“The Strengthening Families Programme and the research evaluation were very ambitious and proved challenging for the charities involved. While the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the full realisation of the programme’s original ambition, the evaluation highlighted the distress that some naval families experience in managing the demands of Service life, their courage and commitment in seeking professional help, and the valuable ways in which relationship counselling can support them.
“This report was finalised early in 2025, before the publication of the government’s programme for Defence Reform and the Strategic Defence Review 2025, both of which herald radical changes in a new era for Defence at a time of increasing geo-political uncertainty. We believe that the lessons learned from this evaluation will be invaluable in informing future programmes to support and strengthen Royal Navy personnel and their families, and we wish RNRMC well at it continues this important work.”
Mandy Lindley, Director of Relationships and Funding at RNRMC said:
“We knew this programme was ambitious, and we knew that taking a bold, collaborative approach was the right thing to do. The findings from this evaluation highlight both the challenges and the real value of working collectively to support families of those who serve. We remain steadfast in our commitment to evolve this work and meet the changing needs of the naval community.”
Despite significant challenges caused by the pandemic, including delays to implementation and changes to service delivery models, the programme successfully engaged naval families through key interventions. These included:
- Counselling support via Relate, adapted swiftly for online and telephone delivery
- Kings Camps and a bespoke Active Families Pack to encourage physical activity and connection among dispersed families
The full report and a summary report are both now available, offering detailed insights into programme implementation, outcomes, and the lived experiences of RN/RM families. It sets out a series of recommendations for future work and encourages ongoing collaboration to ensure the wellbeing of naval families remains a strategic priority.
