RAF Families Survey September 2007
Accommodation
Over half of the respondents were living in Service Families Accommodation (SFA). The aspect of living in SFA that achieved the greatest level of satisfaction was the rent paid for it, while the least level of satisfaction was attributed to the support from Defence Estates. Almost all felt that family situations, rather than formal entitlement only, should be taken into account when allocating SFA. When assessing local facilities, the messes and HIVES were the two areas which the majority (who made use of the facilities) rated as good.
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The majority of respondents had children, with just less than half having two children living at home at the time of the surveys. The majority did not consider boarding school as a suitable option. Most respondents tended to use their Local Education Authority to look for schools, with Airwaves being the least used option. It was generally agreed that postings should be timed to coincide with school holidays and indeed the month in which most moves occurred was August.
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Although approximately two-thirds of the respondents were in employment (full-time, part-time or self employed) a high percentage had left civilian jobs due to spouseâs postings. Of those who were not employed, most stated that they would work outside the home if they had the opportunity to do so. Most spouses felt that they needed to work for their own fulfilment and for financial reasons. Many believed that the RAF needs to make better use of their skills and employ more spouses in civilian posts.
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The area of greatest dissatisfaction in this section related to the information available to spouses about RAF allowances. The Furniture Removal Provision received positive ratings, as well as the Boarding School Allowance. However the allowances providing compensation for Separated Service/Detached Duty were not as highly rated.
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As in previous surveys, the issue of most concern in health care provision was finding a dentist when moving to a new area.
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This section of the questionnaire covered a wide range of issues. Over half of respondents stated that they were âfairly satisfiedâ with their quality of life. Although a small minority of people indicated that they did not like their life being married to a member of the RAF, the largest proportion were âsatisfiedâ or âvery satisfiedâ with the effects on home life of their spousesâ service. A considerable number of respondents were dissatisfied with the information available to them while their partners were away, as well as with the lack of support given to them by the RAF. The majority also experienced problems with the lack of opportunity to make long term plans. Many respondents felt that there was a strong tendency for some spouses to adopt the rank of their serving partner. They also felt that spouses were treated according to the rank of their partner.
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The majority of respondents reported that they would be "happy" or "very happy" if their spouse left the RAF. The aspects of family life that most felt would change for the better if their partner were to leave included their own career prospects, their personal life and general family life. However, many felt their family income would be worse.
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The majority of respondents rated all topics covered in the survey as being important or very important. Those of highest importance were childrenâs education (for respondents with children), respondentâs employment, financial aspects, and lifestyle.
A huge majority of the respondents rated the information on Pay and Pensions, as well as Allowances and Relocation information provided on rafcom (the RAF community support website) as "very/quite useful".
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