Veterans and familiy members

Want to help raise awareness of issues affecting the Armed Forces community? Why not join our dedicated research group or take part in external research. 

We are constantly looking to grow our understanding of the experiences, opinions and ideas of the veteran community. Being part of our Research Group gives a voice to wounded veterans and families, helping us to develop our campaigns and shape our support services. 

As part of our Research Group, we will occasionally invite you to take part in surveys, polls, focus groups, phone interviews or workshops in the areas of our work that are of most interest to you. We know life is busy, so you can opt out of the Research Group at any time if it gets too much. 

To join our research group, please fill out the form.

APPLY TO TAKE PART IN EXTERNAL RESEARCH

We work closely with academics, bodies and partners to support research that could make a significant difference to our understanding of wounded veterans and families.

Often, researchers ask us to invite our beneficiaries to take part in their studies. Our Help for Heroes Research Approvals Committee runs on similar lines to university Ethical Approvals Committees and will review research proposals from PhD students, post-doctoral researchers and from funded researchers with significant research experience if the research is likely to be of benefit to our wounded, injured and sick beneficiaries and the charity. Once the research has been approved we will actively promote the research on our various channels, including by email.

The current research opportunities are listed below:

Veterans' Survey - Office for Veterans' Affairs

The first-ever Veterans’ Survey has been launched coordinated by the Office for Veterans’ Affairs and the ONS.

The survey gives ex-UK Armed Forces personnel and their families the opportunity to provide direct feedback to the government on their experiences, access to and use of services for veterans.

Responses to the survey will help them better understand the experiences, needs and well-being of our veteran community and guide future action.

UK Armed Forces Health and Wellbeing Survey

The King’s Centre for Military Health Research (KCMHR) at King’s College London is launching the fourth phase of its long-term study investigating the health and wellbeing of UK military personnel who deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. Anyone who took part in Phase 3 is eligible - if you think this might be you and you haven't heard from them please get in touch by emailing kcmhr-cohort@kcl.ac.uk.

So far, the research from Phases 1 to 3 has provided evidence to the government and other organisations to help change policy and generate support for the Armed Forces community. It has helped others in the Armed Forces community by providing evidence to improve support and give a voice to people who have served. It has busted myths about the impact of serving in the Armed Forces – highlighting positive outcomes and not promoting negative stereotypes. 

The perceived effect of sport and exercise participation in UK Wounded, Injured or Sick (WIS) military veterans

Research is being conducted by the Institute of Health & Social Care at London South Bank University into the physical activity, health and wellbeing of medically discharged UK WIS veterans. The aim of the research is to understand whether veterans who participate in certain types of physical activity report different health outcomes.

The researchers are looking to recruit veterans who have been medically discharged from the UK Armed Forces (Regular or Reserve) to complete a short anonymous survey. You do not need to be physically active to take part.

If you would like to take part, visit the London South Bank University web page. The password to access is: WIS Veterans

If you would like to find out more about the research, be sent a link by email, or request a postal copy please email Clare Pope at popec4@lsbu.ac.uk