Mental health help only came after quoting Covenant

A serving Armed Forces parent was able to secure urgently needed mental health care for their seven-year-old son only after invoking the Armed Forces Covenant and contacting a designated support official — a success story that highlights both the Covenant’s potential and its dependence on awareness and luck.

The anonymous testimony was included in the Defence Committee’s latest report on the Covenant, published Tuesday, which warns that the Government’s promise to ensure no member of the Forces community is disadvantaged is still not being delivered consistently. While some families receive the help they need, others fall through the cracks — and “the system functions more like a postcode lottery than a guarantee,” MPs warned.

In this case, the parent had been waiting six months for an initial appointment with CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) when they were told to expect another 18-month delay — a timeline that would almost certainly be interrupted by a military posting.

“Reading the letter, I knew with complete certainty that we would not be in the area by that time,” the parent wrote.

After a neighbour — a doctor — advised them to contact the Armed Forces Champion and cite the Covenant, the family took action. The Trust in question held Silver status under the Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS), indicating it had committed to upholding the Covenant.

That reminder made a difference.

“Very quickly, my son’s case was prioritised on the waiting list,” the parent said. “He was assessed and received a diagnosis for a neurological disorder, which allowed us to access the support and treatment he needed.”

The testimony reinforces a key message in the Committee’s report: the Covenant can work — but it relies too heavily on individual initiative and institutional goodwill. “The Armed Forces Covenant played a crucial role in addressing our situation,” the parent concluded. “The Covenant ensured that our son’s needs were prioritised, acknowledging the unique challenges faced by armed forces families.”

The report calls for clearer responsibilities, legal obligations for central government, and better resourcing to ensure consistent implementation across all departments and devolved administrations.

Chair of the Defence Committee, Tan Dhesi MP, said the Covenant “is supposed to support those who have served, but unfortunately… is inconsistently implemented — delivering value for some, but not others.”

Unless awareness is widespread and accountability is built in, the Committee warns, more families will be left relying on chance to secure the support they are promised.