Welfare

What we do – Our welfare mission statement

The Royal Air Forces Association is committed to providing confidential, professional and fair services to members of the wider RAF family from the youngest recruit to the oldest veteran and their families. On-going training and support for welfare volunteers and staff ensures services are consistent and of the highest possible standard. All will be treated with dignity and respect at all times.

The kind of welfare support provided by the RAF Association is wide-ranging: everything from providing home visits and respite care breaks, to offering advice and, in some circumstances, financial assistance in times of difficulty.

Simply, we are here to make sure that members of the RAF Family past and present are never left alone or in need.

How we help the RAF Family

The RAF Association is here to help the whole Royal Air Force family, providing friendship, help and support to current and former members of the Royal Air Force and their dependants.

You do not need to be a member to receive our help. It is estimated that there are around 2.4 million ex-Service people, some 40,000 currently in uniform, their families and dependants under 18 years old, plus dependants with a disability over 18 years old, all of whom are eligible for assistance from the RAF Association.

With a UK-wide caseworker network of over 570 volunteer Honorary Welfare Officers undertaking almost 25,000 welfare visits annually, help ranges from simply providing conversation and friendship to preparing and submitting application forms for further assistance.

RAFA

RAFA, The Royal Air Forces Association (or RAF Association), is a membership organisation and registered charity that provides welfare support to the RAF Family.

Receiving no government contributions, our work is completely funded by the generosity of our members and through vital donations from our supporters to the Wings Appeal.

We assist around 50 RAF veterans or their widows/widowers to lead safe, independent lives in our sheltered and supported housing.

Through the RAF Families Federation we give RAF personnel and their families the chance to influence future policy.

We distribute more than £1.2m in welfare grants to serving and ex-serving personnel.

We are also working in partnership with Alabaré and The Soldier’s Charity to fund a facility helping homeless ex-military personnel to rebuild their lives.

Of course, this work needs your support. So please do take the time to look around the site, find out more, and discover the ways that you can help.

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