• Do you live or work in Shropshire?
• Are you a regular or reservist in HM Armed Forces?
• Have you previously served in HM Armed Forces?
• Are you a partner or dependant of armed forces personnel?

We would like to invite you to take part in an online survey to help identify the strengths and needs of the existing and ex-Armed Forces community in Shropshire. This survey is being run on behalf the Shropshire Armed Forces Community Covenant partnership and is the counties biggest survey of its kind. If you have a Forces connection, we want to hear your views!

Read the information on this page then click on the 'Get involved' tab above to access the survey.

The survey should take no longer than 15 minutes to complete.

We'd like to assure you that this research is being run in accordance with the guidelines of Shropshire Council, and that all the information you provide will be treated in the strictest confidence.

Any personal details captured will be used in accordance with our rules and procedures and you can choose not to provide any personal details at the end of the survey.

If you have any problems accessing the survey, please email us or call 01743 252483

Thanks in advance for your help.

Background about the Armed Forces Community Research

We are asking all serving personnel, reservists, ex-service personnel and partners to take part by completing this questionnaire.  This questionnaire asks ‘What are the strengths and needs of the Armed Forces and ex-services community in Shropshire?’ It also aims to find out about your experiences living and working in Shropshire. We recognise that the Armed Forces and ex-services community in the county is a large and important one, so we are interested in finding out about those issues that are most important to you. We need better information about your experiences and the issues you face and will be asking you about your families’ time in the military and/or after you have left and returned to civilian life. Your views will help determine decisions made in the future

Your direct involvement will help shape the delivery of outcomes making sure they are relevant for the Armed Forces community of Shropshire. The results of this independent research will form a suggested list of priorities for the Shropshire Armed Forces Community Covenant Partnership and will help the partnership identify key ways in which it can support the current and ex-Armed Forces community.

Taking part involves completing an electronic questionnaire which asks about your military background, health and family. If you are a reservist, ex-service personnel or partner there are some questions about your employment and experiences in civilian life.

The questionnaire should take no more than 15 minutes to complete, but may take less as not all sections may be relevant to you. Participation is voluntary, and you are under no obligation to take part. We do need to hear from as many people as possible to ensure our results are valid, so please do spread the word, your participation counts.

The research is completely anonymised and will be handled in the strictest of confidence. Your personal information will be stored securely and accessed only by the research team. You may not wish to tell us your postcode however it would really help us determine where services or support needs should be focused in the county. Your contact details will not be passed on to a third party. Research data will not be shared with any third party unless fully anonymised and will never be released if it contains any information that may identify you.

We hope that you will complete the questionnaire and thank you for your help in advance.  The overall findings and results of the research will be published in 2016. Records will be held anonymised on our secure system of which you have the right of access to your records at any time.

If you have any questions or concerns about this research please do not hesitate to contact us on 01743 252 483 or email david.fairclough@shropshire.gov.uk