How NFF Supports Royal Navy & Royal Marines Families

The Naval Families Federation was set up in 2003 at the request of the Government in order to allow the families of the Naval Service to have their voices heard. We are a registered charity in England and Wales (1177107), funded through a grant-in-aid, which allows us to operate independently of the Government and the Chain of Command.

Our Mission

What We Do

The Naval Families Federation (NFF) exists to give Royal Navy and Royal Marines families a voice and representation to the Ministry of Defence, Ministers, other Government Departments, the Chain of Command, and civilian service providers.

It provides support and guidance on matters affecting the daily lives of Naval Service families, acting as an advocate when appropriate to resolve complex issues.

Our Vision

Our vision is for all members of Royal Navy and Royal Marines families to:

Have their views heard by those in position of power.
Feel valued.
Be treated with fairness and respect.
Thrive in their communities of choice.

Our Values

Respect

We value all family members, whatever their link to the naval service and recognise the important contribution they make by supporting their service person. We are approachable, inclusive, non-judgemental and ready to listen.

Constructive

We work constructively with everyone, recognising the importance of understanding the perspective of others, and seeking to act as a ‘critical friend’ to the Royal Navy and other organisations.

Empower

We want all Royal Navy and Royal Marines families to have the best quality of life possible, and to have access to the resources they need to make good choices to achieve positive outcomes.

Trustworthy

We offer a confidential service to everyone who contacts us. We work to build and maintain the trust of everyone we work with and support.

Evidence Based

Our advocacy is informed by evidence gathered from the Naval Service Community.

Independent

We are independent of the Royal Navy’s chain of command.

How We Can Assist

1We Listen

By hearing about the issues you face we can learn from them. By asking questions personally and through surveys, we can evidence them.

We then take these lessons and work to make important changes to benefit you, the Royal Navy and Royal Marines families of today and those of tomorrow.

Your experiences can help others – we want you to have your say. Share your views with us on consultations and issues affecting you and your family.

2Useful Resources

From guides to studies, our resources provide a lot of general information to help you with some key issues affect RN and RM families. You can also share this with others by printing our poster to pass these useful tools to others.

We have covered topics such as family separation and wellbeing, parental absence, leaving the service and employment training for spouses or partners and children of serving Armed Forces personnel.

3Driving Change

Our Federation is a charity, totally confidential and independent of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines.

We listen to and learn from our Royal Navy and Royal Marines families. Then take that information to work as a force for change. With access to policymakers at the highest levels – Government, politicians, the chain of command and a host of other organisations, we work as a partnership to deliver change.

2003

Naval Families Federation created

The NFF was created at the request of the Government in order to allow the families of the Naval Service to have their voices heard and in 2004, just 10 weeks later the first edition of Homeport was published.

2016

Naval Families Federation relaunches with the new logo

The updated look for the NFF was followed by becoming a registered charity in 2018.

2023

Naval Families Federation celebrates 20 years

The NFF celebrated our 20-year anniversary with a special edition of Homeport.

2025

Naval Families Federation launches their new website

The updated website provides easier navigation, a more modern look and accessible functions to promote inclusivity and help us to better serve the community.

Helping Serving Communities Thrive

21 years

NFF has advocated for Naval Families

16,000

copies of Homeport distributed termly

170

events attended in 2024 across the UK!

8

academic research projects contributed to

34%

of enquiries received are related to Housing

6,132

subscribers to our regular eBulletin

How We Can Support