Background
Established in 1908, the Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Associations (RFCAs) support both the reserves and cadets of the British Army, the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. The 13 RFCAs have a range of duties which include:
- providing advice to the Defence Council
- maintaining, sustaining and developing a cost-effective, fit for purpose volunteer and cadet estate
- developing and sustaining plans for community engagement between the armed forces and local communities.
RFCAs are funded by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and receive annual funding of around £150 million. In 2019 the MoD commissioned an internal review (the Sullivan review) of the RFCAs, which examined the need for the Associations, the appropriateness of their delivery model and the effectiveness of their governance and management.
The reviewers found that the RFCAs continue to support MoD objectives and should be retained, with scope to expand their role in the future. They also found many passionate volunteers working for them, prepared to deliver beyond expectations. However, the review found that there were risks in how the RFCAs and the Council of Reserve Forces and Cadets Association were structured, governed, and organised, and that reform was needed to improve their efficiency, effectiveness and accountability.
Scope
In this investigation, we will examine how the MoD ensures that the RFCAs are delivering their key duties, including:
- how the MoD ensures that the structure and functions of the RFCAs are set up to deliver
- how the MoD gains assurance on RFCAs’ delivery of their duties
- how the MOD gains assurance that RFCAs that are operating in an affordable and cost-efficient way
NAO team
Director: Helen Holden
Manager: Grace Williams