An Independent Evaluation of the SToMP (Supporting Transition of Military Personnel) Project

Abstract: The SToMP (Supporting Transition of Military Personnel) project was formed in 2016, with a large grant from the Covenant Fund. The project aims to improve access to appropriate services for ex - armed services personnel (ex-ASP) within the criminal justice system (CJS), with a particular focus on identification and collaborative working practices. This report was commissioned by the SToMP project to evaluate its impact after two years of being operational. The data for this evaluation were largely collected in tandem with a prior research project, also commissioned by SToMP, which examined the barriers to identification of ex-ASP within the CJS and access to services (Davies & Davies, 2019). Qualitative, quantitative and ethnographic data, from both primary and secondary sources, were collated across the CJS and third sector. Additional documents generated by the SToMP team, and data in relation to SToMP hosted multi-agency meetings, were also examined. The findings highlight the progress made by SToMP – particularly within the prison system – in improving identification and awareness of ex-ASP issues. Feedback from ex-ASP ‘champions’ within the probation services was also particularly positive regarding the support and assistance they had received from the project. More recently, SToMP’s work with the police has made some very progressive steps with collaboration across the four forces. Indeed, SToMP has made a consistent effort to enhance collaborative working across all the statutory agencies involved and the third sector; it has also commissioned and collaborated on several research projects. The key recommendations from this report mainly focus on a improvement to routine data collection and monitoring, in order to continue to evaluate the impact of SToMP across the Criminal Justice System.