Our Confidentiality Policy

The RAF Families Federation exists to provide RAF families with an independent voice on issues of concern to them.

The Federation operates outside the RAF chain of command and is parented as an independent organisation by the RAF Association, a well-established and highly respected charity.

It is imperative that anyone contacting the Federation, either for information or to raise issues affecting the lives of RAF families, can do so safe in the knowledge that any personal information provided by them will be treated with appropriate confidentiality.

Personal information provided by personnel contacting the Federation will go no further than the Federation’s staff and the purpose-built Issues Database, unless that individual has given specific permission for their details to be passed to a third party.

Any reports going to higher authority that draw upon the Issues Database will be generic in content, highlighting trends and themes rather than individual cases.

All Federation staff will, on appointment, be required to sign a confidentiality clause requiring them individually and collectively to respect the confidences of all personnel contacting the Federation.

The only occasions when confidentiality would be breached are in the following circumstances:

  • When there could be a serious risk of harm to the individual or others around them, for example Mental Health incidents or similar issues.
  • To protect others and to comply with legislation. For example, if there is information regarding child abuse which must be reported to the appropriate agency.
  • To prevent a serious criminal act, especially where others may be endangered, for example an act of terrorism.
  • To protect the operational efficiency of the Service. For example, an individual calling to say that his/her partner has just gone to work as an aircraft technician and is under the influence of drugs that could compromise the security and safety of serving personnel and/or their equipment.

If the Federation staffs believe that, in these rare cases, confidentiality is not possible, they will try to encourage individuals to disclose the information voluntarily to the appropriate authorities.  The individual will be made aware that the information provided cannot be kept within the confines of the Federation and that, on this occasion, the information from that individual will have to be shared with the authorities concerned.