Soldier and Family Readiness Groups: Considerations for Implementation

Abstract

This report documents research and analysis conducted as part of a project entitled Readiness Group Support for Resilient Soldiers and Families, sponsored by the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-9, U.S. Army. The purpose of the project was to assess the implementation of Army policy that changed Family Readiness Groups (FRGs) to Soldier and Family Readiness Groups (SFRGs) to determine whether Army families are aware of the changes, how the changes are being implemented at different installations (including challenges commanders are facing implementing the changes), and whether the new SFRGs are appropriately designed to engage Army soldiers and families and increase readiness and resilience among Army families.This research was conducted within RAND Arroyo Center's Personnel, Training, and Health Program. RAND Arroyo Center, part of the RAND Corporation, is a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) sponsored by the United States Army.RAND operates under a "Federal-Wide Assurance" (FWA00003425) and complies with the Code of Federal Regulations for the Protection of Human Subjects Under United States Law (45 CFR 46), also known as "the Common Rule," as well as with the implementation guidance set forth in DoD Instruction 3216.02. As applicable, this compliance includes reviews and approvals by RAND's Institutional Review Board (the Human Subjects Protection Committee) and by the U.S. Army. The views of sources utilized in this study are solely their own and do not represent the official policy or position of DoD or the U.S. government. (DCS,. We would also like to thank our action officers, Kelly (Dorie) Hickson and Steve Yearwood of the Soldier and Family Readiness Directorate, DCS, G-9, who provided invaluable guidance throughout. Emily Warren from DCS, G-9 also provided thoughtful feedback on our logic model. We also thank the various stakeholders in the SFRG process who responded to the call for interviewees and provided their perspectives on SFRG policies and implementation, as well as the Today's Army Spouse Panel Survey participants who provided responses describing their experiences with FRGs and SFRGs.At the RAND Corporation, Alicia Locker provided initial coding structure and coding for the literature review and Emily Chen led the qualitative research tasks. We also thank Heather Krull, the director of RAND Arroyo Center's Personnel, Training, and Health Program, and Maria Lytell, the associate director, for their guidance and advice, as well as for their thoughtful comments on the work. We thank Barbara Bicksler for her editorial help.