Sustaining Thrive Together: Developing a realist informed evaluation

The Thrive Together Programme (TTP), launched by the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust, is the second phase of the Veterans People, Places and Pathways Programme (VPPP), running from 2024–2027. Building on the VPPP’s veteran-focused work, the TTP extends targeted support to veteran families, aiming to create sustainable, resilient networks that deliver timely, effective, and tailored assistance.Ten grants were awarded to portfolio lead organisations across the UK, including one for Northern Ireland, enabling the development of integrated physical and mental health support systems bridging statutory and non-statutory services. TTP promotes collaboration between military charities and other partners to ensure joined-up pathways into and out of services, while fostering long-term sustainability and enduring legacy. Following extensive consultation in 2024, the programme is now in its delivery phase, to be followed by a transition and sustaining phase before March 2027.Unlike previous initiatives focused mainly on interventions and outcomes, this study examined how partnerships are formed, sustained, and governed, using a realist-informed qualitative approach to identify the contextual and mechanistic factors critical to effective intersectoral collaboration.