In 2006 the Maritime Charities Funding Group (MCFG) commissioned four independent research teams to undertake this seminal piece of research. They were: Insight Social Research working with ORS, the Marine Society and Sea Cadets, the National Children’s Bureau and the Working Lives Research Institute at London Metropolitan University. The researchers worked with maritime and other charities, public and independent organisations, and seafarers and their families to build a comprehensive picture of the needs and aspirations of the whole seafaring community. This report summarises their findings.