Helpful Resources
Month of the Military Child
The Month of the Military Child (MotMC), in April, is a campaign to raise awareness about the important role Service children play in the Armed Forces community. It is a time to recognise Armed Forces families and their children for the daily sacrifices they make and the challenges they overcome. In the USA, the MotMC has been around since 1986.
In the UK it is still gathering momentum and the Ministry of Defence and the charity "Never Such Innocence" have worked on joint projects promoting the month (https://www.neversuchinnocence.com/month-of-the-military-child).
Letter sent to schools with information about the Month of the Military Child
Letter to all schools with information about the SCISS SEND Survey 2023
SCISS SEND Survey 2023
We are asking all schools in England with one or more Service children on roll to help shape national key messages around Service children with SEND for stakeholders by taking part in this consultation. A report on the findings and how you have contributed to making a difference nationally will be published in the Spring term. The link for the SEND survey can be found below. https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/SCISS-SEND
Forces Additional Needs and Disability Forum
The Forces Additional Needs and Disability Forum (FANDF) is a tri-Service group for Serving personnel, reservists and their families who have a child or adult immediate family member with an additional need and/or disability.
The FANDF is a unique group as it is run by a committee of members whose vision is the ensure that all ‘Forces families with additional needs and disabilities receive the support they need’ (https://www-1.ssafa.org.uk/get-help/disability-support/additional-needs-and-disability-support).
FANDF Mission
- To give a voice to Forces families with additional needs and disabilities.
- To change attitudes towards families with additional needs and disabilities within the Armed Forces.
- To ensure policy and decision makers understand the needs of Forces families, who have additional needs and disabilities.
Department for Education and Ministry of Defence Publications
These documents contain information pertinent to the lives of service children in state schools.
Armed Forces Mental Health First Aid Training
MHFA training courses teach people to spot the symptoms of mental health issues, offer initial help and guide a person towards support.
They don’t teach people to be therapists, but do teach people to listen, reassure and respond, even in a crisis - and even potentially stop a crisis from happening. Developed in collaboration with the UK’s leading military support charities, Armed Forces MHFA is tailored to the unique culture and mental health needs of the military community.
For everyone in the armed forces community – serving and ex-serving personnel, their families and support organisations – our training gives people the skills to:
Stop a preventable health issue from escalating by spotting and addressing it early
Know how and where to access treatment if it’s needed, for a faster recovery
Help keep themselves, the people they support, their colleagues and their families healthy
Minimise the impact of mental ill health on work and life
(https://mhfaengland.org/organisations/armed-forces/)
Armed Forces Day
Armed Forces Day is a chance to show support for the Armed Forces community. There are many ways for people, communities and organisations across the country to show their support and get involved. Armed Forces Day is an annual event on the last weekend in June each year. (https://www.armedforcesday.org.uk).
Never Such Innocence
The charity began as a First World War commemoration project for children and young people. From 2019 they expanded their focus to include conflict in all forms and throughout history, up to and including the present day. To date, young people in over 125 countries have participated in workshops, special events and an international competition (https://www.neversuchinnocence.com).
Resources to support a child / family when a parent is deployed
Deployment is when a service person is serving away from home for a period of time. This could be on an operational tour of duty for 6 months or more, a training course or an exercise which could last for a few weeks.
The Families Federations have collaborated with the Service Children In State Schools National Executive Advisory Committee to create this resource with useful links and signposting to raise awareness of the resources and organisations offering support to help children from an Armed Forces background during times of deployment.
Family Federations Deployment Resources
Family Federations Resources
The Army Family Federation, the Naval Families Federation and the RAF Families Federation all produce useful and interesting resources.
Service Children Progression Alliance (SCiP)
Aim to bring together practitioners, researchers, policymakers and funders to build a stronger evidence-base, better policy, and enhanced support for Service children’s education and progression, placing their voices at the heart of all they do.The SciP Alliance undertakes research to help inform better policy and practice which is committed to supporting children and young people in Armed Forces families to thrive in education.
SciP Thriving Lives Toolkit
A school improvement tool to help self assess your school provision and policies. The Thriving Lives Toolkit provides schools with a framework of 7 principles through which to reflect on their practice and a 3-tier set of CPD resources.
Remembrance
Remembrance events in schools are often an important part of a school year. Schools may wish to show publicly their support for their particular service community and these events can create opportunities for sensitive conversations around this topic.
For service children this can of course be a time of great difficulty and worry. If a parent is away from home on a deployment or has been away relatively recently a child or young person may have heightened concerns about the safety of their parent. Schools may wish to discuss with children from service families (or parent if the child is very young) whether they want to have any direct involvement (or even be present) at a Remembrance event. The following resources may be useful for Remembrance activities in schools.
Black History Month
The Black History Month and Royal British Legion further explore and remember the contribution of personnel of Commonwealth heritage where personal stories bring to life the experiences of those who served (https://www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/article/section/latest-events/black-history-month-remember-together/). Including the contribution made by women ( https://www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/article/section/interviews/63703/).
https://www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk
South Asian Heritage Trust
The South Asian Heritage Trust seeks to elevate the prominence of British South Asian history and heritage in the UK through education, arts, culture, celebration and commemoration. They strive to deepen people’s understanding of the rich and diverse contributions of South Asian communities to British society, promote intercultural dialogue, and foster greater social cohesion among communities.
https://southasianheritage.org.uk/about-the-trust/