There are estimated to be over 120,000 children with at least one parent serving in the Armed Forces in the UK. Whilst awareness of the challenges faced by Service personnel during their transition to civilian life is increasing, there is a gap in evidence of the lived experiences of Armed Forces children and young people. Therefore, the project team will study the experiences of children and young people aged 8-21 in the period where their serving parent/carer is making or has recently made the transition out of the Armed Forces.
Pictured: Families and friends gather at 815 Naval Air Squadron to welcome their loved ones back home after a long sucessful deployment.
815 NAVAL AIR SQUADRON HOMECOMING
On 4th July 2024, 815 Naval Air Squadron returned after 6 months on a historic front-line mission on HMS Diamond. Family and friends gathered at RNAS Yeovilton to welcome their loved ones from deployment.
HMS Diamond spent more than two months in the melting pot of high or medium threat areas, on a relentless operational pace her Wildcat helicopter flew sorties amounting to 200 hours.
The Royal Navy destroyer HMS Dimond returned two days later to HMNB Portsmouth. The historic Middle East deployment that saw her shoot down nine drones and a ballistic missile keeping shipping lanes flowing in the face of attacks from Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in the Red Sea and Guld of Aden, through which 11% of global trade passes.
Forces in Mind Trust has awarded £249,645 to a consortium led by the Department of Education at Brunel University of London to fund its commission into children and young people from Armed Forces families. Brunel University of London successfully tendered for the commission in conjunction with the University of Portsmouth, Forces Children Scotland, and Academic Consulting and Education Services (ACCESS).
The research is underpinned by these key research questions:
- What are the experiences of children and young people before, during and after parents/carers leave the Armed Forces?
- What are the unique opportunities and challenges associated with the transition from the Armed Forces community and the impact on children and young people?
- How can support be most effectively organised and implemented for these children and young people before, during and after traarmed fornsition?
The project will use a co-design approach to ensure that the voice of the children and young people is central in shaping the way the research is designed and conducted, and in the research outcomes and publications.
The 24 month project will begin in September 2025.
Anne Chappell and Ellen McHugh, from Brunel University of London, said
“As a project team that includes Amanda Carr, Liam Satchell, Liz Spruin and Meg Thomas, we are delighted to have been awarded this research funding from FiMT. It provides an exciting opportunity to work innovatively with children and young people to co-design and develop research into their unique experiences at a particular transition point in their family life. The evidence from this research will be used to identify the most appropriate support and provide recommendations for embedding the support in both policy and practice.”
Michelle Alston, Chief Executive of Forces in Mind Trust, said
“Children from Armed Forces families often benefit from opportunities and experiences through being part of a military family. However, they also face distinct challenges. While some of those challenges and opportunities are known, there remain significant gaps in our understanding of Service children as they navigate their own transition away from the military community. Therefore, FiMT are proud to be funding this project, which aims to bridge those gaps in knowledge and help drive meaningful change in the support for Service children.
