In British Forces Cyprus, SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity, supports children and families through school-based health services focused on prevention, wellbeing and early support. Delivered by SSAFA’s Community Health Team, this work helps Armed Forces children feel supported in school and gives families access to trusted health advice in a familiar setting.
School nursing has long been rooted in prevention. In the early 20th century, the introduction of school nurses in the UK helped tackle poor child health and reduce school absences at a time when national concern was growing about untreated illness and nutrition. That preventative approach continues today, with school health playing a vital role in supporting children’s wellbeing and development.
Today, school nurses are registered nurses with specialist postgraduate training in public health. They support physical health, emotional wellbeing, safeguarding and health education throughout a child’s time at school, with a strong focus on identifying concerns early and helping families feel supported.
That role becomes even more important for Armed Forces families living overseas, where children may be adjusting to new schools, different healthcare systems and unfamiliar environments.
In British Forces Cyprus, SSAFA’s Community Health Team delivers school health support to around 1,200 children and young people across five schools.
Craig Johnson, Specialist Community Public Health Nurse says,
“There isn’t really a typical day. The role is so varied that it’s hard to capture it in a single snapshot. Plans can change quickly, but the constant is that we’re delivering the Healthy Child Programme and adapting it to what children and schools need at that moment.”
Over the course of a week, that variety might include running a mass HPV immunisation session in school, speaking to young people in assembly about digital safety, supporting a student who has dropped into clinic struggling with self-harm, or meeting with parents to talk through concerns about their child’s health or wellbeing.
Being based in schools and known to the community makes a real difference. Health support feels accessible and familiar, and conversations about health and wellbeing become easier for both children and parents.
“Sometimes it’s about a big intervention, but often it’s the smaller conversations that matter most,” Craig says, “being visible in schools means children know who you are, and parents know there’s someone they can speak to early, before worries become something bigger.”
This preventative, collaborative approach supports children’s emotional wellbeing alongside their physical health, helping them feel settled, safe and ready to learn.
School nursing today is about empowering children and young people to make healthy choices that last into adulthood. By delivering trusted health support in schools overseas, SSAFA’s Community Health Team helps Armed Forces children and families feel supported where it matters most.
For more information about the services and support SSAFA’s Community Health Team provides to military families overseas, please visit its webpage here or the SSAFA Community Health Facebook page.
