Just over 6 years ago I ‘virtually’ met a very determined mental health nurse via twitter, during various tweets @paul_RMHN raised in regards to the issue of the challenges that military children face. And on many occasions he posed the key question – how can we improve support for the children of those who serve our country? If I’m honest it wasn’t an area we had identified as part of the School Nurse Development programme – my Dad served in the Royal Navy, his brothers and my mother’s brothers all served in the forces and indeed both my grandfathers – even so I hadn’t thought about the health and wellbeing of military families. My colleague Pauline Watts and I pondered, then decided to seek views from our respective networks, we were not prepared for over 250 responses – all advising it was an area that needed to be looked at and all 250 wanted to be a part of a task group!
We discovered there is currently no single definitive record of the number of ‘Service children’ however, in 2010 the Pupil Level Annual School Census (PLASC) identified 37,940 Service children in England (DfE), and the Ministry of Defence Service personnel records indicated that there were 90,450 dependents aged 18 and under of military personnel in the Service population, in UK and overseas.
Children of military or service families are exposed to unique experiences, which may include; separation from a parent, frequent moving of house, caring for a sibling or parent, taking responsibility for the household or sudden deployment from a combat zone – all of which may impact on the way children lead their lives both now and in the future. The challenges each child or Service family face are different, however Service children who face regular moves from home and school can suffer high levels of anxiety and stress, also their health and their ability to learn may be disrupted especially when their parents are deployed to armed conflicts overseas. In addition, children with additional or complex health needs may find continuality of care a problem due to regular moves and may feel isolated or find it difficult to cope without the support from the extended family or local community networks
Identifying children of military families is often difficult, schools and health professionals may not even be aware of service children or indeed their movements. Without a doubt this can make accessing services or even providing continuity or support for children from service families difficult as they move between schools and wider services including health.
The armed forces covenant (2011) https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/fulfilling-the-commitments-of-the-armed-forces-covenant/supporting-pages/armed-forces-covenant emphasises that the whole nation, has a moral obligation to members of the armed forces and their families, and how they should expect to be treated. For most of the armed forces community, the covenant is about removing disadvantage to ensure armed forces and their families get the same outcome as the civilian community.
Health professionals such as health visitors and school nurses have a crucial role in identifying children of military families and can work with parents to improve the health outcomes – particularly in terms of emotional health and wellbeing. Both professional groups are well placed within local communities to support both serving personnel and indeed those families being re-based or returning to the UK. Health visitors and school nurses can support military families who may be struggling with separation anxiety and fears about a family member being killed, as well as the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder on their family after they return.
Written by Wendy Nicholson, National Lead Nurse for Children, Young People and Families and Deputy Head of WHO CC
2 comments
Comment by Alexis Beeching posted on
Are there any examples of specialist or named HVs or SNs who work specifically with service families?
It would be good to hear form them.
Comment by cherelleguthrie posted on
Dear Alexis,
Many thanks for taking the time to read this blog and please accept my apologies for the delay in responding to you.
The author of this blog, Wendy Nicholson, would be happy for you to email her for further information on specialist HVs/SNs if still needed.
Wendy.Nicholson@phe.gov.uk or Penny.Greenwood@phe.gov.uk
Many thanks for your interest,
Cherelle Guthrie
PA to Prof Viv Bennett