Support for Armed Forces Families
this page is used to signpost families to general support.
If your family needs specific support from school please do not hesitate to contact the school office. The named member of staff for armed forces support is Mrs Lock but you can also talk with any member of the school team.
Further information about what we do in school to support children from Armed Forces families can be found in the Pupil premium section of the About Our School section of our websie.
Zoe and the Time Rabbit and Henry and The Time Penguin
from the Naval Children's Charity
https://www.navalchildrenscharity.org.uk/need-our-help/#resources
For naval children, separation is part and parcel of growing up. The naval children's charity has two short stories that they created in collaboration with author and illustrator Sarah McMenemy, Zoe and the Time Rabbit, and Henry and the Time Penguin. The stories are designed to help young children adjust to the absence of a parent, and to remind them that mummy or daddy will be coming home as soon as they can.
They have released these as downloadable books on their website . We have shared the books and their information here for your ease.
Life in a Naval family can be hard with long separations and dealing with deployments. Particularly for younger children who can struggle to understand why mummy or daddy is away for so long. Our books can help you talk to your child/children about this. Call us or email book@navalchildrenscharity.org.uk to receieve a free copy. Remember to put your name and address and tell us which book you want: Henry about a mummy going away or Zoe about a daddy going away. It doesn’t matter which book you read with your child, they are to help you ask them how they feel when someone is going away
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Zoe_and_The_Time_Rabbit_PDF version of the book | [pdf 2MB] |  |
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Henry-and-the-time-penguin PDF version of the book | [pdf 36MB] | |
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Zoe-and-the-Time-Rabbit | [mp3 9MB] | |
The Naval Children's Charity
The Naval Children’s Charity offers help to children up to the age of 25, of parents or those in the guardianship of serving or ex-serving members of any part of the Royal Navy including the Reserves and Royal Fleet Auxiliary.
Working closely with the other Naval charities offering financial support we give grants to help in times of need. Families can come to us directly for help either through our website www.navalchildrenscharity.org.uk or by emailing caseworkers@navalchildrenscharity.org.uk or phone 023 9263 9534. They can also go through NS FPS, SSAFA or other agencies who will refer on to us.
A large part of our support falls into our Emergency Essentials Grants scheme. For some children and young people their need is immediate, and we respond quickly and directly. The scheme helps those children where their families are struggling financially, often facing times of crisis such as stresses caused by COVID-19, unemployment or redundancy, illness, bereavement, injury, or disability. Our caseworkers work with families to identify more longer-term issues and challenges and help prevent more serious problems such as debt and relationship issues and help with their stress and anxiety. We can help with funding for therapies, specialist equipment for illness and disability, expenses for hospital visits or separated families.
We also have some books which we send out free of charge to help families and younger children with separation and long absences. Further information about these books can be found on our website. If you would like a copy please email book@navalchildrenscharity.org.uk
Reading Force
Their FREE initiative is available to those serving, reservist, veteran, injured – as well as the divorced/separated partners and children of Forces personnel. As they deliver books and scrapbooks directly to the homes of families who request them, they have been able to give military families a constructive activity throughout lockdown. As restrictions ease, you can still use their materials to keep in touch with a deployed parent and wider family.
The majority of families taking part in Reading Force are those with younger children, although older children, from babies to age 10, although older children have joined in a family activity that includes everyone, or to help encourage their siblings’ literacy.
f you would like to see images of families’ scrapbooks you can look at the Reading Force Instagram page, and there are also updates of family input on their Facebook page (all offered with permission). An RAF family has made a video for Sky Children’s programme which will be aired soon.
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MKC Heroes Home Page |
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Naval Families Federation Resources for Children |
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Naval Families Federation Resources for Families |
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Air Force Families Federation |
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Army Families Federation |
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ssafa Covid-19 support Pages |
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Naval Children's Families |
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HMS Drake Family and People Support |
| Rob Talbot and Kerry-ann Keiller - Family and People Support Information Officers Working alongside both Community and Specialist Welfare colleagues Rob and Kerry are part of the NS FPS West Team. Mob:07779970178 Mob:07970220850 | |
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Little Troopers |
| Little Troopers is a registered charity supporting all children with one or both parents serving in the British Armed Forces, regular or reserve. We provide fundamental resources, initiatives and support to ease and aid repeated separation periods aiming to keep parent and child connected and bonded even when miles apart. |
Help for Heroes Wellbeing Link
Below link is for Help for Heroes guide to wellbeing that has been sent to us by MKC Heroes. They have said that it is suitable for adults rather than children.
https://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/get-support/mental-health-and-wellbeing/a-field-guide-to-self-care/
Walking with the Wounded Wellbeing Link
The link below is for the Walking with the Wounded website guide to Covid-19 support. It is suitable for adults rather than children.