Sharing Best Practice tosupport Service Children

Summer 2012

Service Children Support Network

In this issue….

Life as an SCSN Intern!The 2012 Photo Competition Results.Living with PTSD - A Family’s Experience.

SCSN

I can hardly believe that it’s been 3 monthssince I last wrote for our SCSN newsletter, timeseems to fly by so quickly! So on with thenews… We recently extended a warm welcometo our first SCSN Intern, Katherine Grove. Shethrew herself into all aspects of our work andhas even written a number of articles for thisedition of the newsletter. She has justgraduated from her secondary PGCE course andwill leave us at the end of June to take up herfirst teaching role. We wish her every success inthe future, it has been a delight to have herwith us.

Our spring seminars and training events wentvery well and it was great to meet so many ofyou at the Universities of Oxford, Warwick, andReading and at the Vulnerable ChildrenConference in Buckinghamshire. We will host anumber of other events this summer andautumn and I look forward to meeting manymore of you then. I have also attended 2National Conferences over the past few weeksand both provided much food for thought. TheRoyal British Legion Stakeholders’ Conferenceat the start of May encouraged us to reflect onour current challenges and constraints and tolook to the future and continue to work inpartnership with each other.

The SSAFA Additional Needs and DisabilitiesConference focused on Service families whohave children with additional needs. Hearingfamilies speak about their experiences was botheye-opening and inspirational and whilechatting to Mums and Dads over coffee, it wasobvious that many families feel thatprofessionals are failing their children. I want tofollow up on this and I would really like to hearmore from parents and professionals alike.

Thank you to all the children who entered our‘Through the Eyes of a Service Child’ 2012Photographic Competition. There were so manywonderful entries that it was very tough job forour judges! I hope you enjoy looking at thewinning entries later in this edition.Congratulations all 12 winners and I lookforward to meeting them at the officialpresentation in August at the RAF MuseumLondon. Of course I must thank our threejudges Jenny Green OBE, Christine Druce andIain Duncan for giving up their time.

On the research front, Dr Grace Clifton, theSCSN Academic & Research Advisor, is workinghard on our first SCSN Research Conferencewhich will take place on 10 September at theUniversity of Oxford. Places are filling upquickly so I urge you to book soon as we onlyhave a few places left.

We are delighted to announce that theSCSN/Buckinghamshire County Council/HaltonSchool Project has again won funding from theMOD £3M Service Children Fund. This willenable us to extend our Service ChildrenSupport Project in Buckinghamshire still further.Our two new ‘Service Children SupportCoordinators’ are now fully trained and verybusy with their new roles in schools and youcan hear directly from them in this issue.

I would like to thank the Independent onSunday for including me in this year’s Happy100 list and for giving me the chance to furtherpromote the work of SCSN. I would also like tothank the University of Oxford for recognisingthe contribution of SCSN and the importance ofService Children’s life experiences. It was anenormous privilege to receive a ViceChancellor’s Civic Award at this year’s‘Encaenia’ Ceremony and to be honouredalongside some truly inspiring guests includingNobel Prize winner, Aung San Suu Kyi.

Finally we would love to hear how your ServiceChildren £3M projects are progressing as wellas catching up with what’s going on in yourarea. Please send any newsletter articles andphotographs to us using the usual address:contact@servicechildrensupportnetwork.com

The closing date for receipt is 20 August 2012.

SCSN

Deborah Harrison, Professor of Sociology at theUniversity of New Brunswick, Canada, who hasbeen researching Canadian military familiessince 1990, sent us this article by Isabel Angell,NPR News, Washington DC . Deborah says “Thearticle is about William and his family and theirstruggle with his PTSD. Although William is aPolice Officer I think his story has real relevanceto Service families living with a loved one withPTSD”.

SCSN would like to thank Isabel Angell forallowing us to reprint her article and remindreaders that Deborah will be one of the guestspeakers at the SCSN Academic Conference thatis taking place at Oxford University inSeptember.

“Everything Will Be Okay”: One Family’sStruggle With PTSD (post-traumatic stressdisorder) has been getting a lot of attentionrecently as soldiers return from the wars inAfghanistan and Iraq. But PTSD can also affectcivilians. William Edwards developed PTSD afterwitnessing a fatal shooting while on duty as apolice officer in Camarillo, California. His life –and the lives of his family members – has neverbeen the same since.

Williams Edwards joined the Camarillo PoliceDepartment when he was just 21. He needed away to support his wife and baby daughter,Dori. He was a good cop, but looking back, hesays he doesn’t think he was suited for theprofession – perhaps he was too sensitive.

The daily hardships of the job had already beencatching up with William when he was involved

in a shooting while on duty six years ago. Thatnight, a young gang member tried to runWilliam over with his car. Dori remembers thatas the night everything changed.

William would display extreme mood swings,from being almost catatonic and sitting on thecouch unresponsive, to completely disappearingfrom the house. Dori remembers sometimesshe wouldn’t see him for days at a time; shedidn’t even know where he was.

William says sometimes he lived out of his carand slept in the station parking lot. Today, itbothers him that his fellow officers knew thisand didn’t do anything. Even when he tried toseek help at his station, he was denied.

“There were several instances where I tried toturn in my badge and my gun and express to mydepartment that I was incapable of returning towork,” he says. “You know, it’s that machoprofession and you just put your boots back onand go to work.”

Dori says her mother would call the station overand over, even reading them the symptoms forPTSD over the phone from the Diagnostic andStatistical Manual, the professional guide tomental disorders. But nothing happened.

“No one would help because they didn’t wantthat bad rep on their station,” she says.Meanwhile, things kept getting worse forWilliam.

“There was no light at the end of the tunnel,there was nothing, it was just darkness,”William says. “And I didn’t see any way out. Andthat’s when I started to feel like I was absolutelyuseless to my daughter, to my wife, and I justwanted to release them of that burden.”

One time, Dori remembers finding her father ina closet with a gun to his head. She also recallsanother time when she and her mother foundhim about to hang himself in their garage.

“That was always one of my biggest fears, thatone day I would get the call or I would wake upand he would be gone forever… not just 50miles away doing who knows what, but that hewould just never come back,” Dori says.

“Everything will be OK”- One family’s struggle with PTSD.

But Dori never gave up on her father. Sheremembered when she was little and afraid togo to sleep, her dad would tell her thateverything would be okay. She never forgothow comforting that was to her. Even when hewould lay on the bed, unable to move, shewould tell him that everything would be okay.William remembers this part, and says thatknowing his daughter still loved him helped himhold on and survive the tough times.

Today, William is doing much better. He retiredfrom the force three years ago and now ownstwo businesses: a property inspection firm anda photography studio. He and Dori’s motherhave since separated, but the family remainsclose to this day. Dori is a freshman at UCLA.

16th July 2012 ‘Building Resilience in ServiceChildren’ Speakers - Ros Hearne, EducationalPsychologist, Warwickshire, and Katie Alvey,Educational Psychologist Oxfordshire. This is a freeevent but please reserve a place by email to:contact@servicechildrensupportnetwork.com

September 2012 ‘Introductory Training Day’ Suffolk– more details to follow soon.

September 2012 ‘Service Children: Implications andMitigations’ Cornwall – more details to follow soon.

Remember that SCSN offer bespoke training days tomeet the needs of LA staff, schools, governors andother health and welfare professionals as required.For more details please email:contact@servicechildrensupportnetwork.com

‘Blowing a Kiss’

by Connie Hickman-Tinnieswood.

This issue of the SCSN Newsletter is graced byour very own Cover Girl! As you will see later,Connie won first prize in the age 6-9 category inthe SCSN Photographic Competition with herphoto entitled ‘Blowing a Kiss’.

The story behind Connie’s photograph wasparticularly moving. Her Mum, Natalie Hickmanwrote: When Connie was two years old herbrave Royal Marine daddy died of a braintumour, which was a horrendous time for meand Connie. We re-located back to Plymouththe following summer so we could be closer tofamily and friends. Soon, we began to re-buildour lives, remembering and missing Simon(Connie's daddy, my husband) every day. Twoyears later I met someone (Alex) who wouldyou believe it was in the army!  The friendshipdeveloped into a fantastic relationship; Alex isnow a wonderful father to Connie and nearly sixyears on, they are joined at the hip! Last yearAlex was in Afghanistan for seven months andConnie and I missed him very much. Conniewould keep an eye on the news and be veryfraught at any fatalities or casualties fearingthat the worse would happen again.  I'm glad toreport Alex returned to us safe and sound.

Dori and her father William.

Our Cover Girl!- the story behind that kiss…

Forthcoming Events

www.redwhiteblueday.co.uk

RWB Day is a chance for your school to show support for families

of our Armed Forces. By taking part you can raise money to

suppor t children who have mums or dads serving in the Army,Royal Navy & Royal Marines or Royal Air Force.

To get involved you just need to have fun with a red, white and

blue theme - you can dress up in red, white and blue, run a themed

event, do a sponsored activity or enter our poetry competition.

We suggest that anyone taking part should at least donate a

pound and dress up in one or all of the colours. It’s that simple!

Schools - Support our Forceson Friday 12th October

All the moneyraised will be

used to supportthe work of:

SCSN Profile

Name:

Emma Cheedy - Service Children

Support Coordinator

So what’s your background?

I have been married for almost 13 years to Paul, who is serving in the RAF, and we havetwo children. Before getting married, I was a Civil Servant working with the RAF Police andSecurity Flight at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus. Since having the boys, I have spent most of mytime volunteering with various Service charities and  organisations, and gaineda Diploma in Child Day Care.  Once the boys were both in school, I started working in theFoundation class of a school with a high percentage of Service children.

What does your role entail?

I support five schools in the RAF High Wycombe area that have Service children. My day isspent visiting one, maybe two, of the schools and the children with whom I am working,planning the activities I will be doing with each child or group on our next meeting,keeping my records and notes up-to-date, updating head teachers, contacting outsideagencies or new schools any of the children may be moving to which could be anywhere inthe world.

What has been your experience so far?

Some parts have been challenging! Some schools feel that parents won't like the Servicechildren being singled out or parents think, 'What does she know about how we live?' But,once the parents realise that I am 'one of them' everything seems to fit into place! Parentsare very pleased that the schools have this opportunity and all feel it will be of benefit notjust to the children but the Service family as a whole.  I am really enjoying the work andfind it very rewarding.

What are the key issues that you have encountered?

I have been doing lots of work on Transitions where children have beenmoving to new schools . Lots of the children I have been working withseem to be moving overseas at the moment which presentsadditional challenges! I have also been supporting children whohave a parent deployed overseas and helping them to cope withthe effects on the family as a whole. I have also found that anumber of parents have been having problems when applying forplaces in schools for their children when they have been posted tonew areas so I have been helping them to sort things out.

An RAF wife has become one of the first to findwork using an innovative new company set upto help military spouses. Emma Cheedy startedwork in April as a Service Children SupportCoordinator for the Service Children SupportNetwork after registering with Recruit forSpouses, a website established by the wife of aserving Army officer. Heledd Kendrick set upthe company in response to the struggles facedby many service spouses to find work.

The company, which donates all profits toservice charities, allows forces spouses toregister on its website free of charge.Employers then pay a small fee to advertise jobsand access the database of spouses with skillsranging from shop floor to boardroom level.  Itspatron is Lady Jean O’Donoghue, wife ofGeneral Sir Kevin O’Donaghue, who describedRecruit for Spouses as “a great opportunity (forspouses) to re-enter the workplace and provethat we really can make a valuable andworthwhile contribution to employerscountrywide.”

She said: “Recruit for Spouses will give spousesthe confidence to show their real worth.Spouses have a wide range of skills and talents.Many are highly qualified but have had to puttheir talents on hold, or channel them intounpaid occupations because of the vagaries ofservice life and the raising of a family. Althoughthe latter affects civilians as well, I think thatthere are additional responsibilities attached tobeing a spouse of a serviceman orservicewoman; there will be times when thespouse is the sole carer; there will be bigupheavals in the children's lives which only thespouse can deal with because of servicecommitments.“

Emma, who has two sons – Dylan, aged 10 andRhys, 8, said she thought she faced permanentunemployment while her husband was serving

in the RAF. “Instead, I am just about to start myfirst ‘proper’ job for 10 years, something I didn’tthink I would be able to do being married to theRAF, in the form of my husband Paul, and thetransient lifestyle that comes with his job.”

Dylan was born in Cyprus, but the family leftwhen he was eight weeks old, and before hisfirst birthday had moved from RAF Akrotiri toRAF Aldergrove in Northern Ireland to RAF BrizeNorton. Rhys was born whilst the family was atRAF Brize Norton and the Cheedys remainedthere for more than eight years, before movingfirst to RAF Daws Hill then, after 15 months, toRAF High Wycombe.

Limited to volunteering work or school jobs, likemany military spouses, Emma became an activemember of The Royal British Legion Branch inCarterton, helping with fundraising for thePoppy Appeal. She was also a SSAFA ForcesHelp In-Service Volunteer and was theCommunity Volunteer Coordinator at RAF BrizeNorton, Beaver Scout Leader for the 2nd BrizeNorton Air Scout Group and was offered,through volunteering in school, a job as alunchtime supervisor.

She said: “I had come to realise that if I wantedto work it needed to be in a school environmentor from home.

Emma and her family.

I needed to be around for the boys and thisbecame all too obvious when Paul was deployedto Afghanistan for six months in 2009. Withoutfamily close by and the school holidays to dealwith it would have been impossible for me tohave worked when daddy being away becametoo much for Dylan to cope with.

“As most military wives will say ‘we just get onwith it’; we give up our own career paths toraise our families and follow our husband’scareers. It can be very lonely and dishearteningsometimes, especially when job hunting islimited as you don’t know how long you will bein one place.

“Recruit for Spouses is a fantastic concept.Military spouses can look at the jobs advertisedby employers who understand that it is in somecases only short term work and it is work that is‘local’ to where people are based or fromhome. The employers will be giving so muchmore than just a job and in return there is apool of work skills, qualifications and experiencein the form of military spouses looking for work.“So I’ve started my new job. I am nervous andexcited; Paul’s work is disappointed as I will nolonger spend all my time baking. As to what Iam going to spend my first pay packet on? I’veseen a lovely pair of pink shoes…”

Joy O’Neill, founder and chair of the ServiceChildren Support Network, said she knew howforces spouses could struggle to find work. “Asa service wife I know how difficult it can be tofind meaningful work in a new area and as anemployer I know how important it is to recruitthe right person.  Using Recruit for Spouses hasbeen a positive and professional experience.Within a month I’d been able to appoint Emma,a high calibre candidate for an important newrole. I will definitely use Recruit for Spousesagain to advertise future vacancies,” said MrsO’Neill.

*To register with Recruit for Spouses or find outhow to advertise jobs on the site,visit www.recruitforspouses.co.uk or emailinfo@recruitforspouses.co.uk.

On Sunday, 27th May 2012, the County ofBuckinghamshire celebrated The DiamondJubilee of Her Majesty The Queen in a Service ofThanksgiving. The service, held at the ParishChurch of St Mary The Virgin, Aylesbury, wasarranged by the Chairman of BuckinghamshireCounty Council, Mrs Marion Clayton.

Alan Wilson, the Bishop of Buckinghamdelivered the address, while the High Sheriff ofBuckinghamshire, Mrs Carolyn Cumming andHer Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant ofBuckinghamshire, Sir Henry Aubrey-Fletcher,Bt JP, gave the readings. Service Pupils fromHalton School, Alex in Year Six and Evie andNicholas both in Year Five also gave readings atthe service. The music was provided by StMary’s Choir and the High Wycombe MusicCentre Intermediate Choir. The service wastremendously uplifting and all of the children,readers and singers alike, made a splendidcontribution. The service was followed by ascrumptious afternoon tea in the CountyMuseum Gardens, enjoyed by all.

We would be delighted to know how youcelebrated Her Majesty the Queen’s DiamondJubilee. Please send any photographs andarticles to:

contact@servicechildrensupportnetwork.comby the end of July.

Marking the Jubilee!in Buckinghamshire.

Those who work alongside service children and,of course, their parents and families, are wellaware of the ways in which these youngsters’lives differ from those of children in civiliancommunities, and of the challenges that theyface. Another group of people also has aninnate understanding of today’s servicechildren: those who were themselves oncearmy, air-force or navy ‘brats’. And not only dothey have personal experience of how servicelife impacts on children, but the benefit ofhindsight also gives them a unique perspectiveon the ways in which growing up as a forces’child can continue to have a profound influencelater in life.

As the daughter, granddaughter and great-granddaughter of regular soldiers, I have alwaysbeen intrigued by the differences andsimilarities in the experiences of army childrenacross the generations. It is a subject that hasbeen poorly documented and studied, however,which is why I set up The Army Children Archive(TACA) website (www.archhistory.co.uk) tochronicle British army children’s history. As wellas looking back into the past, TACA also has aneye on the present and future and tries to raiseawareness of the issues affecting today’s servicechildren, and to help them where it can.

Last year, I was commissioned by Shire Books towrite Army Childhood: British Army Children’sLives and Times. An illustrated outline of the‘army-child experience’, Army Childhoodencompasses over three hundred years of armychildren’s history, covering such areas as thearmy’s changing attitude to its soldiers’ youngdependants; how they have been transportedto postings all over the world; and how andwhere they have been housed, educated andentertained. I hope that readers will find thebook interesting, and that it will provide themwith some informative and illuminating food forthought.

Clare Gibson

Army Childhood: British Army Children’s Livesand Times, by Clare Gibson, is a 64pppaperback, published as part of ShirePublications’ Shire Library series in May 2012.RRP £6.99.

http://www.shirebooks.co.uk/store/Army-Childhood_9780747810995

Child Bereavement CharityConference

2012‘Grief andbereavement inschools – Let’s talkabout it’

Thursday 20th September 2012 - University ofWarwick. A unique opportunity to learn directlyfrom bereaved young people and professionals.Schools have a vital role to play in the lives ofbereaved children – up to 70% of schools have abereaved pupil on their role at any one time.The programme will include presentations,discussions and workshops.

If you are interested in finding out more orbooking a place please contact:conferences@childbereavement.org.uk orphone 01494 568910 at the Child BereavementCharity .

Army Childhoodby Clare Gibson

SCSNService Children Support Network

ACADEMICCONFERENCE

2012‘Reflecting on Research andPractice for the Children of

HM Forces Families’

Monday 10th September 2012

Dept of Education, University of Oxford, 15 Norham Gardens, Oxford. OX2 6PY

Coffee and Registration from 09.15 Finish 16.30

This one day Academic Conference will shine the spotlight on the research currently being undertaken inthe fields of education, psychology, and health relating to the life experiences of service children andtheir families in the UK.

Our presenters will focus on the emerging issues in this under-researched area and consider theimplications for current and future policy development and practice.

Topics

· Families bereaved through military death· Adolescents living through deployments· Meeting the needs of military families with young children· Military families coping with a child with special educational needs/disability· Impact of having a military father on families.

The event will be of particular interest to:

· Academics working in universities and colleges of further and higher education· Secondary, Primary and Early Years teachers and practitioners· Researchers working within the fields of education, psychology, health and social care· Local Authority Advisers and Consultants· Professionals from education, psychology, health and social care· Military Charities and Welfare Organisations· Anyone dedicated to high-quality provision for Service children and families in the UK.

Early Bird Conference Fee: £50 (booked by 15th July 2012)Conference Fee after 15th July: £65 (book by 31st August 2012)

Fee includes learning materials, refreshments and a light lunch.

To reserve a place please complete the Conference Booking Form and send it to

contact@servicechildrensupportnetwork.com

bookings will be confirmed by email or post.

Terms and ConditionsPayment required with booking - Fees are not refundable.

‘Reflecting on Research andPractice for the Children of

HM Forces Families’

CONFERENCE2012

HM Forces Families’

My children are now 8 and 6 years old. Theyattend a small comprehensive primary schoolnear Reading and have just truly settled in.They are now known by the staff and childrenalike and have carved their niches.

At the end of this term, however, they willmove again to another school: the third for Benand the second for Ellie (this does not includethe various kindergartens and nurseries theyhave been to in Germany and England). Theywill have to mourn their lost friends and makenew ones, establish themselves once more inthe hierarchy of class politics, settle into newteaching styles and environments anddemonstrate their talents and admit theirweaknesses once more.

The teachers will try hard to understand theirbackgrounds and their previous reports, butthey will, inevitably, want to make their ownassessments of the children. In some regards,this movement is a good thing. Militarychildren tend to be more confident andaccepting of change (and schools appear toenjoy having them), but it is also destabilizingand it is hard for the children. We will havemoved house over their school summerholidays and while they are settling into theirnew home and school, both their Mum and Dadwill start new jobs.

I was on a 9 month operational tour to HQ ISAFJoint Command in Kabul over much of the last

year and I am very proud of their resilience. Inpart, this has been developed by their lifestyleto date and their parenting, but as manyreaders will attest, it has not been easy.

Only I asked for these circumstances, but (forthe time being) my family follow and for that Iam very grateful. It is no surprise that militaryfamilies, who move as the military machinedictates, are in the spotlight right now. They(you) deserve to be. There should be nosacrifice on their part for my career serving thiscountry - but at times I know that they offermore than they know. It is my job as a fatherand as a serving officer to mitigate that as best Ican for both my family and others. If we are toensure that a smaller, more effective, militarycan prosper in the future, with potentially morereservists and less regular Service personnel, aholistic approach to family welfare must exist. Icame to this obvious conclusion as a CompanyCommander in Iraq in 2007 and from thatmoment, started to think about the mutualbenefits to the organization, its personnel, theirfamilies and children of better support toService families and their children. When we goon holiday I know that if my wife will only behappy if the childcare is excellent and thechildren are happy - if not, I face severereprimand. The same philosophy should existwhen it comes to our working environment too;if we are to function well in war zones aroundthe world, there should be as little conflict athome as possible.

My Daddy’sGoing Away…By Lt Col Chris MacGregor KRH

One aspect of achieving that is understandingthe stresses of separation. On the plane backfrom Basra, I wrote the first half of a poem formy children to explain my absence. As I realizedthe benefits that it might have for others, itdeveloped with reference to the EmotionalCycle of Deployment into a colour picture bookcalled My Daddy’s Going Away… that has nowsold over 8000 copies worldwide to schools andDads in all walks of life.

It is not surprising that there is an increasedfocus on the issue of paternal separation.A father’s departure is not just a personal issuefor kids or a problem for mums. Paternalseparation may have a very real affect on howDads feel about themselves and how theyperform when conducting the business that hassent them away from their families.  Emotionalhealth and well-being are increasinglyimportant to families and businesses alike.  Weall know that there is a definite link between anemotional state and behavior: a happy workeris a better worker... and a happy parent is abetter parent.

It was in my interest to have soldiers fighting forme without distraction from domestic issues.As I understand it, good comprehensive supportprior to, and during, a period of separation willhelp:

� Dads focus more on their mission,whatever that might be, and becomemore effective and efficient at work,and;

� the family left at home to bond andwork collaboratively together.

Because the verses of the poem are linked tothe Emotional Cycle of Deployment, every pageof My Daddy's Going Away… can act as acatalyst for discussion and can be used toeducate children and thus permit families tocope better. They provide a medium throughwhich parents and teachers can explore theprocess of deployment, separation anxiety,

methods for staying in contact over the tourand demonstrate that it is not the fault of thechild that their father has had to go away.Better still, the book might even inspire moredads to read to their children - at which, as anation, we do not yet excel.

From the feedback that I have received fromfamilies and schools alike, it appears that theMy Daddy's Going Away... book andwebsite does help all those families who have toendure temporary separation from each other.With a small team from The University ofReading, I hope to start writing teaching packsfor schools that will help teachers betterunderstand separation and its effects on theirchildren - and yes, I promise that I am writingMy Mummy’s Going Away…!

My Daddy’s Going Away… is a great littlestorybook that supports children and familiesthrough paternal separation. The foreword waskindly written by HRH Prince Charles, The Princeof Wales and a proportion of profits go toService charities.

Please follow progress of these initiatives andmore on the Facebook page and visit thewebsite now for loads of tips and tricks oncoping with separationwww.mydaddysgoingaway.com.

SCSN Profile

Name:

Helen Brettell - Service Children

Support Coordinator

So what’s your background?

My Dad was in the Army, so I have grown up with the Forces. We moved around every 2-3 years and I spentthe majority of my childhood in Germany where we lived in "quarters" with other military families. My Dadwent away a lot, sometimes deployed to places like Ireland, the Gulf and Bosnia, but also on courses and forsport. I eventually married my husband who is in the RAF. We have had various postings in the UK: 5 Years inHampshire, 7 years in Scotland, 18 months in Norfolk, 2 years 9 months in Oxfordshire and now we're atHalton where we've been for 14 months. I spent many years as a PA until I had children. After a period oftime at home with my children, I returned to work in Oxfordshire at the Children's Centre. Here, I went on togain my NVQ3 in Childcare Learning and Development and numerous courses relevant to the job. I gainedvaluable experience as every day was different and there were many family issues, including forces families.

What does your role entail?

Key to the role is the ability to empathise with the child and their family at times of change or when they arefeeling unsettled. Initially, I help new children to settle into school by spending time with them to helpalleviate their worries and fears. Also, at times of deployment I will meet with the children regularly and wewill write e-blueys to their parent or make things to send out to them. If a child (or their family) feels thatthey need extra support, I am available to spend some one-to-one time with them at school. The schoolsthat I am working with are very receptive and understand the need for additional support for Servicechildren. Feedback from the school suggests that the parents think it's a good idea too. The children are veryreceptive and seem to enjoy the one-to-one time. It is still very early days so I'm trying to build rapport withchildren, parents and teachers so I expect my experience to be very different in the coming months.

What does that mean day to day?

I've had a couple of children leaving from 2 different schools so for each child I put together a leaving journal.This included various photos: one of them in their school uniform, their teacher, friends, classroom,playground and whatever was special to them in their school. This was put together with a page at the backto add names, addresses, and e-mail addresses of all the friends with whom they want to keep in contact.We also looked at worried and happy cards and discussed how they were feeling about theirmove. I used worry dolls with one child. I supported one little boy, who desperatelymisses his older brother who is working away. We made something for him to send tohis brother as well as a Welcome home picture (he really seemed to enjoy the activityand smiled all the way through!). Another little girl has been here for 6 months andis fairly settled but talked about daddy finding out if he still had a job today(redundancies are out today). If he's made redundant they will move back to theirold house which she would really like to do - this all came out as we were playingwith some pipe cleaners, making them into people and devising a story.

Over the coming year I hope to make the same difference to the families that HaltonCC school are making. I'm hoping that families won't be as worried about getting theirchildren into Halton School for the support because they will also get the same supportfrom the schools in which I am based.

We had an excellent response to the SCSN photography competition, ‘Through the Eyes of aService Child,’ which was launched earlier this year in collaboration with the Royal Air ForceMuseum. The judges, Iain Duncan, a photographer from the Department of CollectionsManagement at the Royal Air Force Museum, Christine Druce from See Saw Oxford and JennyGreen OBE had a real challenge in selecting the winners. The photographs submitted, variedgreatly in subject matter, each revealing an insight into the life of a Service Child. The single floweron a barren tree, perhaps, symbolises this point. Christine Druce from See Saw Oxfordcommented, “It is clear that, in many cases, participants had put a lot of careful consideration intohow they wanted to convey their message. As a result, the images were a moving and thought-provoking portrayal of ‘life as seen through the eyes of a service child’.” Similarly, Jenny Greennoted, “I was struck by how poignant the photos were and how even some very young childrencaptured the emotional impact of dad's service life on the family. It was a privilege to see thephotos.”

The winning photographs will be displayed to the public in the Royal Air Force Museum, London.

The winners of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in all four categories will be awarded a generous selectionof prizes from the Royal Air Force Museum shop. All 12 winners will be invited to a prize givingceremony at the Royal Air Force Museum London, on 24 August 2012, where they will be able toview their photographs on display. The winning images will then be published in the ServiceChildren Support Network’s calendar for 2012, raising valuable funds for the charities, ‘Red, Whiteand Blue Day’ and ‘The Forces Children’s Trust.’ Keith Ifould, Director of Commercial Services atthe Royal Air Force Museum commented: The Service Children Support Network provides valuablesupport to educational professionals who work with Service Children, enabling such children toreach their full potential in the classroom whilst at the same time providing practical help andadvice to the partners of active serving personnel. Accordingly, I am very happy for the Royal AirForce Museum to lend its support to the Service Children Support Network in the promotion of itsannual photography competition, and the subsequent creation of its 2013 calendar, in support of anumber of charities work.

SCSN would also like to take this opportunity to thank the judges for giving up their valuable timeand also the Royal Air Force Museum for their support.

‘Through the Eyesof a Service Child’

The 2012 SCSN

Photographic Competition

2nd Place

Welcome Home!By Callie Jacobs, Exmouth, Devon.

The Under 5’s

Daddy, I brokemy arm!By Molly Wallace, Mullion,Cornwall.

3rd Place

In Daddy’s Helmet.By George Anderson, Shrewsbury, Shropshire

The 6 to 9’s

Blowing a Kiss!By Connie Hickman-Tinnieswood,Plymouth, Devon.

2nd Place

Daddy’s Home!By Bethan Mary Adams,Martock, Somerset.

3rd Place

Present from Daddy.By Rhys Cheedy, High Wycombe,Buckinghamshire.

2nd Place

The Journey.By Molly Barnard, Celle, Germany.

The 10 to 13’s

3rd Place

Moving Boxes.By Dylan Cheedy,High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire.

My Brotherspeaking to myDad.By Joe Kelly,Hohne, Germany.

The 14 to 18’s

Alone in the Wood.By Darien Harrodine,High Wycombe,Buckinghamshire.

2nd Place

Flower.By Sian Murray,Thirsk, North Yorkshire.

3rd Place

The Beach.By Darien Harrodine,High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire.

Tidworth Garrison is home to 2 Brigades, 14 major units and many smaller independent units andprobably has the largest number of deployable soldiers in one place in the UK. Consequently, atany one time, a high proportion of children across the local schools in this area have parents onoperations. There is evidence in local schools, and from a recent Ofsted report on Children inService Families, which identifies that family mobility and parental deployment affects servicechildren’s behaviour in a number of ways. Non-service children are also exposed to thesebehaviours within such a close community, and also have to deal with student cohorts changing ona regular basis. The emotional and social well-being state is often altered not only when a parent isdeployed but often in the lead up to it and when the parent returns (including periods of R&R)and frequently has a detrimental affect resulting in deteriorating behaviour.

This project, funded through the MOD Support Fund for Schools with Service Children, hasemerged through consultation and on-going work across the Tidworth Cluster of schools with theArmy Welfare Service. Joint working between Extended Services and Bath Spa University (theCentre of Education Policy in Practice, schools of Education) has supported a collaborativeapproach to this project, which in essence wants both service and non-service children living in theArmed Service Community to benefit in a number of ways:

� Children’s Agencies and quality of life will be enhanced by equipping them with knowledge,skills and opportunities to influence local decisions that impact on their lives. Suchactivities will also contribute to developing their emotional and social resilience enablingthem to better voice their needs and for these to be met.

� Raising awareness and developing skills within school staff on issues relating to Children’sRights, agency and participation methodologies can impact positively on school activitiesand, in doing so, provide opportunities for children to influence decisions that impact ontheir education.

� In working collaboratively across the cluster of local primary schools, the children and staffwill benefit from a broad range of peer-support and peer-to-peer learning opportunities.This will also strengthen joint working and hence further access to agency resourcese.g. counselling.

� Local, regional and national agencies working with children and their families will haveaccess to improved intelligence to ensure that their services are equipped to meet thespecific needs of children living in Armed Services Communities.

News from the Tidworth Cluster

We chose the Learning to Lead Programme as the concept is a very deliberate and specificapproach to support student leadership. Its rationale rests on the belief that when schools take oncharacteristics of communities, they enable all community members to exercise human agency –that capacity can be purposeful and influence their own environment.

The initial focus has been with the Year 5 pupils in our primary schools, supported by staff whoreceived the Learning to Lead training, and who meet as a local network to explore how thisprogramme can be fully utilised. Within each school pupils have formed teams to identify aspectswhich they feel would benefit from their input, and opportunities they wish to get involved in.Year 5 teachers have used the Learning to Lead tools to facilitate this participation which hasprompted a range of ideas and input ranging from:

� Pupils organising and coordinating the management of the classroom.

� Pupils re organising the layout of classrooms and how they work together has seen achange in behaviours.

� Setting up interest clubs i.e. art, sports, decoration (seasonal decorations for the class-room).

� Leading warm up sessions for PE .

� Fund raising for a range of resources from a sofa for their book corner to equipment forGolden Time.

� Developing Wet Play and Wet Play Monitors.

� Developing a School Newspaper.

� Year 4 pupils now being involved in a Toilet team to resolve any issues around their use.

As pupils, staff and schools worktogether to develop skills, experienceand commitment to support the‘Learning to Lead’ approach within theschool environment, the longer-term aimis to extend potential impact to the widerTidworth Community. Specifically todevelop child-friendly environments andpractices in the out-of-school setting,enabling pupils to collaborate with fore.g. The Tidworth Community Area Boardto influence local decision making on arange of issues affecting children living inthe Tidworth Garrison including those

related to the specific impact of deployment and mobility.

For more information on Learning to Lead please see www.learningtolead.org.uk

Associated work - Throughout the Tidworth and Ludgershall area, with its mix of civilian and armylocal organisations and agencies, we aim to work collaboratively. Earlier this year we saw a largenumber of troops deploying and in preparation we formed a small group to work with some UnitWelfare Officers. The Multi Agency Deployment Forum aims to:

� Promote military-civilian integration.

� Provide emotional and practical support to families living in the garrison or dispersed in the wider community.

� Support families to build resilience in children to cope with army life.

� To promote stronger and safer communities.

� To improve outcomes for vulnerable families.

Research has shown that Army Families encounter additional stress factors throughout their liveswhich, without adequate support, will impede on child development, well-being, happiness andfuture opportunities. Main purposes for this forum:

� To raise awareness of Army Families lifestyles and especially at times of Deployment.

� To work in partnership with all relevant agencies to achieve a robust package of support.

� To pool resources with other agencies to deliver training for staff to be better equipped tosupport army families who experience loss and separation.

� To be aware of up-to-date research to inform the development of services.

� To identify and disseminate funding to support the work.

From this collaborative working we have seen closer links with the military and our schools;increased good communication, INSET on Deployment delivered to our local teachers by UWOsand Extended Services, and a ‘Whilst You’re Away’ art project set up as part of the Art Club atWellington Academy which will forward artwork to serving soldiers in Afghanistan.

‘Wiltshire Voices’ is a project that aims to find new ways of reaching out to people who do not, orcannot, attend the council’s meetings. Wiltshire Voices aims to do this by talking and listening tolocal people and recording their stories. Each project focuses on a specific group of people whonormally struggle to get their voices heard. 12 projects have been developed with the first pilotbeing based around life in Tidworth for Army Wives. In this film the women share their personalexperiences of living in Tidworth and reflect on a range of issues including transport, housing,health care, community safety, schooling, childcare and local facilities. The launch included anopportunity for local partners to discuss the debate the DVD and the needs of this group and howas a community we respond feeding into our own area Joint Strategic Needs Assessment. To viewthe DVD go to http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/communityandliving/wiltshirevoices.htm

OOxxffoorrdd EEnnccaaeenniiaa 22001122

On Wednesday 20 June , Joy and Kev O’Neill were delighted to be guests at the 2012 OxfordUniversity Encaenia where Joy was presented with a Vice Chancellor’s Civic Award. Joy, who isabout to complete her MSc at Oxford, was nominated by her Dean at Kellogg College for her workwith SCSN. The Encaenia Ceremony itself was held in the prestigious Sheldonian Theatre and wasconducted predominantly in latin!

The list of Honorands was very impressive and included Baroness Manningham-Buller (theprevious head of MI5), Mr David Cornwell (more widely known by his pen name - John le Carré)and Professor Drew Faust (the President of Harvard). But this list of the great and the good wassomewhat overshadowed by the presence of the small, rather shy figure of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.Ms Suu Kyi, who seemed a little overwhelmed by all the attention nevertheless stood andaddressed the audience with a confidence and depth of conviction that belied her slight build.Quite rightly she drew a standing ovation and it was a real honour to have been present to hearher speak from her heart. Then it was off to St Hugh’s College for a VIP lunch where the CivicAwards were presented by the Vice Chancellor of the University. Joy was then taken aback by apersonal request from Aung San to meet her in person and discuss the work that she and SCSNhave been doing to improve the educational attainment of challenged children. Joy also foundherself sat next to Professor Faust (a world renowned historian specialising in the American CivilWar) at lunch and they discussed military family experiences from the perspective of both sides ofthe Atlantic! A garden party in the magnificently manicured grounds of Worchester College wherestrawberries and cream were consumed in the warmth of an all too rare sunny afternoon was aperfect end to a wonderful day.

Joy is honoured withJoy is honoured withThe Vice Chancellor’s Civic AwardThe Vice Chancellor’s Civic Award

and meets a truly Inspirational Woman!and meets a truly Inspirational Woman!

I am currently completing my Post Graduate Certificate in Education in English at ReadingUniversity. As part of our PGCE course we are required to complete a Further DevelopmentPlacement, which could take you to Marwell Wildlife Park, the Roald Dahl Museum, or the ServiceChildren’s Support Network (if you’re lucky enough to be me) to name but a few! Having been inthe University of London Officers Training Corps for three years while at university, with aGrandfather who was a Lt Colonel in the Irish Guards, and a boyfriend who is going to commissioninto the Royal Anglians this summer, I have some military connections and knowledge of theArmed Forces. So, when the time came and Reading University handed us a rather large bookletfilled with options for our FDP placement, I was instantly drawn to SCSN both for personal andprofessional reasons – and I was fortunate enough to get it!

It immediately struck me as a varied and interesting placement. The brief summary included in thebooklet stated:

“SCSN works with schools, universities, Local Authorities, NHS Trusts, Military organisations,charities and Military units across the UK and there may be an opportunity for some nationaltravel during the 3 weeks. A typical week would include elements of the following:

� Working to support Service children and their families in local schools;

� Liaising with multi agency professionals and military units to identify sources of support forService children and their families;

� Carrying out assessments in schools;

� Some elements of record keeping and administration;

� Staff development sessions;

� Project management;

� Preparing bids for future projects;

� Policy, planning and board meetings;

� Research;

� Partner work e.g. with Educational Psychologists or local charities.”

The potential opportunity to work with external agencies was something I was looking forward toas I had not experienced much of this in my teaching placements.

Life as anSCSN Intern!

No sooner had I found out what my placement was did I receive an email from Joy inviting me tothe Everyone Matters Additional Needs and Disability Conference, held by SSAFA at the MOD inLondon. I was excited at the prospect of being in the MOD and intrigued by what this conferencewould entail. The audience included a high percentage of persons with some kind of militaryconnection, particularly military families who shared their own experiences and asked questionsfreely and challenged responses. The conference was eye opening and moving. I was shocked tohear the difficulties that some parents face, simply trying to move schools or the battles that arebeing fought by parents trying to receive the same medical prescriptions for their child fromcounty to county. If I was unaware of the issues that some parents in the military face and theirchildren with my military connections, how would teachers be aware of these situations with nomilitary knowledge.

On my second day I attended a committee meeting with, Joy, Kev and Dr Grace Clifton. I was giventhe rather challenging role of taking down the Minutes, but eager to deliver I scrawled unreadablenotes throughout and frantically tried to decipher the scribbles as I typed these that evening. I wasamazed at the work that SCSN has been doing and to learn of its achievements in such a shortspace of time, such as the two recently appointed SCSN Service Children Support Coordinators(whose profiles are included in this newsletter) who have been providing support in local schools.I couldn’t help but be impressed that Joy had managed to secure additional funds from the MODto recruit a third Service Children Support Coordinator. I also learnt of the “Through the Eyes of aService Child” Photography Competition, which followed on from the success of the Artcompetition last year (the results of which are included in this newsletter). This was a movinginsight into the lives of Service Children.

In order to see and experience first-hand the role and support of the Service Children SupportCoordinators I went to Weston Turville school. Here, I was able to sit in on Helen’s weekly meetingwith a handful of pupils there. As it is early days Helen was simply talking with the pupils to build arapport with them while they decorated their folders. It was clear from the outset that many ofthese children possess that element of “just getting on with it” passed on to them by theirparents. Nevertheless, they clearly value the time to speak with someone and share their thoughtsand feelings. Of the pupils that I met, many chose to draw a picture of their daddy on their folderor an aspect of his military life. From the short time I have spent at Halton and RAF Benson, and

having met with parents of service children, it is apparent that thefact that Emma, Helen, Caroline and Sue are all parents to service

children themselves is invaluable. I have also been fortunateenough to attend a Trauma and Bereavement Workshop led by

David Trickey, a Consultant Clinical Psychologist. The idea of a“workshop” filled me with dread and I hoped it wouldn’t be a

“traumatic” day – would I be expected to discuss myexperiences with a complete stranger? As it would happen –Yes! But it was not the traumatic experience I had feared.Yes, we shared our experiences and discussed our thoughts

with one another, but I learnt so much more aboutbereavement and trauma from having shared andevaluated these experiences in light of the informationpresented. We learnt so much about how the mindworked; how it processed normal memories in contrastwith traumatic memories and the effects that this canhave upon children and young people.

As a trainee English teacher, soon to start my first teaching post in July, I couldn’t help but seehow valuable it was for me to learn not only the range of behaviour that may be demonstrated bya pupil who has experienced a trauma or bereavement, but also to have a better understanding ofhow best to support them. Interestingly, in a room filled with people I was the only teacher.Indeed, as was pointed out later in the day it is teachers in our trusted positions and regularcontact with children that are often best placed to support a child who has experienced a traumaor bereavement and yet I was the only one. A morning spent with a member of the ChildBereavement Charity confirmed this as she explained that her role was to provide teachers andschools with the tools to be able to talk with a pupil about a bereavement and how best tosupport them. She took me through an information pack which discussed how schools could helpand the ways to support a bereaved pupil, parents, carers and Forces families. This was aninvaluable morning, given that 92% of children experience some form of bereavement, andbereavement even of the family pet can have a significant impact. When my Springer Spaniel,Heidi, died I was devastated and for a few days work didn’t get done and what was worse I wasn’tbothered that it hadn’t been done. So it is not surprising that there may be a noticeable change ina pupil’s work and/ or behaviour in school.

One day was spent in Halton Community Combined School, where I was able to see first-hand thesupport on offer to Service Children and the role of the Family Support Worker. It is easy to seehow it achieved its grade of “Outstanding” by Ofsted in 2011:

“Despite potentially challenging barriers to learning, including the very high number of pupilsarriving and departing throughout the school year, almost all pupils make good or better progress.This is because of the outstanding drive and determination shown by the headteacher and herstaff in getting to know and understand the pupils and their families, so that they can tailorindividualised learning programmes to meet their differing needs…The school has developedexcellent systems to help pupils settle quickly and to accelerate their learning. Thepioneering initiative to appoint a family support coordinator with expertise in workingwith service families ensured the emotional well-being of pupils and their familieswas at the forefront of the school's work, and this has created a safe and stress-freeenvironment in which pupils flourish.”

Having spoken with Caroline, the Family Support Worker at Halton Schoolabout her role, it was interesting to see how broad ithas become, encompassing any issues children maybe facing, either in school or at home, and not justthe key issues of deployment and transition.

A morning spent with Charlotte Bradshaw of theTransfer Support Team at Amersham CouncilServices, clarified the idea behind the passport.Ultimately, it is “an exciting resource to help pupilsjoining and leaving primary school outside of normaltransfer times”. She also explained the role of theTransfer Support Team and I spent the afternoonobserving a session at Ash Hill Primary School.

At RAF Benson I saw the passport inaction, with children drawing theirfamily and completing activities aboutthemselves that they would like toshare with their new school. It helpsthe teacher get to know the pupil andlearn of any worries the pupil mayhave so that they can support thechild where necessary. The pupilsthoroughly enjoyed their time andwere keen to share their work withSue Rolduson, their teacher, and eachother. Some pupils even shared theirthoughts and feelings about what it

was like to have a mummy or a daddy in the services. One little girl remarked rather amusingly,“When daddy goes away, I’m happy and sad. I’m sad because I can’t see him, but I’m happy ‘causehe gets more money so we can go on holiday!”

Meeting with and speaking with parents has been invaluable. The communication betweenschools and parents is essential. Having only had a handful of opportunities to speak with parentsduring my teaching placements, the ability to hear the thoughts and concerns of parents in aninformal environment, during coffee mornings with Emma, has highlighted that for most there is aneed for additional support for Service Children within schools. While nearly every mother Ilistened to used the phrase, “We just get on with it,” it was clear that most would appreciatesupport within school and someone for their child to talk to.

My time with SCSN has been a rollercoaster of emotions. At times I have fought back tears whilelistening to a wife talk about her son crying every night because his daddy is in Afghanistan, orreading the poems of children on display in RAF Benson, or the photo of a single flower on abarren tree submitted for the photo competition. On long drives home, I’ve told myself to “Man

up!” At other times I have laughed at thecomments made by children and I havethoroughly enjoyed my time with SCSN. On apersonal and somewhat selfish note, I havelapped up the advice and top tips given to meby parents and my colleagues with SCSN aboutdeployment and managing your children’sexpectations. The experiences I have had bothin school and from meeting with externalagencies will undoubtedly enrich my teachingpractice. My mentor, Joy, has beeninspirational – her drive, tenacity, and abilityto contact me at all hours of the day havemeant that I got the most out of thisplacement for which I am truly grateful.

“It’s been following me around allmorning, I think it’s the Intern…”

contactsFor more information please contact

SCSN

By telephone on: 01296 625779

By e-mail at:

contact@servicechildrensupportnetwork.com

Or visit our website:

www.servicechildrensupportnetwork.com

The Autumn Issue will be publishedin September 2012.

An Appeal from the Editor. Thesenewsletters will only be asinformative and interesting as thearticles it contains so pleaseconsider submitting something forpublication. It doesn’t have to be amasterpiece of prose, just be ofinterest to your fellow members! Itmight describe a particular event youhave organised or attended, it mightdescribe work that you have carriedout or an issue that you wish to bringto wider attention. We are alsopleased to receive examples of workfrom the Service children in yourarea, a drawing or piece of poetryrelated to their lives perhaps. Pleasesubmit articles in word format(together with any pictures you wantto use) to The Chair.

Editorial Note:

The views expressed by thecontributors to this newsletter are notnecessarily those of the Editor,SCSN, the MOD or any otherorganisation. All precautions aretaken to ensure accuracy.

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