Funding for Armed Forces children and young people

About the report

The Service Children’s Progression (SCiP) Alliance defines an Armed Forces child or young person as ‘a person whose parent, or carer, serves in the regular Armed Forces, or as a reservist, or has done at any point during the first 25 years of that person’s life’. The Ministry of Defence has estimated that there are at least 123,240 Armed Forces children and young people in the UK.

Being a member of an Armed Forces family does not necessarily mean that children will experience problems outside the experiences of their civilian peers. In fact, a recent study by Godier-McBard et al. reported numerous positive aspects of Service life for children. But Armed Forces children and young people may face unique challenges or stressors which stem from their parents’ Service. It is therefore important that support is available for those who need it.

The report, produced in association with the SCiP Alliance, aims to provide the first systematic and rigorous account of the landscape of funding for support for Armed Forces children and young people.
It focuses on funding from charities but also encompasses support from other types of organisation and statutory funding streams. The analysis looks at both money given directly to Armed Forces children and young people (or to a parent or guardian on their behalf) and funding for other organisations to support Armed Forces children and young people through services or programmes.

Clare Scherer, Naval Children’s Charity CEO and Service Children’s Progression Alliance Funders’ Forum Chair, said

‘This report by the Directory of Social Change (DSC) fills the gap in research, providing for the first time a systematic picture of the funding landscape of support and invaluable insights into the challenges and opportunities for funders to enhance the impact of their investments in Armed Forces children and young people’s futures.’

Download the Research Brief to read a summary of the report.

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