Military children face gaps in health and education support, report warns
Joe Lepper
Wednesday, May 5, 2021
Children of military service personnel have worse education and healthcare support than peers from non-military backgrounds, a study has found.
Separation from parents, the impact of lone parenting and parental bereavement are taking their toll on health and school support for children in military families, says the research.
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Frequent relocation is also having a “significant impact” on their schooling and health needs, it found.
This includes often simple, practical issues such as problems around transferring school records or different curriculums across the four UK nations. Regional differences in the quality of healthcare is also a factor, according to researchers.
The research has been revealed in the report The Impact of Military Life in the Service Child, which has been published by Anglia Ruskin University and commissioned by the Naval Children’s Charity.
Tomorrow, we will be launching new research commissioned by the charity, 'The Impact of Service Life on the Military Child'. Conducted by @ARU_VFi, the report is a wide-ranging exploration of the issues facing military families in the UK: https://t.co/VBRlezZf5F
— Naval Children's Charity (@NavalChildren) May 4, 2021
It found that a lower proportion of service children progress to university. Service children are more likely to enter employment at 18 than their peers.
Another barrier to children’s schooling and health support is “weekending” where serving personnel live away from their family during the week and return at weekends.
This can change family dynamics and impact on children who have to cope with frequent separation from a parent.
Researchers add that the gap in support for military children and their peers comes amid an increase in service personnel with children. This has increased from 48 per cent in 2009 to 79 per cent of service personnel in April 2020.
“Separation or parental absence is highlighted by recent UK studies as one of the most significant challenges associated with having a serving parent, due to the unpredictable and disruptive nature of deployment, with different impacts on children of different ages,” said lead author Dr Lauren Godier-McBard.
“We found that children of mobile service personnel can often experience a lack of geographical ‘roots’, and therefore a loss of identity and sense of belonging. Coupled with practical difficulties, this has led to some service children falling behind both in attainment and their wellbeing.”
She called for further research looking at the impact of social media on children affected by separation and on family reintegration when young people are reunited with parents returning home.