Lives of service families can be very difference to those in the civilian world.
Children may experience frequent and long term separation from a parent on deployment. They may also move home and school on a frequent basis. This often means difficulties in putting down roots, making long-term friends and providing a continuity of support from schools, health and social care professionals and the community.
This can be especially difficult when children are caring for a family member. They might be:
- Looking after a parent who has returned from deployment and is injured. This could be a physical injury or they could be struggling with mental ill health including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
- Looking after a parent who is at home and needs help because of illness or a disability.
- Caring for a sister, brother or someone else in their family because they are affected by illness or a disability, or they might help to look after a sibling or siblings because their parent isn’t very well.
Children in Armed Forces families are less likely to be identified as young carers because schools and health professionals may not be aware of service families within their areas.
Our Courage to Care programme can help support carers in military families. Read about the project on our website page.
Watch this video from Action for Carers Surry. It’s called Codename Carer and is all about being a young carer in a military family.
For more information The Children’s Society have produced the Young Carers in Armed Forces Families Report. You can find out more here:
https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/youngcarer/our-work/armed-forces
Anyone who thinks a child could be a young carer can refer the child into Wiltshire Council Families and Children’s Service for a young carers’ assessment.
Professionals should complete a DART (Diagnostic Assessment and Referral Tool) or SARF (Single Agency Referral Form), which can be found on Wiltshire Pathways website. SARFs can be sent directly to the team at email.
Children and parents can self-refer into the Integrated Front Door on 0300 4560108 or email.
Once the referral is received it will be allocated to a practitioner who will make contact with the family.
