1. S h a rin g b es t p ra ctice to s up p o rt S ervice C h il dren
Quart e rly Ne ws le t t e r : S p rin g 2 011
SCSN
Service Children Support Network
Welcome to the first of the SCSN Quarterly Newsletters which includes articles from a
number of our erstwhile members. We hope you find it interesting and will consider
contributing something for the next issue. Let us know what’s going on in your area!

2. Seer Green School Pupils
during their recent visit to
the Chiltern Woodland
Burial Park.
The Gallery
‘ Go n e b u t No t Fo rg o tten ’ - b y Jil l A da ms , C B C
Forthcoming Events
On a freezing cold November happens when someone dies.
morning, a class from Seer Green “Now I know that all my relatives May Seminar
Primary School, Buckinghamshire, and pets are in a good place.”
24 may 11 - The Defence
arrived at the Chiltern Woodland Everyone who wanted to, then Academy, Shrivenham.
Burial Park, full of chatter and shared memories or thoughts
curiousity. “I wasn’t sure if the trip about people or pets who had died
was going to be good because it and Fran Hall, manager of the site,
was a burial park and I wasn’t sure reminded us all that love never
what we would do”. goes away, even when that person
They were the first school to carry is no longer around. The children
out the Child Bereavement Charity then split into groups and did the
visit to the Burial Park based on the nature hunt. “I enjoyed doing the
CBC lesson plan. Accompanied by nature trail the most and I found it
their teacher, Michael Cole- interesting and fun”. As part of that
Johnson, and headteacher Olwyn they also visited the Peace Pole
Davidson-Oakley, the children were and the Remembrance Day Post.
first taken to the beautiful Gathering Favourite was the labyrinth. “Really
Hall. Despite being distracted by liked the labyrinth – it was a really Professor William Yule –
the birds and squirrels they could good idea” Fran told the children Emeritus Professor of
see through the floor to ceiling that a maze is where you get lost, a Applied Child Psychology
windows, the children were labyrinth is where you find yourself. Kings College London,
warmly welcomed by Peter Taylor Before entering, the children picked Consultant Clinical
and Fran Hall who briefly explained up a stone, thought of a worry, and Psychologist, Founding
about the Burial Park and its having worked their way around Director of Child Traumatic
purpose. As the children had the turning and twisting path, left Stress Clinic, Honorary
already discovered, Fran pointed their worry or whatever was Psychologist Advisor to the
out that the Park is a haven for bothering them, with their stone at British Army will be
wildlife and a beautiful, peaceful the centre of the labyrinth. “It was speaking on the subject
place. really cool during the day because of:
they dealt with something adults
Using the song “The Circle of Life” don’t like to talk about and I’d
as his theme, Peter told the story of ‘PTSD and Mental Health
never been talked to about death issues in the Military, the
the Hungry Caterpillar. before”.
Accompanied by much laughter, impact on families and
he got two of the children to The lesson plan and how educational and
pretend that they were caterpillars accompanying information for welfare professionals can
and to then transform into teachers can be found in the support Service Children’.
butterflies. Peter built on the theme schools section of the CBC web,
by pointing out to the children that www.childbereavement.org.uk.
the Circle of Life involves change, To organise a school visit to the To book a place
and that change can sometimes Chiltern Woodland Burial Park
be difficult, especially when a pet contact Fran Hall, Contact Joy O’Neill at :
or someone we know dies. He then fran@woodlandburialparks.co.uk or Joyoneill45@hotmail.com
spoke about how different people Tel: 01494 872158. by 1 May 11.
believe different things about what

3. deposits on rented housing. Our guiding rule for
SSAFA help is, “One day’s service, a lifetime of
care.” Only if all else fails do we use SSAFA money
in very urgent cases such as the housing of an ex-
commonwealth soldier on 23 December, after he
had been living on the streets.
All SSAFA care workers are volunteers and as the
Divisional Secretary for the Vale of White Horse, I
allocate jobs to my case workers almost on a daily
The Gallery
basis, having volunteered originally for a day’s
voluntary work per week! We now deal with these
cases on an electronic Case Management System
(CMS), which means that I have sent off an
assistance request at 5 pm one evening and
received an offer of some £750 by 9 am the
following morning. The CMS system captures our
statistics, when I can understand it, and provides
the annual returns to SSAFA Central Office at year
‘ A l if e-l o n g l in k w ith S S A FA ’ - end. I have known about SSAFA all my life, as I
b y J o h n K el l y come from a Service family and can well remember
the embarrassment, when my parents arranged for
SSAFA ladies to escort me across London from my
I served as an Infantry Officer in both the Regular boarding school as an 11 year old to their posting
Army and the Territorial Army after University, where in Germany in the late 1950s. Since then, I have
I read Classics in the middle 1960s. After leaving seen uniformed SSAFA personnel helping young
the Army I worked as an Emergency Planning servicemen and women on bases and helping the
Officer in various District and Boroughs and latterly families when the troops are on operations.
for some 16 years as the County Emergency My wife is surprised at my role, as I have never
Planning Officer for Oxfordshire dealing with natural been renowned for my patience with bureaucracy
and man-made major incidents, in particular the but it is satisfying to obtain money for a funeral for
floods of July 2007. I was awarded an MBE in the a destitute wife or provide the train fare for an ex-
2008 New Year’s Honours list for “Services to Local soldier wishing to visit his estranged family. Sadly
Government.” we do not see our work diminishing with the age of
During my time at Oxfordshire CC, I liaised with the World War Two veterans and those from more
Armed Services on welfare and ceremonial matters distant campaigns. The ongoing fashionable wars
ran a number of Civic events for the Lord will provide work for SSAFA and the other Service
Lieutenant such as World War commemorations Charities for many years to come.
and the Queen’s Jubilee Baton Run, which ended
in Oxford United Stadium. I am still called upon to John Kelly MBE BA MBA SSAFA Divisional
give expert comment by the media on major Secretary Vale of White Horse, Oxford.
incidents in the absence of comment from the
authorities and to provide a critical view of some 01865 765146/07766 713369
failings in major incident management. In Johnkelly2005@hotmail.co.uk
retirement, I divide my time between walking the
dogs, house-keeping duties and SSAFA- Forces
These are the views of an individual and do not
Help work. SSAFA is a service charity which has
necessarily reflect the views of my Charity.
just celebrated its 125th anniversary, culminating in
Oxford with a Lord Mayor’s reception and a carol
concert in Christ Church cathedral to raise funds.
Locally we have started using the shortened form
For your Diary .....
for the charity – Forces Help, as that explains our
role more easily, particularly over the telephone. Next SCSN Meeting
Our main role is to act as case workers for large
Service charities such as the Royal British legion,
The Navy, Army and Royal Air Force Benevolent The next SCSN meeting will take place from 1300
Funds and Regimental and Corps charities, which -1500 on Wed 28 September 2011 at RAF Brize
are spread across the country. We almonise funds Norton, Oxfordshire.
from Service and civilian charities for anything from Further details will be sent out to members in due
child care to stair lifts and funeral grants though course.
furniture buying to arranging housing bonds for

4. SCSN Member Profile
The Gallery
Name: Wendy Scott
Employment: Abingdon HIVE
So what’s your job?
As the HIVE Information Support Officer at Dalton Barracks in Abingdon, I am the
main focal point for the Military community. My role is to ensure Serving Personnel
and their Dependants are aware of the latest information on the Unit, and from
outside agencies.
What does that entail?
I act as a Confidential Signpost and referral point to other organisations. I provide
support and information for both Serving Personnel and families on their arrival at
Abingdon and on their departure to their next unit,. This is the main part of my role.
I provide information about local schools, SEN provision in the area and also have
access to a lot of useful information about Boarding Schools.
What does that mean day to day?
I Support the Unit during deployments by providing deployment packs for both the
person who is deploying and their Families. I attend and present at deployment
briefs. Any issues, such as Housing, Schooling, Health, or Financial problems that
are presented to the HIVE staff are reported through the chain of command as
examples of the kinds of issues that Service families face to both military and civilian
organisations.
What other agencies do you work with?
I attend relevant meetings, such as SCSN, to gather information or publicise the
work of HIVE. I work locally with Education Extended Services, the
Oxfordshire PCT, Oxfordshire Family Information Services and
Surestart, as well as the local Citizens Advice Centre. I maintain
daily contact with all three Regiments based at Dalton
Barracks as well as the 7 Rifles TA Unit, to ensure up-to-date
information is available to Service personnel and their
families throughout the Dalton Barracks area.

5. Under the initiative, additional funds are allocated to
schools that have Service children on the School
Roll (on a per capita basis) and it is intended that
the money will be used to specifically provide extra
support for all Service pupils.
How can you help ensure that the children in
your school receive the best support
possible?
The Gallery
Many Service parents are perhaps understandably
concerned that, at this time of significant financial
pressure, the money allocated specifically for their
children may simply be absorbed into a wider
‘ Th e Pu p il Prem iu m ’ - school budget rather than being used to directly
support Service pupils as intended. To ensure this
b y J o y O ’ Neil l doesn’t happen, it is in the interest of all Service
The ‘Pupil Premium’ – Additional Government parents to engage with and work alongside their
Funding for Service Childrens’ Education child’s school in order to have a say in how these
additional funds will be spent.
For many years, Service parents have expressed
Some schools have introduced additional staff
concern that their children may be disadvantaged
training (including bereavement training) to increase
because, unlike their fellow pupils from non-Service
awareness of the pressures of parental deployment
families, they face frequent relocation due to
on their pupils. Others have employed additional
postings (‘transition’ to new schools) and also suffer
staff who have responsibility for providing extra
the unique pressures of parental Operational
tuition for pupils who have gaps in their academic
Deployments. Research supports these concerns
knowledge arising from frequent school moves.
and suggests that children who are suffering from
The provision of additional counselling for Service
stress are less likely to be able to learn effectively
and may also display challenging behaviour or pupils has also been shown to offer effective
other emotional upset. solutions to the emotional or behavioural issues
that may arise from Service life. A handful of
schools have employed a ‘Family Support Worker’
The Situation around the Country or ‘Mobility Co-ordinator’, a person whose role
incorporates all the initiatives described above and
Many Service families have commented that they also supports families and pupils through
deployment and transitions.
feel that across the majority of the Country, the
complexities of Service life are not well
understood within the wider community and the It is clear that the number of Service pupils within a
specific needs of Service children are often school will determine the amount of additional
overlooked as a result. I know from personal money allocated to it. Schools which have very
experience that although some schools and Local small numbers of Service pupils will obviously
Authorities are actually very aware of the issues receive less money than one that has a larger
facing Service families and put additional time population of them. However, this should not
and money into offering the best support they necessarily prevent them from achieving good
can for Service children, there are a significant results as it has been proven that by working with
number of others who do not, either because other schools in the local area that also have
They are unaware of the Service children Service pupils, it is possible to pool resources and
population in their midst or worse, are unsupportive put in place initiatives that provide genuinely
of their specific needs. Indeed, the picture across effective support yet also offer great value for
the Country is quite polarised with some Local money! For example, a Family Support Worker
Authorities offering specific additional financial or could be employed to support the Service pupils
Practical support to Service pupils , while others within a group of Schools that share the costs
appear to be either unable or unwilling to do between them.
so, often citing financial constraints as the
reason for not doing so.
For more information or ideas please contact
The Coalition Government has decided to introduce Joy O’Neill.
a ‘Pupil Premium for Service Children’ from 2011.

6. The Gallery
‘Through the eyes of a RAF Child’
‘ Th e M il ita ry C h il d Ed u ca tio n C o a l itio n by Emma, Year 11, John Colet
School, Wendover.
( M C EC ) C o n f eren ce’ - b y A l ex B o s to ck
MCEC is the U S based non-profit organisation Sessions thoroughly explored the theme of New
formed to provide advice and assistance with all Normal with professionalism and enthusiasm.
aspects of educational and family support in Introducing the 7 Cs of Resilience (competence,
collaboration with the Armed Forces of the USA. confidence, connection, character, contribution,
Being invited to the MCEC symposium hosted at coping and control) gave the session leaders a
the ARRC Joint Visits Bureau raised much curiosity framework based on research by Dr K. R. Ginsburg.
within me. The chance to see at first hand the This framework will prove to be particularly valuable
headquarters of the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps for professionals and families alike. It can provide a
was simply too good to miss. The venue and the shared vocabulary with which to address the issues
organisation behind the scenes was first class, and
and feelings aroused by deployment, and to
thanks to Brigadier Allison and his team, the
address the notion that families might be better
welcome received by all delegates was warm
able to take ownership for themselves. Hopefully all
indeed.
concerned will feel more confident in helping our
pupils who can be especially vulnerable at times of
What of the conference itself?As the first session stress.
got under way it became increasingly clear the
MCEC plays a huge and vital role in supporting
Leaving the conference with an MCEC bag
pupils and families connected to the US Military.
generously filled with books, pamphlets and other
MCEC figures relate that 2 million military pupils materials, I reflect on the ever continuing need to
have schooling throughout the world, and that one support our soldiers, families and schools in this
million have been, or are currently, separated from time of high levels of deployment, and how we can
one or both parents due to deployment. play a part in giving such support.
Recognising the implication of this deployment
By Alex Bostock
meant that for many families a “New Normal”
needed to be coped with became the central Clarendon Junior School, Tidworth, Wiltshire
theme of the conference.

7. When my son joined the school when he was 7 I
became a member of the PTA. From 2000-2006 I
served as a staff governor which really helped me
initially in my role as SENDCo as I was already
familiar with policy, the SDP etc. I have been
involved in many initiatives over the years including
'Workforce Reform' and the launch of 'SEAL' (Social
and Emotional Aspects of Learning) in
Wendover/Halton which included running a
The Gallery
parenting course in partnership with St. Marys
Church in Wendover. The role is constantly
changing and evolving as schools are now more
involved in early intervention programmes including
working with families to improve long term
outcomes. I often feel scared and out of my depth
with the various ‘hats’ and constant demands
however one thing I’ve learned over the past 5
years is it doesn’t matter what your ‘position’ is, it’s
how you do what you do. Even if you can’t do
everything, it shouldn’t stop you doing something
which might make a difference.
By Sue Wellington
‘ A New R es o urce f o r
‘ W el f a re in W en d o ver’
S up p o rtin g S ervice C h il dren ’
b y S u e W el l in g to n
b y R o b ert B ea del
My name is Sue Wellington and I have lived in the
beautiful village of Wendover for almost 12 years All of us find moving a challenge but what if we
with my husband Lester, who is a retired had to move every 3 years, or even every year?
Metropolitan Police Officer and now runs this own That is just what many Service children have to do
karate schools throughout Buckinghamshire. I with consequences for their learning, social and
have a daughter Grace who is 14 and is currently emotional development. This is not to say that
in Year 10 at the John Colet School in Wendover. moving is always a negative experience, many
My son Christopher who is 20 is doing a degree in Service children benefit greatly from the opportunity
Acting at Drama Centre London. to make new friends and see new places. However,
all of us find that that upon arrival in an unfamiliar
environment we need to adapt to new routines,
I started working at Wendover CE Junior School 11 people and situations.
years ago as a teaching assistant working
throughout the school with children with Special The Educational Psychology Service in partnership
Educational Needs. I was employed for 15 hours with the Transfer Support Team and Halton School
per week and my first month’s salary was have developed the ‘Passport’ to help pupils adapt
£150! Back then I was the only teaching assistant to their new school. The ‘Passport’ is a collection of
working at the school, apart from the schools resources and activities to help pupils acquire the
welfare assistant. Gradually the school employed knowledge, skills and understanding they will need
more teaching assistants and today we have 22! to get off to a flying start. It includes 6 sections
focused upon welcoming the pupil to the new
school, the people they will meet, and important
The SENCo, who had been at the school for 17 information they will need. The ‘Passport’ is
years, decided to move on and the head teacher intended to build up into a personal record of the
asked if I’d take over her role as none of the pupil’s time at the school which can then be taken
teachers at the time felt able to take it on. I agreed to the next school promoting a sense of continuity
to give it a go. 5 years and a few grey hairs for these highly mobile children.
later I’m still doing the job, although now under the
new title of ‘SEND Manager’. (SENDCo’s are now
required to have QTS status). I love my job, it is so By Robert Beadel
varied and interesting and I feel privileged to have Chartered Educational Psychologist
been given such a great opportunity and I have got Educational Psychology Service
to know so many wonderful people. Buckinghamshire County Council

8. contacts
For more information please contact
SCSN
By telephone on: 01296 625779
By e-mail at:
contact@servicechildrensupportnetwork.com
Or visit our website:
www.servicechildrensupportnetwork.com
Next Issue
The Summer Issue will be released
SCSN in June 2011 and will contain a
report from the May Seminar.
An Appeal from the Editor... these
Sharing best practice to support newsletters will only be as
Service Children informative and interesting as the
articles it contains so please
consider submitting something for
publication. It doesn’t have to be a
masterpiece of prose, just be of
interest to your fellow members! It
might describe a particular event you
have organised or attended, it might
describe work that you have carried
out or an issue that you wish to bring
to wider attention. We are also
pleased to receive examples of work
from the Service children in your
area, a drawing or piece of poetry
related to their lives perhaps. Please
submit articles in word format
(together with any pictures you want
to use) to The Chair.
Editorial Note:
The views expressed by the
contributors to this newsletter are not
necessarily those of the Editor,
SCSN, the MOD or any other
organisation. All precautions are
taken to ensure accuracy.