More support for Forces children with £370,000 funding for schools project
A new initiative between RAF Lossiemouth, 39 Engineer Regiment and Moray Council to help children from military families thrive in school, launches soon.
The council’s Education, Children’s and Leisure Services Committee has given its backing to the project which had to be put on hold at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
An education officer will be appointed to act as a single point of contact for all of the 2,200 Armed Forces families in Moray and those due to arrive in the region.
Moray’s Dandelion Project will be funded for three years through a £370,000 award from the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust which supports projects helping children have the right conditions and environment in their school to thrive, no matter what challenges their serving parent’s military commitments present.
Chair of the committee, Cllr Kathleen Robertson, said: “Service children can face a number of additional challenges including moving mid-way through the school year and into the Scottish education system. I very much welcome the start of the Dandelion Project which will build on our successful working relationships with our Armed Forces partners here in Moray to make a positive difference to the education and wellbeing of service children.”
The detrimental impact service life can have on children is well documented through academic research and local lived experience. This has seen significant decline in attendance and wellbeing during periods where a parent is deployed on operations.
The new officer will work closely with the welfare teams at both RAF Lossiemouth and 39 Engineers Kinloss, with referrals coming direct from families, from respective welfare teams and from schools. Bespoke training will be provided to enable school staff to better understand the needs and barriers facing children from military families.