Armed Forces families and children's social care

This two-year study - funded by Forces in Mind Trust - seeks to identify the extent to which children's social care services in the UK are adequately supporting the needs of Service children in England and Wales.

This project aims to identify and characterise potential disparities in access to children's social care services between Armed Forces and civilian families and also highlight potential disparities in access to children's social care services between Armed Forces families whose children attend school on-base and those Armed Forces families with children attending school off-base.

The study will employ a mixed-methods approach, with quantitative analysis aimed at identifying potential differences between Armed Forces and non-Armed Forces families (both in UK state state and private schools) and qualitative analysis to understand why such discrepancies exist.

• What are the potential disparities in access to children's social care services between Armed Forces families and non-Armed Forces families?
• What are the potential disparities in access to children's social care services between Armed Forces families whose children are attending schools on-base and off-base?
• What explains the potential disparities identified in RQ1 and RQ2?
• What are the positive aspects or lessons learned from existing children's social care structures and practices within the Armed Forces environment?
• What are, on the other hand, the potential barriers or challenges in current social service structures used by Armed Forces families?
• What are the implications of the findings identified in RQ1-4 to the prospect of Armed Forces families making a successful transition to civilian life, and what options can be identified for improving access to, and the quality of, social care services for service children with a view on facilitating transition?

• Stakeholders from the Ministry of Defence Families and Safeguarding Team
• Stakeholders from the Department of Education
• Stakeholders linked to the Director of Children's Services for North Yorkshire