Scsn newsletter autumn 12
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Sharing Best Practice to support Service Children Autumn 2012 Service Children Support Network In this issue…. Emotional First Aid. ‘The Big White Wall.’ Reading Force. Armed Forces Day in Plymouth. SCSN
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Transcript of Scsn newsletter autumn 12
Sharing Best Practice tosupport Service Children
Autumn 2012
Service Children Support Network
In this issue….Emotional First Aid.‘The Big White Wall.’Reading Force.Armed Forces Day in Plymouth.
SCSN
Welcome to our Autumn newsletter and I hopethis finds you refreshed from your summerbreaks and ready to start the new term.Building on the theme of our last edition andresponding to your many comments andquestions on the matter this edition has a focuson mental health and includes articles from BigWhite Wall, Young Minds and the Solent NHSTrust. (If you would like to see a particular topicraised in future issues please let me know).An SCSN Seminar with EducationalPsychologists Katie Alvey and Ros Herne washeld at Carterton Community College in July.The session focused on building resilience inService children and provided much food forthought. It was lovely to meet so many of youthere and I look forward to meeting many moreof you at our events this autumn.Our first SCSN Research Conference takes placeat the University of Oxford on 10th September.Again this event has been oversubscribed so Iapologise to those who wanted to attend butwere unable to do so. Remember, earlybooking is always advised! Look out for our fullconference report in the winter edition of thenewsletter in December.In August we held our ‘Through the Eyes of aService Child’ 2012 Photographic CompetitionPrize Giving at the RAF Museum London. It waswonderful to meet our winners and theirfamilies. Of course I must thank Paul Hudsonand his team at the museum for their generoussponsorship of our 2012 competition. I wouldalso like to thank Patty Wallis from the ABFSoldiers Charity who presented the certificatesto the winners.
Over the summer I had the privilege of meetingDr Alison Baverstock, the founder of ‘ReadingForce’. Her project, aimed at Service childrenand their families, is now expanding from a fewcounties in the South to the rest of the UK. Youcan find out more about the project and how toget involved later in this issue.
Since June I’ve been in touch with students andstaff from Harvard University, Boston, USA tofind out about their Harvard Veterans and Fami-lies Project. By uniting troops, veterans, fami-lies, students, staff and community membersthe project hopes to change the way veteransare viewed in society as well as creating a coali-tion of people from all areas of society whowish to encourage and support them. Supportis provided in a number of ways including aseminar series. This is an on-going, interactivelecture series in which Harvard Universityprofessors and faculty members are given aplatform to give back to troops, veterans andfamilies in the greater Boston area by equippingthem with skills that are highly beneficial totheir transition back to civilian life. Volunteersalso work one-to-one with Service persons, vet-erans, spouses and other family members tooffer support with Further and Higher Educa-tion applications and study skills etc. Exchangevisits are planned which will allow cross-fertili-sation of ideas on how best to support Serviceand Veterans children and their families.
I’m looking at adapting some of these ideas fortrial in the UK. If you are interested in contrib-uting to this new initiative please get in touchby emailing me.
Dr Grace Clifton, our academic advisor, andKatherine Grove, our SCSN intern and I also hadthe chance to meet Wendy Wilson and ClaireSnowdon, the co- founders of FIGT UK. You canfind out more about FIGT UK and the ‘Familiesin Global Transition’ launch at the Said BusinessCentre, University of Oxford inside.
Finally we would love to hear your news onwhat’s going on in your area. Please send anynewsletter articles and photographs to us usingthe usual address:[email protected] closing date for receipt is 20th November.
SCSN
A young girl is late for class. The teacher asksher why and she can’t give an answer. She can’ttell them it is because she hides in the toilet toavoid the rush in the corridors, and so she justshrugs and sits down. The teacher gives her alecture about punctuality and threatens herwith detention if she is late again. This cyclecontinues for a few weeks until detentions aregiven and the young girl stops attending schoolaltogether.
To staff at the school she could very easily belabelled a ‘school refuser,’ however her tutordecides to visit her at home and despite theinitial nerves, the young girl is able to describethe repetitive behaviours she uses to overcomeher anxiety, and how these behaviours interferewith her daily life such as doing homework andpacking her bag for school.
This is just one of the real life stories taken fromthe booklet and DVD resource “Me & U: MyEmotions Understood - A real insight into theemotional experience of a young person today.”The project which produced this resource wasfunded by Southampton CAMHS (Child &Adolescent Mental Health Service) andfacilitated by local charity Solent Youth Action in2008 to gain a young persons perspective onmental health difficulties and their experienceas users of mental health services.
In response to the Me & U project a trainingprogramme, Emotional First Aid (EFA) wasdeveloped by three senior colleagues from
Solent NHS Trust CAMHS service: StuartGemmell; Jacquie Kelly & Dave Smith,supported by the CAMHS Service ManagerBarbara Inkson.
The EFA Innovators.From left: Dave Smith; Jacquie Kelly; Barbara Inkson& Stuart Gemmell
The teach package for EFA used the Me & UDVD as a backdrop, with the voices of youngpeople describing what those around them didthat helped them through their difficulties, tounderpin the theory of reflective practice,humanistic principles and systemic thinking.
“Emotional First Aid is the initial response givento a young person experiencing emotionaldistress before specific professional help issought and obtained.”
The World Health Organisation estimates that 1in 10 Children & Young People in the UK have adiagnosable mental illness, and a further 1 in 10Children & Young People may have a mentalhealth problem that has an impact on their dailyfunctioning. It is our shared belief that no-onewakes up mentally ill, and that for manychildren and young people, there can be anumber of personal and environmental factorsthat may cause emotional distress which if notdealt with appropriately may increase thelikelihood of more severe mental healthdifficulties later on.
The coalition government’s 2011 white paper No Health without Mental Health recognised thatrisk behaviours may become ways young people self manage emotional problems. EFA teachesthat we all find different solutions to manage our emotional distress. Although these solutions dowork in the short term, sometimes these solutions can be unhelpful in the long term and can oftenbecome problems in their own right; for example: avoidance as a way to manage our anxiety oruse repetitive behaviours to maintain a sense of control. In EFA, we call this Emotional Stuckness.
We believe that Emotional Stuckness can be a precursor to more severe mental health difficultiesand more entrenched challenging behaviours. As staff supporting children & young people weneed to take active steps to engage with a child/ young person’s distress. By using active curiosityand listening skills we can begin to understand & explore the child/ young person’s experience andhelp them to find more helpful and appropriate strategies to self manage their distress, potentiallyinterrupting their trajectory towards more severe mental health/ behavioural problems, forexample, the repetitive checking behaviours becoming more entrenched and leading to adiagnosis of OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder).
”As a school nurse I come across young people who are struggling with emotional issues andsometimes as a professional you feel a bit stuck as to know what to do. Before I was EmotionallyFirst Aid trained I tended to sign post young people to other agencies who might be able to help, Ihave now learned that this is not always the best course of action and just spending some timewith them, helping them to discuss worries can work wonders.I have created my own Emotional First AidKit and now use this kit to do exercises tohelp young people talkabout the problems theyare having and to helpthem recover. I wouldrecommend the courseto anyone who workswith young people as ithas helped me todevelop professionallyand I feel moreconfident to supportyoung people.”
Nick Higgins, SchoolNurse
The aim of the training is to raise the confidence and capability of staff working with children andyoung people equipping them with the skills to engage more effectively with a child/ youngperson’s emotional distress. Our hope is that by promoting well-being and exploring the linkbetween emotional distress and mental health problems staff will feel more able to interruptemotional stuckness, intervene earlier and continue to support children and young people while areferral to CAMHS or specialist services is being made. It is important to note that despitefocusing on improving the working relationship we have with children & young people anddeveloping our skills to better engage our clients, EFA is not a clinical intervention and should notbe treated as such.How could EFA benefit Children & Young People from Service Families?For Children and Young People from Service Families, a typical component of military life isdeployment. The deployment cycle can create a range of feelings that may cause distress andhave an impact on the child/ young person’s behaviour and presentation at school. A review ofliterature by White et al (2011) suggests that: children of deployed parents are at higher risk ofpsychosocial problems than their civilian counterparts, which may reflect the multiple stressorsthat military children face. This would seem to be supported by findings from an American study(Alyssa et al 2011), which established for children of service families approximately 17% arediagnosed with at least one mental health issue during the deployment of a parent into a combatzone. In order to support children and young people from service families more effectively we, asstaff in the wider children and young people’s workforce, need to be more mindful of theseadditional stressors. A report from Ofsted (2011) stated that Service Children don’t want to feeldifferent but they do want their circumstances to be understood. Emotional First Aid trainingencourages staff to develop their sense of empathy to help understand the child/ young person’sphenomenology. It is important for us to recognise that each individual will experience the worldin their own unique way, and how one child reacts to their parent’s deployment or the mobility ofthe family may be very different to another.
EFA Training DeliveryAt present we have developed two main courses: Primary EFA for staff working with Childrenaged between 5-11 and EFA for Young People, aimed at staff working with 11-25 year olds. Thesecourses are delivered over six 3.5 hour sessions and encourage reflection in practice, personaldevelopment and networking between participants on each group. After completion of the initialEFA course, participants can choose to attend a Train the Trainers to enable them to deliver theEFA training in their own locality. We are very pleased to say that EFA has been delivered in over20 different localities in the UK to over 1500 people in the wider children & young people’sworkforce with 154 staff currently trained as trainers. One of whom has started delivering thetraining more further afield in Kenya. If you would like to find out any further information aboutemotional first aid or to book yourself onto a course please visit our websitewww.emotionalfirstaid.co.uk or you can contact me directly: [email protected] / 02380716650References:Alyssa. J., et al. 2011 Deployment and Mental Health Diagnoses Among Children of US ArmyPersonnel. American Medical AssociationWhite. C., et al. 2011. The Impact of Deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan on Military Children: AReview of the Literature. Institute of PsychiatryOfsted. 2011. Children in Service Families: The Quality and Impact of Partnership Provision inService Families.
Get your posters herePosters and leaflets are available todownload from the RWB Daywebsite. You can also order RWBDay stickers by [email protected]
Spread the word!If you know of other schools ororganisations that might want toget involved in RWB Day pleaselet them know!The more schools that getinvolved, the more money wecan raise for Service families inneed. Please send the link outfar and wide!www.redwhiteblueday.co.ukAny ideas?If you have a great RWB Dayidea, or any questions, you canemail us [email protected].
Red, White & Blue Day is Coming! October 12th 2012RWB Day is a chance for your school to show support for familiesof our Armed Forces. By taking part you can raise money to supportchildren who have mums or dads serving in the Army; Royal Navy& Royal Marines or Royal Air Force. The event is about havingfun, getting dressed up using a red, white and blue theme, doing asponsored activity or entering our Poetry Competition. We suggestthat anyone taking part should donate at least £1. It’s that simple!To register please go to the RWB Day website.
Why not enter ourPoetry Competition?The theme is‘Someone I Look Up To’.We have a range of fantasticprizes for our winners includinga day with the Red Arrows, ahistoric harbour tour andtickets to the British MilitaryTournament.Additional info including a fulllist of prizes and an applicationform is available on ourwebsite.
Hats On!We are delighted to announcethat every purchase of one ofour fabulous Union JackUmbrella Hats will see £1.00donated to RWB Day. A ‘MustHave’ accessory for a veryBritish summer!Buy yours atwww.umbrellahats.co.uk
All the money raised will be used to support:
RWB News
www.redwhiteblueday.co.uk
RWB Day is a chance for your school to show support for familiesof our Armed Forces. By taking part you can raise money tosupport children who have mums or dads serving in the Army,Royal Navy & Royal Marines or Royal Air Force.
To get involved you just need to have fun with a red, white andblue theme - you can dress up in red, white and blue, run a themedevent, do a sponsored activity or enter our poetry competition.
We suggest that anyone taking part should at least donate apound and dress up in one or all of the colours. It’s that simple!
Schools - Support our Forceson Friday 12th October
All the moneyraised will be
used to supportthe work of:
YoungMinds is the UK’s leading charitycommitted to improving the emotionalwellbeing and mental health of children andyoung people. Driven by their experiences wecampaign, research, influence policy and offerpractical support. We want to see a societywhich is active in building the emotionalresilience of children and young people, andwhich responds caringly and effectively whenthings go wrong.Children of service families may have to dealwith a great deal of change and transition. Theymay face separation and loss and they may haveto cope with anxieties about mum or dad beingin dangerous situations far from home. Weknow that schools, GPs and others may notalways fully understand how a service life canimpact on a child’s wellbeing and development.While our work is about all children we knowthat each child’s experience is unique and thattheir emotional wellbeing and mental health isthe product of a complex pattern of nature,nurture and events. While many childrenflourish despite, or perhaps even because of,adversity some will struggle with difficultfeelings that can affect their behaviour and theirability to enjoy and grow. In the population as awhole around 10% of children aged 5 to 15 willhave a diagnosable disorder and perhaps asmany again will have some sort of emotionalproblem – less severe and enduring butsufficient to have an impact on their ability toget on with life and enjoy their childhood.
YoungMinds provides expert knowledge toprofessionals, parents and young peoplethrough our Parents' Helpline, online resources,training and development, outreach work andpublications. Children and young people withmental health problems are at the heart ofeverything we do. Their voices are central in all
our lobbying and influencing work. Our VIK(Very Important Kids) share their ownexperiences with professionals and policymakers at a national and local level to improvemental health services and outcomes for allchildren and young people.Helping parents and carers to understand theirchild’s behaviour and enabling them to securethe right professional help for their children iscrucial. Our free Parents' Helpline is a lifeline tothousands of parents and carers each year whoare worried about the emotional problems orbehaviour of a child or young person. Thetelephone service is supported by a specialistcallback service, email and online support.Whether a parent is looking for informationabout a particular problem or how to contactthe right support services, or needing a more indepth discussion of what seems a confusing,distressing and difficult set of behaviours we arehere to help.
Our helpline service (by phone, email and webchat) is confidential. Some parents contact uswith worries about whether their children areOK, wondering if these worries are justified or iftheir child's behaviour is normal. Others havechildren with diagnosed difficulties but arestruggling to get the help they need.
Other parents need to know how to manage their child’s behaviour while waiting to getprofessional help.
When you ring the helpline number, you’ll get through to one of our friendly trained helplineadvisers. They will explore your concerns and find out what’s worrying you, and what support youhave had so far. They can advise on practical steps you can take to get help and relevant local ornational services. They can also post you leaflets and factsheets. Callers who need further advicewill be offered a free confidential telephone consultation from a YoungMinds child mental healthspecialist. Our advisers include psychotherapists, psychiatrists and mental health nurses, all arequalified in child and adolescent mental health. They can give advice on your child’s behaviour,making the best use of services, and how to move the situation on.
You will receive a call within seven working days of requesting it, at a time convenient to you. Callslast up to 50 minutes. They give parents a chance to think through the situation with an expert,and to work out the best way to resolve the problem.
Sometimes it’s easier to write things down when they are really worrying you. [email protected] anytime for advice. Our trained advisers will reply within threeworking days (often sooner). You can also chat online in real time to a trained adviser Monday-Friday 11am – 1pm.
We produce an essential range of easy-to-read publications about children and young people’smental health and wellbeing. We also provide a vital source of trustworthy online information foryoung people and parents, where they can share their experiences and support each other.YoungMinds Magazine provides mental health and children’s professionals with the latest news,features, research, practice and opinions affecting children and young people’s mental health andwellbeing.
YoungMinds also provides expert training, resources and consultancy to anyone who works withchildren and young people. Our training gives them the knowledge and confidence they need topromote better mental health and wellbeing, and to identify and help children who are struggling.One particular focus for training and development is YoungMinds in Schools, a project which aimsto support educational professionals’ understanding of the link between emotional wellbeing andlearning. As well as offering open access courses at our offices in London on most aspects ofchildren and young people’s mental health we are regularly commissioned byschools, local authorities and NHS Trusts acrossthe UK to provide tailor made courses locallyand are always happy to discuss specificneeds.
If you explore our websitewww.youngminds.org.uk you willfind practical advice andinformation for parents andcarers, children and youngpeople andprofessionals. If youcan’t find what youneed or prefer tocontact us directplease give us a callon 020 7089 5050.
SCSNService Children Support Network
ANNUALCONFERENCE
2012
‘Service Children: Mobilityand Transition.’
Tuesday 27th November 2012
Warwickshire County Cricket Club, The County Ground, Edgbaston,Birmingham B5 7QU
Coffee and Registration from 09.30 Finish 16.00
This one-day National Conference will focus on the impacts of mobility and transitions on Service childrenand their families and will examine how schools, local authorities and other professionals can help tomitigate them effectively.
The Presenters include:
Lorraine Petersen OBE - CEO, National Association of Special Educational Needs.
Matt Blyton - 0 – 11 Advisor, North Yorkshire County Council.
Olivia Denson - Head of Service Children’s Education Advisory Service, MOD.
Rob Beadel - Educational Psychologist and Researcher.
Su Scrimshaw - Head teacher, Halton School, Buckinghamshire.
Paul Jetton - Solent NHS Trust.
The event will be of particular interest to:
· Secondary, Primary and Early Years teachers and practitioners.· Researchers working within the fields of education, psychology, health and social care.· Local Authority Advisers and Consultants.· Professionals from education, psychology, health and social care.· Military Charities and Welfare Organisations.· Anyone dedicated to high-quality provision for Service children and families in the UK.
Early Bird Conference Fee: £95 (booked by 12th October 2012)Conference Fee after 12th October: £125 (book by 12th November 2012)
Fee includes learning materials, refreshments and lunch.
To reserve a place please complete the Conference Booking Form and send it to
bookings will be confirmed by email or post.
Terms and ConditionsPayment required with booking - Fees are not refundable.
‘Service Children:Mobility and Transition’SCSN
2012
and Transition.’
In 2012, Ashcroft Arts Centre worked with 52local young people, from three Secondaryschools and two Primary schools in Farehamand Gosport. This project was made possiblewith funding from the MOD CommunityCovenant Grant and a partnership with HMSCollingwood. Our aim for this project was “toget young people to engage with the armedforces, their local landscape and personalstories from people in service.”
Between them, the five groups have visited 5historic sites, been on the serving Naval shipHMS Lancaster, been to operating Naval baseHMS Collingwood, met over 35 Naval personneland two ex-submariners as well as finding out
personal stories, documents and photographsfrom their own families.
Teachers and young people have commentedon a increased interest in the armed forces, aswell as a growing respect for people in serviceand recognition of the important role that theMOD plays in keeping this country safe.Servicemen and women involved have alsocommented on how enjoyable and important itis for them to be working with the localcommunity and how much they have enjoyedthe project.
Strength and Adversity
Ashcroft Forces Film Festival http://www.ashcroftforcesfilms2012.wordpress.comhttp://www.ashcroftforcesfilms2012.wordpress.com
Reading Force is a new scheme for Forcesfamilies. Piloted in Aldershot and thesurrounding area in 2011, the project aims topromote child-centred and improvedcommunication within families, whether theyare together or separated by deployment, usingbooks as a talking point.
Families form mini book groups, preferably withseveral generations, and can include civilianfriends. The group choose a book and all read it,either together or individually. It can be anykind of book – children’s picture book, sportbiography, classic novel, teenage fiction – theemphasis is on fun, sharing, and talking. Afterreading the book, group members contributetheir thoughts on the book, and on what it feltlike to share it, in a free and specially designedscrapbook. Scrapbook content can be in anyform, such as drawings, photographs, emails,reviews, texts, notes from a phoneconversation. If a member of the family istraining or deployed overseas, they too read thebook and contribute to the scrapbook. Thescheme has been designed to suit differentfamily circumstances and the frequent changesto living arrangements inherent in Forces life.
The concept of Reading Force, its simplicity andease of use, aims to strengthen familycommunication (particularly during stressfultimes), promote the idea of sharing andenjoying reading, encourage talk about books,and to provide a common experience – evenduring periods of separation.
After the successful pilot, this year ReadingForce expanded to the four counties of
Hampshire, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, andBerkshire. We wrote to the majority of schoolsin these counties, known to have Forceschildren on roll, and invited them to participate.Well over one hundred schools andorganisations responded and registered to takepart, and have now allocated a school staffmember to act as a Reading Force Ambassador.In May, prior to a launch on HMS Warrior inPortsmouth, those schools were sent parcels offree scrapbooks, for children to take home totheir families.Reading Force relies on its school Ambassadorsto hand out the specially designed material andto encourage children and their families to takepart. Some schools’ Ambassadors havepresented the scrapbooks to children inassemblies, some have simply given them to thechildren to take home, others have set timeaside to talk about and work on the scrapbookswithin school. At the same time, all involvedmay keep in mind that taking part in ReadingForce is not extra homework and is intended tobe fun! It is also intended to be a family activity,and therefore, once the idea of Reading Forcehas been introduced and discussed at school,the reading and filling in of the scrapbook canbe undertaken at home. If Ambassadors orother staff members have any queries about thebest ways for their school to support thescheme, they can contact us. Every school isdifferent, the number of Forces children on rollvaries from a minority to a majority, and bothimpact on how the project is managed.
Completed scrapbooks can be kept by thecompilers, or returned to Kingston Universityfor entry into a Reading Force ScrapbookCompetition. All scrapbooks returned willreceive feedback from the university, and bestamped to say they have been looked at, andthere is the chance to win many great prizes,including a family ticket to see Matilda theMusical, and the chance to watch a Hellomagazine celebrity photo shoot. In October2012 prizes will be awarded to the mostcreative scrapbooks, and every competitionentrant will receive a Reading Force certificate.
We have been thrilled with the growing interestin Reading Force this year, and have receivedmany requests from schools and familiesoutside the four counties to take part. PrimeMinister David Cameron wrote to us in June toexpress his support for the scheme and theDepartment for Education have endorsed ourefforts. The scheme has received tri-servicesupport, and was launched within PortsmouthHistoric Dockyard in May and the materialswere taken to sea by the personnel and familiesof HMS Diamond. From 2013 Reading Force willrun on a continuous basis, rather than just inthe summer, so that schools and families canchoose the most suitable time to participate inrelation to other commitments, and whenForces parents will be on training ordeployment. To facilitate this, scrapbooks andother materials will be available on request allyear round. Books will be given as prizesthroughout the year, alongside the annualcompetition with great prizes.
We are planning for Reading Force to gonational in 2013. It is our aim that every Forceschild in the UK will have the opportunity to takepart and enjoy this project – and we have hadenquiries from organisations supporting Forcesfamily worldwide.
If you would like to support Reading Force,participate, receive information, or have aquery, please [email protected] [email protected].
Reading Force 2012 is supported by theDirectorate of Children and Young People,MOD, Hampshire County Council, RushmoorBorough Council, and Kingston University. DrAlison Baverstock is the founder of ReadingForce, and is herself a Service wife.
Dr. Alison Baverstock is a former publisher withstrong research interests in wideningparticipation and reader development. She wasthe founder of Well Worth Reading, acommunity reading project developed throughthe libraries of Hampshire, Dorset and WestSussex which won a Business and Arts Award in1989. The author of many titles on the bookbusiness, the best known being Is there a bookin you? and The Naked Author (both publishedby Bloomsbury) she is currently Course Leaderfor MA Publishing at Kingston University. HattieGordon is a former MA Publishing student withstrong experience of arts projects aimed atwidening participation.
FIGT UK – A NEW FORCE IN GLOBAL TRANSITIONA new force in global transition has been launched in the UK to provide support for globallymobile individuals and families. Families in Global Transition (FIGT) has been championing cross-cultural education and training to support the entire expat family for more than 10 years and isthe premier advocate and cross-cultural educational resource for families, organisations andservice providers. Founded in the USA by TCK (third culture kid) expert Ruth van Reken, FIGT hasgrown into an internationally recognized ‘think tank’ for families transitioning globally and theorganisations that support them. FIGT has built its global community by bringing togethercorporate, diplomatic, academic, the arts, military, missionary and NGO sectors to share anddevelop leading edge research and concepts that address international relocation issues.Launched in June 2012 in Oxford, the UK affiliate of FIGT brings all this good work to British shoreswith a vision to take significant steps forward in four key areas: education, networking, researchand support. The launch reception was hosted by the University of Oxford’s Said Business Schooland brought together 70 representatives from across the UK and a wide range of sectors relatingto global mobility and global mobility issues. The evening succeeded in generating a livelynetworking buzz with short presentations by Co-chairs Wendy Wilson and Claire Snowdonculminating in a call to action to help FIGT UK build a local UK network across all sectors to providea forum for exchange for globally mobile professionals, families and students.
FIGT UK’s mission is to organize and host events, half-day workshops and discussion forums on allissues of global mobility, cultural transition and relocation. An enthusiastic response was receivedto a request for topic suggestions for future sessions and the 2012/13 FIGT UK programme will bebased upon these suggestions to include relocation best practices, educational balance, cross-cultural challenges, working spouses, employee retention, elder care responsibilities and thirdculture kids. By connecting this international community with local service providers and relevantorganisations FIGT UK hopes to develop a valuable resource for cross-cultural education andtraining and to create a deep sense of community among globally mobile professionals, familiesand supporting organisations. FIGT UK also aims to empower organisations, individuals andfamilies by sharing research and best practice before, during and after international transitions.The University of Oxford is internationally renowned for the quality and diversity of its researchand the FIGT UK affiliate hopes to be able to capitalize on its unique location in Oxford to be ableto share existing research and to also develop new research streams with relevance to globalrelocation and migration issues. For more information and details of FIGT’s 2012-13 programmeof events: www.figt.org/uk-affiliatesFIGT UK, Oxford, United Kingdom mail: [email protected] Twitter feed:@FIGTUK
A problem shared…
It can be hard to talk about how you’re feeling or share what’s troubling you, usually for fear ofwhat others may think. And it’s usually at times like this when we can feel isolated, vulnerableand perhaps prefer keeping problems and concerns to ourselves rather than seeking help andsharing them with others. But, wherever you are and at whatever the time, you can find safe,anonymous help and support 24/7 from www.bigwhitewall.com an award-winning online supportnetwork, free to serving personnel, veterans and family members of the Armed Forcescommunity.
Whether it’s troubles at home, relationship or work problems, sometimes it can all seem toomuch to handle on your own. Common issues facing our serving personnel, veterans and theirfamily members raised on Big White Wall include fear of deployment in war zones, difficultexperiences and memories of war, post-traumatic stress disorder, concerns for their familieswhilst serving overseas, readjusting to family life following deployment, injury and disability, drugand alcohol use.
On Big White Wall, members talk anonymously to others who may have gone through similarexperiences, and get brief counselling support from Wall Guides (counsellors). Members can sharewhat’s on their mind in ‘Talkabouts’ with the community, or in a one-to-one with another memberor Wall Guide. They can also express themselves using art by creating ‘Bricks’ to say how they feelin images and words. This combined with peer and professional support leads to 95% of membersreporting improved wellbeing and 73% sharing an issue for the first time.
In partnership with
Fighting Fit!Online Mental well-being Service is deployed for action
Since its launch to the Armed Forces community in September 2011, www.bigwhitewall.com hasattracted over 2,500 registered users, clearly illustrating the pivotal role that the confidential,anonymous, online therapy service can play in helping support the emotional and psychologicalneeds of the Armed Forces community. Big White Wall’s online services include the ability todiscuss issues – from PTSD to addictions, disability and injury to anxiety and depression –anonymously in forums with peers as well as with specially trained counsellors who can offerimmediate support.
In May 2012, Health Minister, Simon Burns MP, announced continued funding of online mentalwellbeing service, Big White Wall, following a pilot of its services to provide free support to helpthe mental wellbeing of the Armed Forces community. One BWW member, a mum of a soldierwho was injured in Afghanistan, joined BWW because she found it difficult to come to terms withthe impact of her son’s horrific experience. As with the majority of members on BWW, shereceived a wealth of support from others in the BWW community, and now spends time helpingother members too, from all walks of life.
One member of Big White Wall, a soldier, who wishes to remain anonymous said: “I feel that thesupport given by Big White Wall is fantastic. You are not judged and you can be yourself. Most ofus are good at hiding our feelings. This is the only place I have felt comfortable in expressingmyself.”
Avoidance of stigma for anyone experiencing psychological distress is vital, not least our servingpersonnel and veterans, who may not use existing offline services as Dr Andrew Murrison MPhighlighted this in his ‘Fighting Fit’ report on veterans in October 2010. Dr Murrison flagged theimportance of interventions acceptable to a population accustomed to viewing itself as mentallyand physically robust and described Big White Wall as a ‘pioneering online early interventionservice’.
Another member ‘Taz’, a veteran, was suicidal. He claims Big White Wall saved his life. Here isan outline of his story, in his own words:‘Less than 3 months ago I planned my own death. I had uncontrollable rage and anger thatwas being directed in all the wrong directions. Thankfully I couldn't go through with it becauseI couldn't put my kids through that.
‘So I went back to the doctors, who put me in touch with a therapist. I did the stabilisingsessions and she made me really look at myself, it wasn't pretty or easy but finally I got to myEMDR. She also encouraged me to come onto the BWW.
‘The support and advice I got on BWW was nothing short of miraculous and I wouldn't havegot this far without the BWW community. I can never repay what you people have done forme if I lived a million lifetimes. How you found the time to help me through my troubles whenyou all have such issues of your own speaks to me so deeply about the type of people you areand I'm so glad to have met you.’
With so much stigma incorrectly associated with seeking treatment for mental health issues,particularly in the military, Big White Wall offers a discreet and confidential platform where helpcan be sought anonymously, allowing for early intervention in potentially serious psychologicalconditions.
Simon Burns MP, Health Minister commented: "We understand that many veterans feel a stigmaattached to seeking help for mental distress. That is why initiatives like the Big White Wall are soinvaluable, allowing veterans and their families to talk to others in an anonymous yet interactivespace. It is by funding services such as the Big White Wall that are easily accessible andtrustworthy that we can create an environment in which members of the Armed Forces communityfeel understood and can take important steps towards recovery."
Joining www.bigwhitewall.com is easy. Simply logon and tick the appropriate box in section 4.A very short registration process follows, which does not ask for any personal information thatwould identify individuals. Big White Wall is the only online wellbeing service that combines socialnetworking principles with a choice of clinically informed interventions to improve mental health.Since Big White Wall began in 2008, the service has supported 8,000 people across the countryand has been commissioned to support thousands more by a range of healthcare and otherorganisations.
Jenny Hyatt, CEO and Founder of Big White Wall said: “The success of the pilot scheme hasdemonstrated that there is a huge appetite amongst the Armed Forces community for issuesaround their mental well-being to be addressed in a secure and confidential environment. Theinvaluable funding will enable us to extend the programme and ensure continued help and supportis there 24/7 for those who are most in need.”
Joy and Kev O’Neill of SCSN were delighted to join some our competition winners and theirfamilies at the RAF Museum, London on 24 August 2012. Hosted by Mr Paul Hudson of theMuseum staff, we gathered to award the prizes for our 2012 photographic competition.
Everyone enjoyed a tour of the magnificent exhibitions on display before gathering in the ArtGallery where Patty Wallis of the ABF (The Soldier’s Charity) was very pleased to present each ofour winners with a Commemorative Certificate to mark their achievement. Paul did a great job asthe master of ceremonies and kept things running smoothly throughout and it was so nice to meetand chat together with our wonderful winners and their families over a delicious buffet lunch.
Readers are reminded that the 12 winning photos will be formally displayed at the RAF Museum,London, throughout the winter season and are soon to be made available in the form of the SCSN
Charity Calendar for 2013. Thecalendar will be sold in aid of ‘Red,White & Blue Day’ and will beavailable (from the end ofSeptember) from the SCSN and theABF websites.
SCSN would also like to take thisopportunity to thank the judges forgiving up their valuable time andalso the Royal Air Force Museumfor their outstanding support.
The ‘Cheedy Brothers’ collect theirrespective prize certificates.
‘Through theEyes of a
Service Child’The 2012 SCSN
PhotographicCompetition
Children and young people were at the heart of thisyear’s National Armed Forces Day, that took place onthe historic Plymouth Hoe in late June. The week ofevents was a huge ‘thank you’ to our Armed Forces andVeterans but also provided lots of learningopportunities and inclusive activities for our children.
The celebrations began on Monday June 25th with theraising of the Armed Forces Day flag, delivered to theflag pole by 200 local school children. In all, over 6000young people took an active part in the events acrossthe week, culminating in a huge celebration on theSaturday.
Opportunities were provided to design an Armed Forces Day poster and badge, raising money forthe national HMS Heroes Service Children’s group. Visits to local military establishments wereongoing, throughout the week, with the Citadel, home of 29 CDO and submarine HMS Courageousjoined by the Heritage Site in the Naval Dockyard, 42 CDO, Bickleigh for some challenging drill, andhorse riding at Bickleigh stables, that was a particular treat! The Royal Navy hosted the Junior LifeSkills event, throughout the week and beyond, to enable young people to understand more aboutsafety and how to handle emergency situations.
Plymouth Flies the Flag!On National
Armed Forces Day
The middle of the week contained a very special event for HMS Heroes - the dedication of theNational Heroes Standard in the Minster Church of St. Andrew’s. Heroes’ members from acrossthe country participated, some in person and others via messages shared during the service, thatwas taken by the Heroes, themselves, including some of our youngest members from pre-schools.The national standard has, since this service, travelled to Scotland to Heroes, Clyde and iscurrently on its way across the country.
Armed Forces day, dawned bright and sunny on a packed Hoe, where well over 40,000 peoplevisited the many attractions in the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force villages along with theVeterans Pavilion and visits to ships. The Plymouth Armed Forces Community Covenant wassigned, on stage, by military dignitaries alongside HMS Hero, Benedict Cresswell, on behalf ofyoung people of the City.
The Heroes standard was paraded by Laurie Foxcroft, amongst the hundreds of Royal BritishLegion standards in a parade of over 1000 serving men and women and Veterans. 200 Servicechildren enjoyed the event from on board the Mounts Bay, nestled in Plymouth Sound whilstothers supported fundraising at the Heroes gazebo. Throughout the day, Plymouth youngstersentertained the Forces with music and dance and their specially filmed messages played on thebig screens by BFBS TV.
As the big attraction of the day…the Red Arrows… put on the closing air display, everyoneprepared to follow the massed pipe band to the Barbican areaof the City to continue the party atmosphere with streetentertainers and an evening stage show.
All in all, Plymouth celebrated our Armed Forcesand Veterans in style and the ‘thank you’to them all was heard loud and clearthroughout the day.
Buckinghamshire County Council and the Armed Forces in Buckinghamshire signed an ArmedForces Community Covenant in July at a ceremony held at the Oculus in Aylesbury.
Councillor Marion Clayton, Chairman of Buckinghamshire County Council and theBuckinghamshire Armed Forces Champion, said "It's important that we seek ways in which we canimprove mutual support and work together to the benefit of the whole community".
The purpose of this Community Covenant is to encourage support for the Armed ForcesCommunity and to recognise and remember the sacrifices made by members of this Armed ForcesCommunity. This includes Serving and ex-Service personnel and their families and is a two-wayarrangement with the Armed Forces Community doing as much as they can to support theircommunities.
Brigadier NeilBaverstock, speakingon behalf of theArmed Forces inBuckinghamshire said"The Armed Forcesare as much a part ofBuckinghamshire asBuckinghamshire ispart of the ArmedForces."
The Armed Forces Covenant is signed in BuckinghamshireThe Armed Forces Covenant is signed in Buckinghamshire
Booked telephone support service for bereavedfamilies of military personnel.On hand when a child, of any age, has died or when achild or young person has been bereaved.
ABF, The Soldier’s Charity have provided funding that enables the Child Bereavement Charity toprovide intensive and ongoing support via booked telephone counselling sessions . This will beavailable to parents or carers within military families, seeking support with parenting theirbereaved child / children, as well as parents of adult children who were in the military, who mayneed support for themselves or for siblings in the family
Access to the telephone support service: in the first instance, bereaved families can contact theCharity’s Support and Information Line on 01494 568900 (Monday- Friday 9am – 5pm) or byemail [email protected] or a third party may contact CBC with the familiesconsent. A trained support worker will talk with the family to establish their needs and how thesemight best be met. In addition to providing supportive information, and signposting them to anyknown local services near to where they live, CBC will then offer military parents or carers theopportunity to book regular telephone support sessions with CBC, if no support is available in thepart of the country in which they live. In addition to the funding for families, the funding enablesthe Charity to provide ongoing booked telephone support to professionals or volunteerssupporting bereaved military families. For further information please contact the Charity on01494 568900 or [email protected] Further information about the ChildBereavement Charity can be obtained at www.childbereavement.org.uk
Tuesday 11th September 2012 from 10.00 – 12.00.RAF Benson, Oxfordshire.
Shanyn Small, an educational psychologist from New BrunswickCanada will discuss the ‘experiences of Canadian Military familiesduring deployments’. Additionally Jessica Cheeseman, a busyworking mum, will talk about the impact on her family when her eldest
son Stephen was seriously injured in Iraq.This half day seminar is free of charge but as space is limited please [email protected] to reserve a place.
A new book, "Service Children: A Guide for Education and WelfareProfessionals" has been launched with the specific aim of helping fellowprofessionals understand the issues that Service families and their childrenface. It discusses Mobility and Transition, Parental Deployment on MilitaryOperations, Continuity of Education and a number of other significantissues that they are likely to encounter when working with Service children.Supported by research and case studies, it describes examples of bestpractice, offers practical advice and outlines strategies that have beenshown to be effective when working in this field. The book is available for£13.95 (plus p&p) from the SCSN website.
Forthcoming EventForthcoming Event
And don’t forget…And don’t forget…
contactsFor more information please contact
SCSN
By telephone on: 01296 625779
By e-mail at:
Or visit our website:
www.servicechildrensupportnetwork.com
The Winter Issue will be published inDecember 2012.
An Appeal from the Editor. Thesenewsletters will only be asinformative and interesting as thearticles it contains so pleaseconsider submitting something forpublication. It doesn’t have to be amasterpiece of prose, just be ofinterest to your fellow members! Itmight describe a particular event youhave organised or attended, it mightdescribe work that you have carriedout or an issue that you wish to bringto wider attention. We are alsopleased to receive examples of workfrom the Service children in yourarea, a drawing or piece of poetryrelated to their lives perhaps. Pleasesubmit articles in word format(together with any pictures you wantto use) to The Chair.
Editorial Note:
The views expressed by thecontributors to this newsletter are notnecessarily those of the Editor,SCSN, the MOD or any otherorganisation. All precautions aretaken to ensure accuracy.
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