April is an important month for our Serving Suffolk Families team as they celebrate the children and young people from Armed Forces families, many of who are also young carers or young adult carers.
This annual event celebrates and recognises young people within the Armed Forces Community and is celebrated around the world. Military children often face unique life challenges such as:
- Relocations of their home
- Changes of school and disruption of education.
- Saying goodbye to friends
- Having to form new friendships and heightened anxiety around needing to build new social circles
- The absence of a parent or parents during deployment
- Having to adapt to changing circumstances
These changes can be frequent, and often with little notice, which can be especially challenging if you are also caring for a family member. The 2023 Young Carers’ Survey from Carers Trust showed, 1 in 3 young carers struggle to balance caring with education without the additional challenges of being a military child.
This can have a big impact on whether they can get on at school, go to university, or get a job or an apprenticeship. It can also limit opportunities for young carers to learn, earn and have a fulfilling life.
If you or a family member are serving or have served in the UK Armed Forces our Serving Suffolk Families team can help
The official emblem of the Military Child is the dandelion because its seeds are carried by the wind and it will plant roots and blossom wherever the seeds land. The dandelion is resilient; much like the children and young people it symbolises. The colour purple represents all branches of the military and is a combination of all their colours.
