This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Service children are children of current or former armed forces personnel. Being a service child can be a source of pride, resilience and determination.
Yet service life brings experiences and challenges their civilian peers may not face. Not all service children lead the same kinds of lives. Some can experience periods of family separation in which the serving parent is away from the family home, for example, on deployment or training.
In the long term, this can disrupt family relationships. Some may also have to move to different locations in the UK or abroad. For children, this means moving schools and building new relationships with other children and adults.
Research suggests that the more frequently children move schools, the lower their academic attainment may be. The UK's Armed Forces Covenant states that armed forces personnel and their families should experience no detriment compared with civilians as a result of their service. For service families whose children have special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), this aspiration can feel far removed from their realities.
The intersection of service life with SEND presents a unique set of challenges. Having to move home and school can mean disrupting trusted adult relationships and losing access to established support. Children will also need to have their support arrangements renegotiated.
Family separation can mean the nonserving parent takes primary responsibility for securing the best possible support for their children. In my research with colleagues, I have heard parents describe this process as a "battle." Education, health and care plans issued by a child's previous local authority may not translate neatly into their new locality's SEND offer. Delays to statutory assessments of needs can mean that families relocate again before the process has even been completed.
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