RCET Support SCiP Alliance in Launch of Year of the Service Child Voice Report

SCiP’s Year of the Service Child Report was published yesterday after their webinar with several stakeholders including RCET.

A range of practitioners across the UK were consulted to identify services, activities and opportunities that would enable practitioners to further support the educational success and progression of service children. As the lead organisation for the Scotland HUB of SCiP we are proud to support SCiP as they launch this stakeholder consultation.

The majority of respondents, over half of whom worked in schools, told us that they observed Service children’s experiences to have an impact on their education which is significantly different to the challenges/opportunities experienced by other groups.

Stakeholders identified the role of the SCiP Alliance as:

  1. Raising awareness of the progression needs of Service children
  2. Developing an evidence base of effective practice
  3. Facilitating effective inter-agency working
  4. Listening to and sharing the Service child’s voice

Since the consultation the Alliance has therefore:

  1. Raised awareness not only by growing the scale and quality of the Hub network but also by engaging national policymakers, for example responding to government inquiries’ calls for evidence.
  2. Developed the evidence base by: 
  • Commissioning a research-led organisational framework for schools and linked CPD toolkits
  • Mapping the distribution of Service children and characteristics of local regions to aid policy and planning
  • Publishing a new series of research briefings
  • Undertaking and supporting a range of original research

3. Facilitated effective inter-agency working by:

  • Developing both the Hub network and the mechanisms for Hub leads to share and develop their work
  • Running a national conference
  • Convening a research symposium

4. Led the ‘Year of the Service Child Voice’ 2019-20.

AT RCET, as the lead organisation for the Scotland Hub of SCiP we have:

  • Continued to listen to the voices of Armed Forces children and young people through our Youth Participation Programme & Teen Talks initiative.
  • Run a sell-out Conference for practitioners in Scotland supporting them to help Armed Forces learners to have confident journeys into further education, employment and adulthood
  • Distributed over 35 Resource Boxes to schools across Scotland to give practitioners and parents tools to open up sensitive and emotional conversations with young people on issues like deployment, moving and bereavement.
  • Held Scotland’s first ever Creative Forces Day – an event devised by SCiP to support Armed Forces young people and increase their confidence in applying to, and attending University.

Download the full report from SCiP’s website here.