Forces Children Scotland

Forces Children Scotland Supporting children and young people from armed forces and veteran families. Better still, we can continue to support you if you move from Scotland!

As Scotland's oldest military charity, we have over two hundred years experience in supporting children and young people. Our charity was founded just four days before the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, which provided accommodation, education and trade skills to children and young people whose parents were killed or experienced life-changing wounds during the Napoleonic Wars. Today, we help children

and young people from serving, reservist and veteran families across Scotland grow in confidence, develop new skills, and gain valuable experiences by co-producing impactful projects and services which focus on topics including mental health and wellbeing, education and learning, and putting their unique experiences on the radar of civilian audiences. We provide life-changing experiences to forge new friendships, through a sense of belonging, shared experience, and solidarity. We will work directly with children and young people to amplify their unique experiences to help civilian friends as well as those who support them or make important decisions about their future better understand what they’re going through and bring about big changes. We listen and provide financial help in lots of different ways for children, young people and their families. We can support children and young people care for loved ones or a member of the local community or help them gain a qualification at college or university. We can also help by providing families with that little bit extra financial support to cover essential living costs and so much more. You can get involved with Forces Children Scotland if you have Scottish parents who are a regular, reservist or veteran of the British Armed Forces - whether that’s the Army, Navy You can also get involved if your parents aren’t Scottish - We can support children and young people from families currently based in Scotland.

23/06/2026

At Forces Children Scotland, your voice matters to us.

Participation is at the heart of everything we do, which is why we're so excited about the opportunity for young people from Forces families to join the Next Steps Youth Advisory Board.

If you're aged 12-19 and have experienced a parent or carer leaving the Armed Forces, this is your chance to help lead real, UK-wide research into what that transition is like.

And beyond this project, making sure children and young people are heard, involved and valued is something we're committed to across all of our work.

To apply to the Youth Advisory Board, find the details on our homepage or drop us a message!

Today, we're marking our fifth anniversary as Forces Children Scotland, and we had a fitting celebration over the weeken...
23/06/2026

Today, we're marking our fifth anniversary as Forces Children Scotland, and we had a fitting celebration over the weekend: a room full of children and young people feeling pride in their achievements.

Coinciding with Armed Forces Week and The Big Day Out at Craiglockhart Campus, this felt like the perfect moment to show our support and gratitude for Armed Forces community. For us, this always means starting with babies, children and young people from Armed Forces families.

The icing on the cake was seeing Cadence, a young person involved with FCS since the very beginning, piped into the room (by James, our colleague Heather's brother and a grown-up Forces kid himself).

Not to mention the actual Hame-ish icing on the birthday cake, cut by Rubie, creator and illustrator of Maude and other Forces children's rights icons.

A decade has passed since we made a commitment to focus our delivery in Scotland and put children's voices front and centre. Five years ago, we rebranded as Forces Children Scotland. Today, we are feeling proud, grateful, and excited for what comes next. Here's to the next five and beyond! 🎉

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us: children, young people and families; our staff, trustees and volunteers; the Children and Young People's Commissioner Scotland and the Scottish Veterans Commissioner; Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust; and Catherine Lindow, illustrator of Max's Big Move.

Today, Renfrewshire Council unanimously adopted the Forces Children's Rights Charter, making it the second local authori...
22/06/2026

Today, Renfrewshire Council unanimously adopted the Forces Children's Rights Charter, making it the second local authority in Scotland to do so.

The motion was brought forward by Provost Lorraine Cameron and seconded by Cllr Andy Doig. It recognised the unique challenges Forces children face and the charter's vision for change.

We're delighted by what this means for Forces children in Renfrewshire and excited to see the charter gaining momentum across Scotland.

The Big Day Out at Craiglockhart Campus was a big day for Forces children in more ways than one, not least the opportuni...
22/06/2026

The Big Day Out at Craiglockhart Campus was a big day for Forces children in more ways than one, not least the opportunity to stop and chat with Louise Sandher-Jones MP, Minister for the Armed Forces.

They spoke to her about the Forces Children's Rights Charter and the difference it could make to their lives. The provision about maintaining hobbies and interests struck a chord, as the Minister recognised how much this had meant to her throughout her own service. The young people also stressed how important it is to hear from them directly, not just their parents.

Before joining the campus-wide festivities, we had our own wee gathering to recognise the accomplishments of children and young people from Forces families (and the 5th birthday of FCS... more on that to come! 🎂).

The whole day was one of fun and celebration, as well as important conversations with Scottish and UK decision-makers. We're grateful to Louise Sandher-Jones MP for taking the time to speak, and to everyone who took part in this wonderful day for the UK Armed Forces community.

Thank you to the organisers who made The Big Day Out possible: Scotland's Veterans Wellbeing Alliance, Edinburgh Napier University and The Centre for Military Research Education and Public Engagement.

We're so grateful to Scottish Veterans Commissioner Susie Hamilton for joining in our celebrations on Saturday.Thank you...
22/06/2026

We're so grateful to Scottish Veterans Commissioner Susie Hamilton for joining in our celebrations on Saturday.

Thank you for presenting medals to help bring recognition to the achievements of children and young people from Armed Forces families.

Happy Pride Month! We're proud to support all children, young people and families, including LGBTQ+ young people and par...
21/06/2026

Happy Pride Month! We're proud to support all children, young people and families, including LGBTQ+ young people and parents in the Armed Forces community.

The Forces Children's Rights Charter includes a provision on the right to family life, and that means every kind of family should be free to live without discrimination.

We also hold the Pride in Veterans Standard (PiVS), and that means that everyone who comes to us for support will be treated with dignity, respect and understanding.

Regulate the platforms, not the children.The UK Government has announced plans to ban social media for under-16s. We sup...
18/06/2026

Regulate the platforms, not the children.

The UK Government has announced plans to ban social media for under-16s. We support the aim of improving online safety, but when we asked Forces children and young people what they think, the answer wasn't simply to ban it.

For children with a parent serving away from home, these platforms aren't just for entertainment. One young person told us how they used social media "to keep my Dad updated at Christmas time." Another said it's the only way to reach family living somewhere with poor signal. For children who move every few years because of service life, social media is often what keeps old friendships alive.

That doesn't mean young people are blind to the risks. They told us about distressing content, misinformation, and the particular weight of seeing news about global conflicts. They also pointed out that some of what gets published about children online comes from the adults around them, not from children themselves.

Their message was consistent: don't take the platforms away from us, make the platforms safer.

We're honoured to be among the number of Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) Silver Award recipients this year!
18/06/2026

We're honoured to be among the number of Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) Silver Award recipients this year!

We are very excited to announce this year’s Lowland winners of the Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) Silver Award!

Nineteen Lowland-based organisations have gone above and beyond to achieve this prestigious award from the Ministry of Defence, following on from their original pledges of support made through signing the Armed Forces Covenant.

Well done once again to our worthy winners, and we look forward to celebrating with you in the autumn!

Find out more about our wonderful winners here: https://bit.ly/4owOKeu

Albert Bartlett & Sons Ltd
Aston Stone Limited
BrightPath HR
Chemring Energetics UK Limited
Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service
Dawn Insurance Service Brokers Limited
EKGTA
Enjoy East Ren
Forces Children Scotland
GAP Group Careers
Malin Group
MAST Architects
Morris & Spottiswood
NHS 24
RCA Trust
Sabio
St Andrew's Sporting Club
Sweeney Group Ltd
Together Leading Communities

Do you work with children and young people from Armed Forces families? We are recruiting 12 young people aged 12–19 to j...
16/06/2026

Do you work with children and young people from Armed Forces families? We are recruiting 12 young people aged 12–19 to join a Youth Advisory Board for a new UK-wide research study into the transition to civilian life, funded by Forces In Mind Trust.

If you're in contact with young people or families who've been through this, please share this opportunity with them. Applications close 6 July.

Find out more:

Life changes a lot when a parent or carer leaves the Armed Forces. We’re looking for children and young people who have experienced this change to help lead research about it. This tri-service, nationwide study will build a picture of what Armed Forces children actually go through during the trans...

Veteran families and families who are transitioning to Veteran status: this one's for you!Join us for a barbecue this su...
14/06/2026

Veteran families and families who are transitioning to Veteran status: this one's for you!

Join us for a barbecue this summer at the beautiful Linburn Walled Garden.

Fancy dress is optional as we follow the yellow brick road together to civvy street!

Leave a comment for the details, or get in touch with Heather to RSVP.

Address

C/O The Melting Pot
Edinburgh
EH88DL

Telephone

+441313227350

Website

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