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This challenge is at the heart of the latest projects supported by the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust (the Trust) through their Apart, not Alone programme. From shared reading projects, outdoor wellbeing activities and family-friendly fitness sessions to peer support and tailored counselling,10 projects across the UK have been supported worth a total of £304,732. Each one will deliver support that sets out to improve the quality of life for those impacted by service-related separation.
Plus, applications are still being accepted for round two. If you’re working with serving families affected by separation challenges, maybe you could be the next funded project? Full details can be found on the Trus’s website.
For families of Royal Navy personnel facing long deployments, the stress of long separations, disrupted family routines and uncertainty can all have a serious impact on the mental health and wellbeing of both adults and children. Finding accessible counselling support that understands the unique pressures of military life and security concerns around active deployment can be a challenge.
The Safe Harbour Project provides confidential, professional counselling for naval families before, during, and after deployment. Specialist, trauma-informed mental health and counselling support tailored to the naval deployment experience will be delivered by accredited counsellors with lived military experience or direct experience working with armed forces families, ensuring empathy, understanding, and trust. While offering early, consistent, relevant support will help prevent mental health issues from escalating, reduce distress and significantly improve the emotional wellbeing and stability of Royal Navy families during the most challenging phases of service life.
Lynne Martin, CEO at The Moving on Project told us: “This new programme will offer confidential counselling to naval families — helping them stay strong, connected, and emotionally supported before, during, and after deployment. We are deeply grateful to the Armed Forces Covenant Trust Fund for making the Safe Harbour Project possible.
“With over 30 years of experience supporting military families and young people aged 11-25 years, we’re honoured to continue this work — helping to build resilience, reduce anxiety, and strengthen emotional wellbeing during times of separation.”
Based in Fareham, Gosport, Portsmouth, and surrounding communities, the project will run over 24 months, providing a stable, trusted source of care when families need it most.
Helping younger children make sense of deployment
“Activities for me and my teachers about deployment would make me feel safe.” Steve, aged 7
For primary-aged children, the deployment of a parent can bring confusion, anxiety and emotional challenges. Whilst they are old enough to recognise the change it will bring, they may not fully understand or be able to talk about the complexities of deployment.
Forces Children Scotland already provide deployment support for children aged 12+, but they have identified a clear gap in provision for younger children. With an award of £43,795, Deployment Rollercoaster for Primary Children will help to fill this gap.
Forces Children Scotland will co-produce digital and physical resources with primary-aged children from forces families, their parents, and professionals who support them. Interactive wellbeing workshops will be developed for delivery in school settings, to support children and families facing parental deployment by fostering resilience, emotional wellbeing and understanding. The holistic approach of supporting children, parents and professionals together will improve wellbeing and strengthen the support network around each child.
Nina Collins, Participation Manager at FCS told us: "We’re delighted to have received funding from the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust to develop a primary school version of our Deployment Rollercoaster! This exciting project will help support the wellbeing of younger children when their parent is deployed — giving schools and parents the tools and activities they need to help children make sense of their feelings and feel supported throughout the time that they are separated from their serving parent.”
Nina continues: “Steve, aged 7, said it perfectly: 'Activities for me and my teachers about deployment would make me feel safe.' With the support of The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust we can help more children feel understood, connected, and cared for during challenging times.”
Focus on family relationships
Balancing the conflicting obligations of parenthood and military life is not easy. Helping serving personnel maintain family cohesion and mitigate the impact of service life is vital in supporting the wellbeing of not just the serving parent but of the whole family.
RAF Families - Managing Time Apart will provide coaching designed to equip serving RAF parents with tools and strategies to mitigate the impact of time apart due to their military service. This enables the serving parent to better support their partners and children during periods of separation, fostering happier more resilient family relationships.
The RAF Parenting and Wellbeing Support Team explain: “Life in the Royal Air Force is extremely rewarding, but it can be challenging too. A challenge often faced by those in the RAF is separation from home and loved ones, when RAF personnel deploy on operations and exercises or are required to work away from home during the week.
“The RAF is partnering with Parent and Professional to deliver coaching sessions for serving RAF parents, focussed on the challenges of operational separation. The coaching will equip attendees with the confidence and skills needed to successfully balance family life alongside professional obligations and other family commitments, at the same time as thriving whilst away on duty.”
RAF Families - Managing Time Apart coaching will be delivered to 12 delegates, 6 times during a 12-month period. Topics covered will include: the impact of separation, staying emotionally connected, supporting the ‘at home parent’, helping children cope with separation, and reintegration after a long absence.
Find out more
You can find a full list of all awardees from this round and previous rounds of the Apart, not Alone programme on the Trust’s website www.covenantfund.org.uk
Are you working with military families affected by separation challenges? There’s still time to get an application in for round two – you can find full details at www.covenantfund.org.uk/programmes/.
Keep up to date with funding opportunities
For the latest updates and announcements on each of these Covenant Fund programmes, and any other funding opportunities the Trust has available throughout the year, sign up to their e-newsletter via their website www.covenantfund.org.uk