Growing pains

Navigating childhood is challenging and coping with military life can be an additional complication for service children and young people. This, together with the ordeals of COVID-19, has led to some youngsters...

Join the SQUAD

Check out SQUAD, the fab new podcast for military teenagers, exploring the experiences of older service children and the unique challenges they face. SQUAD has been launched by military children’s charity Litt...

Championing your cause

The new UK armed forces families’ strategy is due to be published soon by the Ministry of Defence. It’s been several years since the MOD last looked at service families’ issues in any detail, and we’re really p...

Digital dossier

SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity, launched the eRedbook for families in Cyprus in 2019 and continues to encourage all expectant parents and those with children under five to download, register and use it as thei...

Building trust, bettering lives

“Our family will remain eternally grateful for all the support we have received from the Armed Forces Education Trust.” Since its origins in the 1850s as a home for the orphans of soldiers in London, the Armed...

Note perfect on inclusivity

As well as being musically inclusive and tri-service, Military Wives Choirs are a welcoming and safe place where everyone is equal. Julia from the Portsmouth Military Wives Choir found the choir community to b...

Your voice matters

Military families’ maternity journey can be very different from that of their civilian counterparts, with all the extra considerations that come with service life. The Maternity Voices Partnership exists to lis...

Baby talk

Having a baby is such an exciting time, bringing with it shifting emotions and tremendous change. For some new parents, these adjustments to family life can impact negatively on their mental health. AFF’s healt...

Going it alone

Following on from the feature in our summer edition, All Shapes & Sizes, looking at how the army is adapting to support our changing community, single dad Brian talks about his experiences of jugging parent...

Striking a balance

Juggling family life with service commitments is a difficult balance, and some new dads may need some extra support. Former soldier Adam Rockley tells us more about how you can seek help through DadPad… “I’m p...