Libor fund increases support for service children
A community organisation that supports children of service personnel and veterans in Buckinghamshire has used a grant from the Libor fund to increase its support capability.
The Service Children Support Network (SCSN) was awarded £280,000 in June by David Cameron, enabling it to employ five new family coordinators to work in local schools.
Andrea Lovejoy, Paula Florey, Diane Pringle, Karen Thorley and Jane Wright have joined the team to provide support to children affected when their parents are deployed away from home.
Andrea has been a married to a serviceman in the RAF for 18 years. She knows how moving around affects children: “Being a mother of three kids I have travelled throughout the UK and even to The Falkland Islands.
“I heard about SCSN when I was in the Falklands and really thought that it could help my own children.
“From that point I really wanted to be a part of it.”
Jane Wright was brought up in an RAF family. She has seen it from a child’s perspective: “When I saw the job description I realised that I had experienced many of the issues affecting service children both first hand and also with my own daughters.
“I am really enjoying supporting service children and their families in anyway I can.”
SCSN founder, Joy O’Neill said: “The new coordinators are settling in really well.
“Being a service wife and parent, like myself, they have developed the skills to help the children cope with upheaval and parental detachment.
“We have trained them so they can now work with early years, primary and secondary school children.
“Their work will create a lasting legacy and help many more people in the future.”