Service Family Support -- A Small-Scale Project of Educational Psychologists Working with Parents

Being in a Service family can be a difficult position for children and parents alike due to high levels of mobility, parental separation, and the remaining parent's stress and emotional well-being. A Service family is defined as a family with one or both parents employed by the Ministry of Defence (MOD). The current project looked at the under-researched area of supporting parents in Service families with an intervention funded by the MOD. Work carried out involved inviting parents of primary aged children to take part in consultation sessions and parent discussion groups, facilitated by educational psychologists (EPs). These looked at the psychological concepts of separation, anxiety, self esteem and friendship as well as positive psychology. Outcomes indicated that parents experienced an increase in confidence and a decrease in concern following the consultation sessions. Parents valued the support of the group and found the sessions practical and informative. This intervention filled a gap in support for Service parents and indicates a role for EPs in terms of further input and research.