Military charity, Scotty’s Little Soldiers, aim to provide relief from the effects of grief for bereaved military children and young people who have experienced the death of a parent who served in the British Forces.  

The charity delivers specialised bereavement support to children and young people aged 0-25 through four family Programmes: SMILES, SUPPORT, STRIDES and SPRINGBOARD. Scotty's are a tri-service organisation, providing support to military families from the British Army, Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force, and includes both Regular and Reserve Forces. The charity supports young people bereaved of a parent who served in the British Armed Forces, including veterans, regardless of the cause of death. 

We want every bereaved military child and young person to have:   

• Access to the very best emotional health and wellbeing support.   

• Outstanding development opportunities.    

• The chance to smile again. 

Services offered to Scotty’s members include access to child bereavement support, guidance to parents and carers, personal education and learning assistance (including grants), and fun activities such as holiday respite breaks and group events. These are all designed to remind the children and young people supported by Scotty’s that they are not alone.

How You Can Help Bereaved Military Children

Hundreds of bereaved British Forces children aren’t getting the support they need. Scotty’s Little Soldiers are calling on veterans, service personnel and anyone with military links to help find children who have experienced the death of a parent who served in the military.

Scotty’s Council is a small group of Scotty’s beneficiaries who provide a voice for bereaved military children and young adults. The council is made up of 12 Scotty Members (aged 11 – 17) who form the Members Council, and 12 Springboarders (aged 18 – 25) who form the Springboard Council - together they form Scotty’s Council. The council members meet up throughout the year to provide input into the charity, providing ideas and suggestions on the support they feel bereaved military young people will benefit from the most. Our members are the reason we do what we do, so their opinions are vitally important to how we guide the direction of the charity going forward. 

The council members also represent Scotty’s externally. Members of the council attended a two-day event at Sky (pictured), where they were given media training to help give them skills and confidence to raise awareness of their charity through media platforms. 

We use private websites to communicate directly with the bereaved military families we support. We currently have two websites, one for our Parents and Carers, and one for our Members and Springboarders. Our Families Zone is an online space where we can connect with our Parents and Carers. It’s a great way to share resources, enable them to access bereavement support, book respite breaks, find out about online workshops, apply for grants and much more. 

We also have a website just for our Members and Springboarders. It provides a direct line of communication between Scotty’s and our young people, an opportunity for them to reach out to us if they need support. This website provides them with age-appropriate resources and information to help them to cope with their grief and to access the support they need. Through the website they can also learn about other members to remind them they’re not alone. It’s a powerful resource to help Scotty Members and Springboarders feel informed and connected.