Robert Reid 11 hours ago
Forces Children Scotland congratulates Andy Burnham on becoming Prime Minister. As he begins to set out his policy priorities, our Policy and Campaigns Officer, Robert Reid, shares some reflections on how “Manchesterism” could improve the lives of Forces children.
One of the defining ideas associated with Andy Burnham’s “Manchesterism” is that complex social challenges are best tackled by bringing public services together around people and places, rather than expecting individuals to navigate fragmented systems.
This place-based, integrated approach has been a hallmark of his work in Greater Manchester. Whether addressing homelessness, health inequalities or road safety, the emphasis has consistently been on prevention and putting people’s rights and needs at the centre of decision-making. We believe those same principles offer a compelling framework for supporting Forces children as they move between systems.
Children from Armed Forces families experience a unique form of mobility. Regular postings can mean relocating multiple times throughout their childhood, leaving behind schools, friends, teachers and support networks while adapting to unfamiliar environments and systems. For some, these transitions coincide with parental deployment, separation from their serving parent or other forces-related pressures.
Too often, the experience of moving, whether that be positive or negative, depends on where a family happens to be posted, how much information is transferred between schools, or whether an individual teacher understands the unique circumstances of Forces life. With Prime Minister Andy Burnham committing to replicating ‘Manchesterism’ at a national level, there is an opportunity to apply the same philosophy to the experiences of Armed Forces children.
Greater Manchester’s ‘Vision Zero’ programme demonstrates what this may look like in practice. Rather than accepting road deaths and serious injuries as inevitable, Vision Zero starts from the principle that every life matters and that preventable harm should not simply be tolerated. It brings together transport planners, police, health services, local authorities and communities to understand the causes of harm and redesign the system to prevent it.
The challenges faced by Armed Forces children are obviously different, but the lesson is very similar. We should stop treating disruption during transitions as an unavoidable consequence of military life and instead seek to change the system itself to prevent disadvantage for the whole population where possible.
This means designing policy around children’s rights and experiences, not organisational structures. It means schools and health providers receiving timely information before children arrive. It means education, health services, local authorities and the voluntary sector working together. It means listening to Armed Forces children themselves, recognising them as experts in their own experiences, and using their insights to shape better services.
Taking a ‘Manchesterism’ approach to Forces life for children would emphasise prevention over reaction and build a system that works to support Forces children and their families instead of expecting them to navigate fragmented ones alone.
If ‘Manchesterism’ represents a new model delivering services and outcomes, then Armed Forces children must be a part of that conversation.
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