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An open letter to Air Commodore Miller-Perkins CBE (Retd) Armed Forces Commissioner

Forces Children Scotland 5 hours ago

Influencing Policy News Participation

Forces Children Scotland warmly welcomes Former Air Commodore Polly Miller-Perkins CBE to her new role as Armed Forces Commissioner. As she begins to define the Commissioner role, we want to take this opportunity to introduce our organisation and the work we do.

Dear Air Commodore Miller-Perkins,

We would like to take this opportunity to introduce our organisation and some of the work we do on behalf of babies, children and young people from Armed Forces families across Scotland.

Participation is at the heart of everything we do, as we ensure that the lived experiences of babies, children and young people from Armed Forces families directly inform policy, practice, and decision-making.

This can be seen with the Forces Children’s Rights Charter, a rights framework co-produced with children and young people from Armed Forces families. Directly linked to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), which was incorporated into Scots law in 2024, it aims to champion the rights of babies, children and young people from forces families and drive forward positive change. We believe your office can play a significant role in helping to realise the aspirations of the Charter.

We have recently worked with the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland to publish a co-produced report, titled Camouflaged in the education system. The report explores what school life is really like for children from Armed Forces families across Scotland and considers what must change to ensure their needs are met.

As demonstrated through the recent publication of our education report, we have a close working relationship with the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland. We also work closely with the Scottish Veterans Commissioner and the various Families Federations, and we see a real opportunity to extend that cooperation to you and your office.

We would welcome the opportunity to meet with you, along with some of the children and young people we work with, to explore how we can work together to improve the lives of Forces children in Scotland.

Once again, congratulations on your appointment. We look forward to working with you.

Yours sincerely,

Steven Sweeney
Chief Executive, Forces Children Scotland