Scottish Children’s Health Week is a time to reflect on what it really means for every child to have the best possible health and access to health services. For babies, children and young people from Armed Forces families realising that right carries special weight. Health isn’t just about doctors’ appointments and medicine — it’s about safe homes, timely access to diagnosis or support, and knowing that adults will listen when something isn’t right.
The Armed Forces Covenant promises that the children of those who serve should not face disadvantage in accessing healthcare, education or support, but families’ experiences show us that disadvantage persists. Children feel the weight of this gap most keenly, and they are asking us to close it.
One of the most powerful statements in the Forces Children’s Rights Charter is simple: “I am as healthy as I can be.” For too many young people, that right feels out of reach.
Frequent moves mean re-registering with new GPs or dentists and, in many cases, starting again on already long waiting lists.
This is particularly tough when children need assessments for autism or ADHD or when families are already waiting for mental health support:
As Aidan put it: “Stress of waitlists, especially for autism and ADHD.”
And Emily told us: “Moving around disrupted being on waitlists, so chose to stay registered in England to get treatment even though living in Scotland.”
These stories are not unusual. Across the UK, only 66% of Forces families say that they could access GP services without difficulty, reducing to 38% for dental treatment. Shockingly, 26% were unable to access dental treatment at all, and 21% could not access mental health treatment.
Deployments, separation and frequent moves bring challenges that can weigh heavily on mental health. Some young people describe feeling anxious or low when a parent is away.
Hayden said: “My mental health is impacted.”
Rory told us that he was “depressed when my parent is away.”
For those who need support, waiting times for services like CAMHS can be painfully long. Moving between areas often breaks the vital relationships with professionals that help children feel safe and supported. However, when forces-aware services are available, they make a real difference. Programmes like Your Mind Matters and the Lighthouse Project have shown that more than 9 in 10 young people experienced an improvement in their wellbeing after getting support.
“I think for some kids it would be beneficial if there were people to talk and listen to them about how they’re feeling.” – Aaliyah
Forces children also know that health isn’t just about services. It’s also about where they live. Sadly, too many tell us that Service Family Accommodation is letting them down.
Sophia spoke about her last house: “[it] had black mould and a crack down it. It was only fixed after we moved out and it made the next people sick. The top floor caved in after we left.”
The children and young people were acutely aware that substandard conditions such as mould pose a hazard to their health, and children and young people have told us these faults were not dealt with either quickly or properly. Delays to repairs caused the children and young people to be frustrated and left feeling that complaints were not being taken seriously.
Holly told us: “[the] boiler stopped working during “beast from the east” and no one would fix it.”
Children and young people have said that they often feel powerless to complain about access to GPs or dentists, poor housing, or delays in diagnosis. They want child-friendly routes to raise concerns and, crucially, feedback.
Charlie wants complaints to be “accessible for all ages. There should be different ways to complain, and adults should make it possible.”
Claire wants to know who to complain to: “complain to the Government or to people at base? Shouldn’t be up to the child to know who to go to.”
A Call for Change
This Children’s Health Week, the voices of forces children and young people remind us that children’s health is about more than just appointments. It’s about safe homes, timely support, and a culture where children are heard.
They have been clear about what needs to change:
Children and young people know what a healthy life looks like. They want to be as healthy as they can be. That’s the promise of the Charter. And that’s what Children’s Health Week should inspire us all to deliver.