Ruby Boots was an idea generated by children and young people from this community. It brings pupils whose parents are preparing to or have recently transitioned from a military to veteran family, with those who have already made this change and understand their experience.
These peer support groups are delivered in school settings, providing a much-needed sense of belonging and community. Sessions are facilitated by Forces Children Scotland’s Ruby Boots Project Coordinator, who also provides training for peer supporters to prepare them for their role.
Ruby Boots also helps to identify further key challenges during this transition and work toward addressing them locally and nationally through our policy work.
We want to build evidence on how this transition affects families. Ruby Boots helps us to explore this area further with children and young people to find solutions at this challenging time.
Get started Ruby Boots LeafletRuby Boots is generously funded by the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust.
First and foremost, children and young people from armed forces communities have told us it’s needed.
Children and young people feel that when transitioning to civilian life, they lose connection to the armed forces. The Scottish Veteran Commissioner Report: Anything but Uniform (2024) identified that some children and young people require specialist support. This support is not widely available to children and young people and will vary depending on where they live.
The UK Veteran Family Study (2024) spoke to adult children of veteran families about their childhood experiences. Although these results cannot be widely generalised, it suggests that they may experience loneliness and have challenges trusting due to the unique lives they have led as children in armed forces families.
“I thought there would be a lot of military kids but I haven’t met one, so I won’t have anyone to share that experience with. I guess no one can connect with me on that level. I wish I had someone that had a very similar experience, like moving and leaving everything behind. I wish I had someone who felt that so that they can help me through it because it was difficult.”
Lily
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Ruby Boots Coordinator, Katy, talks about turning an idea generated by young people into an exciting, new service, some of the challenges faced by young people when a parent leaves the armed forces and how young people and adults can get involved.