Support for armed forces families

Getting support and advice

If you are looking for support or advice there are a number of organisations who can help:

• Veterans' Gateway helps armed forces veterans and their families by putting them in touch with organisations who can offer information, advice and support on a wide range of subjects including healthcare, housing, employment, finances and personal relationships.
• Defence Discount Service is a discount scheme for members of the armed forces community.
• Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA) provide lifelong support and casework for people who are serving or have served in the armed forces.
• Kent & Medway Armed Forces Network works with health services to ensure the armed forces community can access the services they need.
• Army Families Federation, Naval Families Federation and RAF Families Federation  are the voices of the service families and provide help, support and advocacy.

You can also read more about the  Armed Forces Community Covenant document (PDF, 167.6 KB).

Service children

The Armed Forces Covenant extends to families of armed forces personnel. One of the most challenging things about military life can be moving at short notice and getting children into school. We have admissions processes in place and work closely with schools to make it as straightforward as possible for armed forces families to get a place at a local school. Read about moving to a different school.

If you have any problems with school admissions as a result of being in the Armed Forces, please email armedforces@kent.gov.uk

We also run events bringing service children together to understand how schools and local services can better meet their needs, and helping them to make friends with other service children around the county. Read about our Kent service children's voice conferences.