Service Pupils Champion

What is an SPC?
Service Pupils' Champion is a unique role which was created by North Yorkshire County Council to provide extra support for the large numbers of Service children in the County.  There are two Service Pupils' Champions in North Yorkshire working to support the emotional well-being and social development of children and young people aged 5 to 18, especially during periods of active deployment and exercise and at times of transition.  The Service Pupils' Champions aim to strengthen the pupil voice by promoting and developing the work of MKC Heroes currently established in many of the schools in North Yorkshire.  http://www.servicepupilschampion.co.uk/

 
What does an SPC do?

• Support - Sometimes children need a little bit of support – especially if their serving parent isn’t home.  We offer support in schools to allow children and young people a space to talk and hopefully overcome any worries they have.
• Anxiety Workshops - We offer workshops in schools aimed at helping children & young people understand what anxiety is and how to deal with it.
• Parents EFA – Being a parent can be hard work!  Parents Emotional First Aid helps parents recognise that we all share similar thoughts, feelings, emotions and behaviours to varying degrees and aims to find strategies to help with our anxieties.
• MKC Heroes – A national peer support group where children can spend time with other children who understand how unique the military lifestyle can be.  We support MKC Heroes groups in schools.
• Remembrance Service at Ripon Cathedral – An annual service where 600 children from military schools gather together for Remembrance and also celebration of the military lifestyle and how unique our Service Pupils are.
• Armed Forces Day for Children – Children from across North Yorkshire are invited to Catterick Garrison for fun and  
  celebration.  Supported by the Army & RAF children enjoy a wide range of military experiences including military vehicles, Bands, uniforms and food!
• Support for Parents - Support parents with children with additional needs arriving and leaving North Yorkshire, helping them understand processes, writing letters of support and liaising with schools.  We also offer to support parents at meetings.
• Representation – We attend national conferences and events representing Service Pupils’ in North Yorkshire to ensure that their voices and stories are heard.
• Liaising - Liaison with military colleagues-helping to make sure that information about moves and deployments is shared with schools and that information and concerns from schools are shared with the military.
• Checking in – We contact newly arrived families to ‘check in’ with them- see how their children are settling in, listen and signpost to any support required.
• Helping plan and deliver county wide projects—Such as  university widening participation days, drama projects, workshops and Festival of Friends.
• Bid writing for funding for specific projects.

Find out more in the SPC Blog: http://www.servicepupilschampion.co.uk/blog/