Scotty’s: Championing the Rights of Bereaved Military Families
Alongside providing vital bereavement support, Scotty’s Little Soldiers plays a crucial but often hidden role in advocating for the rights and needs of bereaved British Forces families.
Every bereaved military child supported by Scotty’s is navigating life without their parent. The charity offers a wide range of bereavement support, including working behind the scenes to ensure that bereaved military families are not left at a disadvantage when accessing services such as housing, education, pensions and financial entitlements.
This advocacy can mean the difference between crisis and stability. It often involves working directly with local authorities, schools, government departments and military networks to ensure families are recognised, understood, and supported.
Rachel Scott, Head of Service at Scotty’s Little Soldiers, said:
“When a child or young person is grieving the death of a parent who served, there are often additional practical and emotional challenges that come with that loss. Our role is not only to support the family directly, but to ensure that their voices are heard and their needs understood - whether that’s by a school, a housing officer or a government department. Advocacy is a crucial part of what we do to make sure bereaved military families aren’t left behind.”
When one family was forced to move after their landlord sold their home, they were initially given low housing priority. They were at risk of having to live in a new area, which was a devastating prospect for their son who was grieving his dad and needed his friends around him for support. His mum also needed to stay in the area for work and was reliant on extended family and friends who lived close by.
Scotty’s wrote a letter outlining the child’s needs, backed by Armed Forces Covenant and bereavement research. The result was a reassessed housing band and a new home close to their community.
“The fact that my local council and MP listened to the charity and the letter they sent, which resulted in me being banded higher for social housing, is incredible,” said the parent. “Without the unwavering support and impactful intervention of Scotty’s, I don’t know where I’d be right now. Their dedication to helping bereaved British Forces children and their families is truly remarkable, and I am living proof of the positive impact they have.”
In another case, a grandmother was struggling to understand how to access her late son’s military pension. Scotty’s worked with the Armed Forces Pensions team to ensure the funds would go into trust for her granddaughter - as per her dying son’s wishes.
"The support of Scotty's has helped an awful lot as I wasn't sure where to turn,” said the Scotty Member’s grandmother. “We are still waiting to hear but her dad wanted her to have something he had left for her and so we are hopeful that we can put the pension in a trust for when she is old enough. This should give her a good deposit for a house, and she can then say, 'my dad helped me with this,' which would be very special.”
For young adults navigating bereavement while planning their future, Scotty’s advocacy can make a life-changing difference. One young person, estranged from their surviving parent and worried about how to fund university, reached out to the charity. Scotty’s stepped in to guide them through applying as an independent student via Student Finance England, while also exploring military-related bursaries, Armed Forces pension entitlements and grants from external charities. With Scotty’s support, they were able to access funds to cover their tuition and living costs and make a clear plan for their future.
Scotty’s also advocated for an 11-year-old who had just completed Year 6 and was struggling with the sudden death of his father. He was told there was no space for him at his local secondary school, where the rest of his class were going - meaning he would be separated from his friends at an already vulnerable time. The charity intervened with the school and local authority, highlighting the importance of peer continuity for bereaved children. As a result, the school reversed its decision and offered not only a place for the child but also expressed interest in how best to support him and his siblings in the future.
Scotty’s Little Soldiers may be best known for its emotional and practical support - but its quiet, persistent advocacy behind the scenes helps to protect bereaved military families from disadvantage and ensures they are championed across all areas of life.
Scotty’s estimates that each year, around 2,100 children become newly bereaved of a parent who served in the British Armed Forces*. The charity has already supported over 740 children and young people in 2025 and aims to provide ongoing support to over 1,000 children annually by 2030.
*Scotty’s Little Soldiers has produced estimates drawn from reliable national datasets (including the Census 2021 and MoD data).
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