Support for children when a parent works away

Children of military personnel experience unique challenges that can have a significant impact on their wellbeing.

We have listened to military families and educators in our research, who felt isolated and ignored due to the lack of age-appropriate Australian resources to assist their children. In our 2021 study of defence partners who had young children, 61 per cent said they did not feel confident to support their children with the stresses of military family life.

The recently released Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide Interim Report also highlighted the mental health risk to the children, partners and siblings of military personnel:

... military deployment, as well as the mental and behavioural disorders arising from military service, can then increase the risk that partners, spouses, children and siblings develop mental health disorders ... children of personnel with PTSD may also experience 'secondary traumatization' and exhibit similar symptoms of PTSD as their parents. (p 94)