Eastwood MSP, Jackson Carlaw has praised the efforts of a charity supporting the families of Armed Forces personnel and veterans.
Mr Carlaw attended a parliamentary reception for Forces Children Scotland – a charity calling for the voices of children and young people from an Armed Forces background to be heard more in the policy-making process.
The charity is campaigning for greater consultation with children and young people than what is currently the case and to ensure that their lived experience is properly reflected in the formulation of policy.
Forces Children Scotland has developed a range of support services for children and young people who belong to an Armed Forces and veterans family.
The services include mental health and wellbeing support and a number of financial aid programmes that offer assistance to young people from an Armed Forces background up to the age of 25.
The funding programmes can be for issues such as helping a young person to care for a family member or to provide assistance towards achieving a qualification at a further or higher education institution.
The reception at the Scottish Parliament was attended by members of all services within the British Armed Forces and representatives from the Ministry of Defence.
The charity has been in existence for over 200 years and it was founded in 1815 to support children whose parents had suffered life changing injuries or lost their lives during the Napoleonic Wars.
Scottish Conservative MSP for Eastwood, Jackson Carlaw said:
“It was a pleasure to attend the impressive Forces Children Scotland event at Holyrood and to hear in greater detail the work of the charity.
“Forces Children Scotland is calling for the voices of children and young people from an Armed Forces background to be amplified and the charity has highlighted that their experiences are not always heard through the policy-making process.
“It is incredibly important for this to be put right and I am delighted to support the outstanding efforts of the charity.”