How has technology impacted the support we offer?
At Scotty’s Little Soldiers, we understand the growing importance that technology has on the support organisations and charities like ours provide. From our ability to support our Members, to how we raise the charity’s awareness and our internal ways of working – technology plays a key role in everything we do.
Because of this, we want to make sure we’re using cutting-edge technology so we can provide the absolute best support for bereaved military children possible. This is a mindset we embraced early on. For example, in 2020 we went completely cashless, making it easier for our supporters to donate money and raise it. Gone are the days of coin buckets and counting change – all you need to do to raise money for Scotty’s is scan a card. It’s instant, efficient, and, most importantly, easy.
But this is just one small part of what we do. Our mission is – and always will be – supporting children who have experienced the death of a parent who served in the British Armed Forces. It's here, in finding new and better ways to support our Members, that the impact of technology becomes clear.
Mark, our Child and Young Person Bereavement Support Worker, hosting a virtual call
Mark, Scotty’s Child and Young Person Bereavement Support Worker, provides our Members with personalised one-to-one bereavement support. Our updated screens, monitors, headsets and computer software work together to ensure he can not only offer better support than ever, but also to more people than ever.
“As Scotty’s continues to grow, being able to offer our Members bereavement support wherever they are in the world is invaluable,” says Mark. “Our Members are based all around UK and some live abroad, so being able to offer online bereavement support is incredibly helpful for them as it means they don’t have to be local to benefit from the personalised support we offer.”
One Scotty Member, Jessica, now lives in Australia with her mum, but despite being on the other side of the world she is still supported by Scotty’s and benefits from many of the services we provide:
"Just knowing Scotty's are still there for Jessica even though she lives across the other side of the world means so much to us both,” says her mum. “Her face lights up when she gets her Scotty gifts as it just reminds her that her dad's not forgotten and Scotty's haven't forgot about her. She misses the friends she made at Scotty's and the Scotty breaks because they were so much fun, but being able to speak on video call with the team if she needs support is such a huge comfort. We think Scotty's are just amazing to help make children smile again."
Jessica, a Scotty Member living in Australia
Like most charities, Scotty’s Little Soldiers was massively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Unlike many, however, we had already started to explore online, out-of-office systems and hybrid ways of working, which meant we were able to continue offering our full support during a time when many of our Members needed it most.
The pandemic also highlighted the importance of socialisation and communication among young people, who are recording higher feelings of loneliness and isolation than ever before. As a result of this, we are currently working on the OpsZone, a website and communication platform designed from the ground up for Scotty’s Members and Springboarders. It’s a place where they can chat openly with other young people who understand what they’ve been through, as well as acting as a direct line to the charity itself and a place they can keep up to date with all the latest Scotty’s news.
Another way Scotty’s has used technology to offer even better support for our Members is the introduction of Scotty’s Year Groups. Every year, our Members who are transitioning to secondary school are placed in an online group (named after a military vehicle) with other young people of the same age. As part of this group, they have the opportunity to take part in a number of online preparation, support and social sessions with the Scotty’s Family Team and other bereaved military children across the country, all of whom are transitioning to secondary school and joining a new community at the same time as themselves.
“Lilith is starting secondary school soon,” says Victoria, a Scotty mum. “She is part of Scotty’s Typhoon year group, who are all the same age. It’s been really good for her.”
Scotty's 'Apache' year group sharing an online session
We already knew that expanding the technology we used was important to supporting as many bereaved military children as possible, but recent events have made it clear that it is not only important, but crucial.
Andy, Scotty’s IT Lead, says, “Digital working is increasing for almost everyone, but Scotty’s operations and the delivery of support for bereaved children and young people are at the forefront of this change. It is essential that Scotty’s has high-quality, reliable and secure technology to deliver these services.”
Scotty’s Little Soldiers is a charity dedicated to supporting children and young people (0 to 25 years) who have experienced the death of a parent who served in the British Armed Forces.
Inspired by the experience of Army widow Nikki Scott, following the death of her husband Corporal Lee Scott in Afghanistan in 2009, the charity, which was set up in 2010, provides support and guidance to hundreds of bereaved military children and young people throughout their childhood.
Services offered to Scotty’s members include access to child bereavement support, guidance to parents and carers, personal education and learning assistance (including grants), and fun activities such as holiday respite breaks and group events. These are all designed to remind the children and young people supported by Scotty’s that they are not alone.
Scotty Member, Jamie, chatting to the camera at Scotty's HQ
We would like to thank the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust for supporting our vision of a digital future and the sustainability of Scotty’s Little Soldiers.
