Thriving Lives Toolkit Webinar: Principle 7 - Staff are well informed
Posted in News
On the 18th of June 2025, the SCiP Alliance hosted the final session in its current Thriving Lives Toolkit webinar series, focusing on Principle 7: Staff Are Well Informed. The session explored how training, research, and collaboration can ensure all staff are equipped to understand and support Service children effectively.
Philip Dent, Director of the SCiP Alliance, opened the event by highlighting the importance of staff knowledge: “It’s only what we do differently that gets a different result.” He stressed that practitioners, teachers, researchers and policymakers all play a vital role in shaping positive outcomes for Service children.
The webinar featured contributions from Dr. Anne Chappell of Brunel University and Emma Thompson from East Riding of Yorkshire Council.
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Dr. Chappell shared findings from research with “grown-up children” from Armed Forces families, emphasising the long-term effects of mobility, friendships, and belonging. She urged schools to listen to individual experiences, avoid assumptions, and support Service children with both understanding and practical adjustments in curriculum and school life.
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Emma Thompson presented a local authority perspective, describing East Riding’s training initiative for schools. Developed in partnership with York St John University and the Ebor Academy Trust, the sessions raise awareness of Service children’s needs and highlight practical strategies and resources, including the Thriving Lives Toolkit.
Participants also heard examples of good practice from schools, such as relational approaches to pupil support, strong partnerships with welfare teams, and transition tools like “moving on” packs to ease mobility.
The discussion reinforced that being well informed is not just about training once, but about maintaining ongoing awareness of Service children’s unique circumstances, building relationships, and sharing good practice across education and support services.
The webinar closed with a call to action for attendees to contribute to the SCiP Alliance Community Consultation and to continue applying research insights in practice to improve outcomes for Service children.
