Introduction 
Children whose parents are in the armed forces experience particular challenges that can affect numerous aspects of their lives. To provide the appropriate level of support and interventions, it is crucial to understand how children are affected by their parents' service to their country. The objective of this literature review is to analyse the emotional, academic, and social impacts that children whose parents are in the armed forces experience and how the education system can support these children. (KIN AND COUNTRY, 2018) 
Emotional Effects
Research suggests that children of parents in the armed forces often experience emotional related effects in relation to multiple aspects of being a military child. Emotionally military children may face challenges related to this lifestyle. One aspect that a child may emotionally deal with is deployment. Research suggests that children of military parents often experience emotional stress, anxiety, behavioural issues and can experience sleep problems related to the deployment of their parent/parents. These may differ depending on many factors such as age, gender, and developmental level. Wooten et al., (2019) research found that children of deployed parents exhibited higher levels of emotional and behavioural difficulties compared to children in non-military families of similar ages.  These difficulties included symptoms of depression, anxiety, and adjustment disorders. Study checklists have provided data to suggest preschool military children showed hire levels of emotional social impacts. Furthermore, the prolonged absence of a parent due to deployment can lead to feelings of abandonment and insecurity in children. This sense of instability may manifest in various emotional reactions, including anger, sadness, and withdrawal (James and Countryman, 2012)

The emotional and physical health of the parent and children is greatly impacted by the particular difficulties that come with being a single parent whose spouse is serving in the military. Long-term and frequent deployments cause emotional strain as the family adjusts to the serving partner's absence and possible danger. Rising childcare expenses and the challenge of securing a stable job contribute to financial strains (Joas, 2022). Stress levels rise when a single parent handles all household responsibility's alone because they are the only ones responsible for childcare, cleaning, and cooking. The family's ability to rebuild support networks potentially living in different, parts of the country or even a complete different country means relying on family support can be difficult and adapting to new surroundings is hampered by frequent relocations, which can have many impactions to the at home parent (Skomorovsky, 2016).
Louise, (2021) little troopers blog helps us understand for military children, moving away from friends and family can be challenging emotionally, resulting in feelings of instability, anxiety, and loneliness. Frequently moving interferes with their social networks and support systems, which hinders their ability to establish long-lasting friendships and a sense of belonging and may eventually affect their emotional growth and well-being. 
Godier-McBard, wood and Fossey, (2021) give us an insight into international research, which suggests that physical injury to parents can cause significant family stress, emotional and physical trauma, which may have a detrimental effect on the physical and mental health of the family. While the effects of this can affect the person themselves, the impact on the family and children is immeasurable.
A death of a parent causes unimaginable pain, strain, and uncertainty for any child. It can be more complex for military children to understand the reality of a parent’s death that occurs away from home. It is crucial to remember that military children may require more assistance and direction during this challenging phase of adjustment and comprehension, and that they may require some time to grieve and process the loss (Cruse Bereavement Support, 2021)
Academic Effects

Parental military deployment can also impact the academic performance of children. DoGood, (2017) revealed that children with armed forces parents were more likely to experience disruptions within their schooling, such as changes in schools or living arrangements. These disruptions can contribute to academic challenges, including lower grades and decreased attendance. Strong emotions can be triggered by change, especially in young children. It may be a stressful experience to move to a new place and have to adjust to a new school environment in addition to saying goodbye to friends and extended family members. 




Children may end up in a classroom where the curriculum is similar, and their knowledge overlaps with what they had already learnt in previous schools. This may be easier when the move is within the same country but when children must move abroad, they may find it difficult to keep up. They may also feel bored and unchallenged, which can lead to emotions of frustration and failure.

Children may have had a well-established, reliable support system in their previous school, likely made up of teachers, friends, and support groups who were aware of their needs and could be relied on for advice and encouragement. These connections could provide children with a feeling of safety and acceptance, which contributed to create a friendly and familiar school atmosphere. But when children move schools, they are suddenly taken out of this nurturing setting, there may or may not be a support system in place in their new school but inevitably these relationships and connections will need establishing while this is developing the move can cause a lot of emotional distress. 

Since schools in Wales are encouraged but not mandatory to offer this support many children may not have access to this support. 
Children who are still adjusting to their new surroundings may feel like outsiders during this transitional phase, this may be extremely lonely. Feelings of loneliness and anxiety might be increased by the lack of familiar faces and the uncertainty of who to trust or ask for support.
(www.kelsi.org.uk, n.d.)
It is critical that schools acknowledge the particular challenges that children in the military encounter and actively assist them in forming new relationships during this difficult time. 
Schools may support this by establishing open and friendly environments, putting a group of service children together to share, understand and combine experiences, and making sure that support networks and staff are always ready to offer advice. These groups and networks are essential because they provide service children a sense of security and comfort in their new environment. Schools can assist service children’s transition more easily by creating a welcoming and understanding atmosphere that will enable them to find new and trustworthy networks of support. Their general growth and academic performance, in addition to their emotional health, depend on this important assistance. (Mccullouch and Hall, 2018) The impact of interrupted education on a child's self-esteem can be significant. Children who believe they are falling behind their classmates may become discouraged and lose faith in their own academic skills. Their general wellbeing may be impacted by this emotional load, which may also make it challenging for them to adjust to the new school setting. Strong support networks are crucial for schools to offer in order to facilitate children's seamless transition (www.sscecymru.co.uk, n.d.)


 




Social effects
A parent's deployment on active duty may require children to take on more tasks at home, including becoming a young carer. This could be helping out with more housekeeping duties, accompanying younger siblings back and forth to school, or offering the parent who is still at home more emotional support. The development of a child's education and general well-being can be greatly impacted by such obligations (DoGood, 2017)
DoGood, (2017) helps us understand the social implications of being a service child can bring a feeling of isolation. Since the social relationships are broken by numerous relocations, service children frequently experience feelings of isolation. Getting used to new places and educational institutions without established support systems can make one feel alone and alienated. Their sense of belonging and emotional health may suffer as a result of this isolation.
Military children may experience discomfort due to negative media portrayals of military life, which reinforce negative preconceptions, create feelings of loneliness, and increase concerns about the safety of their families.

Benefits of being a service child in the correct environment 
Alongside many of the difficulties of being a military child can be accompanied by great benefits when supported effectively within education. Wales has began taking steps in the right direction to support children whose parents serve within the armed forces. There are still many barriers for the education system to overcome to support children effectively. Many schools have opted into the Supporting Service Children in Education charity and are reaping the benefits for the children in their care. Service children who are supported via the SSCE charity are showing promising improvements and flourishing within education. Being a forces friendly school allows children to take the approach of increased resilience, discipline, and pride in their family. (www.sscecymru.co.uk, n.d.)
Conclusion 

The literature review concludes by highlighting the various difficulties experienced by children whose parents are in the military and emphasising how important it is for the educational system to help support these children. It is clear that there are social, academic, and emotional effects, causing hardship for children within the system, interrupted education, and deployment all have a big influence. Even though these issues have been identified and are showing signs of progression, more work has to be done to guarantee that military children receive across the board support in all school environments. Supporting programmes like the organisation Supporting Service Children in Education has the potential to improve these children's academic achievements and general well-being. To effectively fulfil the requirements of military families and their children, the education system must continue to collaborate and raise awareness.