Bereaved families urged to talk about feelings surrounding Ukrainian conflict
A Kings-Lynn based charity for bereaved British forces children are warning that many here are being affected by the situation
Those who have lost loved ones to war are being urged to talk about their thoughts, feelings and anxieties surrounding the Ukrainian conflict.
A Kings-Lynn based charity for bereaved British forces children are warning that many here are being affected by the on-going situation.
Scotty's Little Soldiers, was founded in 2010 by Nikki Scott after her husband Lee was killed during a tour of Afghanistan a year earlier.
Ms Scott told us it's hard to avoid the issue: "I think any young child is probably affected by what's happening or is interested or nervous about it.
"I think for our members, a lot of them are bereaved because they have experienced the death of a parent who has served in Afghanistan or Iraq. So, the mention of the word 'war' is a bit of a trigger word and does make them quite scared about what is happening right now".
She went on to tell us that the on-going situation is having an impact, locally: "Whenever there is anything about Afghanistan or Iraq, that is very much a situation where our families reach out, they get in touch and they are very anxious.
"With this, it all seems a bit different. We're talking about it, we're putting out anything that we can find which is good for young children to understand this. There's so much fake news out there on social media, so we're just trying to give a bit of guidance to parents".
Ms Scott concluded by outlining that communication is key at this time and that they're doing their bit: "Talk to someone if they don't understand what they are hearing at school. It's a scary time for everyone, because nobody likes the thought of what's happening right now. They are ordinary people and that's the scary thing I think, isn't it.
"The main thing is to reassure the children in the UK, that they are okay and that they're not directly impacted and that if they're are worried, they can come and talk to an adult and learn about what exactly is happening.
"I know that some of our children are receiving bereavement support at the minute, so one to one sessions and they are actually bringing it up in those sessions. So there is definitely an anxiety about it. So, I think from Scotty's, we're just trying to signpost to the sites that are giving really good clear information in an age appropriate way and just reassuring them that they are okay".