The Charity supports dependant children and young people up to and including the age of 25, whose parent(s) serve or have served in the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, QARNNS, WRNS, Reserves and Royal Fleet Auxiliary in times of need, hardship and distress. Each family unit is unique and we help regardless of marital circumstances.

You can call our casework team on 02392639534 to discuss your circumstances and needs. An application form can then be emailed to you, or you can use the Lightning Reach Application Form on the ‘Need our Help’ section of our website.

We are independent of the Royal Navy and would only contact someone with your permission. Each case is treated with the utmost confidentiality.  

As a means tested charity we will ask you to provide information about your financial situation, current circumstances and details of your child(ren)’s needs. If you are seeking assistance relating to a medical condition, disability or specialist piece of equipment, we will normally ask for supporting documentation to verify and help us understand the child’s medical/educational needs. All of this information enables the caseworkers to make fully informed recommendations for financial grants.

A caseworker will contact you within 2 working days from your initial enquiry to discuss your needs. Once the application has been submitted with supporting documentation we aim to give you a response within 2 weeks. Our Caseworkers also have the ability to award emergency grants in urgent cases. More complex cases may be referred to our Grants Committee for a decision.

Applications are assessed on an individual basis and, depending on circumstances and the needs of your children, particularly where there is a crisis or emergency beyond your means, then consideration can be made to support child specific needs.   

If, from initial discussion with our casework team, we establish that it would be beneficial to complete a home visit then we can arrange this with you.  We may work with caseworkers from other organisations depending on where you are.

We can consider any child specific need, no matter how large or small. If you are struggling with day to day living or need help with things such as children’s medical equipment/educational needs/hospital travel/school uniform/children’s beds etc then please get in touch. We will discuss your needs with you and try to work out how to support you. This list is not exhaustive.

Not all families need financial assistance. Some children and young people struggle with the challenges of Armed Forces life or their own challenges, particularly around mental health. The Charity offers a wide range of FREE resources to help Naval children impacted by Service life. We also offer opportunities to broaden horizons and enhance their outcomes.  You will find these on our website.

As well as our Head Office casework team, we have Outreach Caseworkers in Helensburgh and the Southwest who along with our Community Engagement lead, regularly attend events, homecomings, families days in different areas.