For some care leavers, joining the armed forces offers structure, belonging and a new direction. But experiences from earlier life do not simply disappear when someone puts on a uniform. Through the Rees Foundation’s From Care to Command project, care-experienced veterans are finding a community in which they can be heard, understood and supported to thrive.
“Getting involved with Rees, I feel like I’ve got a purpose and a meaning. I’m being asked what I think about things, and I think, ‘Wow, I’m part of something here.”
For many care leavers, the journey into the armed forces begins with a search for something they may not previously have experienced: stability, belonging and a sense of purpose.
Behind the uniform can be stories of disruption, loss and resilience. Some care-experienced people face homelessness, financial pressure or an unsafe and unstable home life. Military service can offer structure, but it cannot undo earlier trauma. Without the right support, those experiences may continue to affect people during service and after they leave
Funded through the Hidden Voices programme, the Rees Foundation’s From Care to Command project provides peer-led, trauma-informed support for care-experienced members of the armed forces community. At its heart is connection: bringing together people who understand both care experience and military life.
Christian McCann enlisted in 2016, aged 16, while facing addiction and difficulties at home. As a young veteran, he has since begun to see his service differently and to recognise what he achieved.
Before finding the Rees Foundation, however, Christian felt disconnected from the veteran community:
“Before I got connected to Rees, I was at a crossroads with other charities and organisations. I was identified as a ‘veteran’, and I felt shame and disconnection being attached to that identity and status. I felt it was something I had not earned.”
His care experience was also something he found difficult to speak about:
“I couldn’t even talk about it to anyone throughout my journey in the Army. I felt I was on the outside looking in on every aspect of my Army life, as well as my home and emotional life, including friendships.”
These overlapping experiences created what the project describes as a “double impact”: navigating the effects of growing up in care alongside the challenges of transitioning out of military service.
Finding a place to belong
Meeting people with similar experiences became a turning point for Christian.
“The very first peer support session I attended with Rees, I was welcomed like a human being. That may sound crazy, but I didn’t get the same feeling with other organisations, where I still felt like an outsider.”
Peer-led sessions bring care-experienced veterans together, helping to reduce isolation and build resilience through shared understanding. They also give people space to explore their past, ask long-held questions and begin making sense of their own experiences.
Monthly support groups, led by trained professionals, provide further opportunities to talk, reflect and rebuild. The approach recognises that each person’s experience is different, so support must respond to the individual rather than follow a one-size-fits-all model.
For Christian, being able to speak honestly with people who understood made a lasting difference:
“Speaking to people I could identify with, like-minded individuals with similar experiences, and being able to connect with people all over the UK has completely changed my life.”
“Getting involved with Rees, I feel like I’ve got a purpose and a meaning. I’m being asked what I think about things, and I think, ‘Wow, I’m part of something here.”
The experiences of care leavers who enter the armed forces are not always visible or widely understood. From Care to Command is helping to bring those hidden voices into the conversation, ensuring that people are recognised not only for the challenges they have faced, but for their strength, contribution and potential.
The project is also working beyond individual support. More than 70 organisations have engaged, welfare officers are receiving specialist training and clearer referral pathways are helping care-experienced people to be recognised and supported across the Armed Forces community. Partnerships with the prison and probation sector are also creating opportunities for longer-term change.
For some younger people, the word “veteran” can feel difficult to accept. Christian explains:
“Something I’ve always really struggled with, being only 24 now and having done my time, and I’ve done some tours, is that I can look back now and be proud of it. But it’s something I need to keep reminding myself of every day. It’s a work in progress.”
From Care to Command provides space for people to explore that identity without judgement or stigma, regardless of their role, length of service or where they served.
Christian now describes being part of the Rees Foundation with pride and is looking ahead to how he can support others:
“I am excited to continue being part of it all and look forward to helping more. I am extremely proud to say that I am a veteran. It’s a pleasure to be part of the Rees Foundation. It has completely changed my life.”
His story shows what can happen when someone who has felt unheard and on the outside is given space to connect, contribute and recognise their own achievements.
The journey may have begun with survival, but with the right support, it can lead to belonging, pride and purpose.
Find out more about the Rees Foundations ‘From Care to Command’ programme at: https://www.reesfoundation.org/from-care-to-command.html
