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<p>Parental consent to join the Armed Forces must be obtained for those aged under
18. All persons who have parental responsibility must give their consent in writing
before the application can proceed. If an agreement cannot be reached, a parent can
apply for a Specific Issue Order or Prohibited Steps Order. A judge will then make
a decision based on the applicant's best interests.</p><p>The Ministry of Defence
takes its duty of care to all recruits extremely seriously, and those aged under 18
are treated with special consideration.</p><p>All Phase 1 and Phase 2 training organisations
are subject to Ofsted inspection and the Army Foundation College (AFC) Harrogate was
graded 'Outstanding' earlier this year. Ofsted were particularly impressed by the
strong ethos of emotional and psychological safety at AFC Harrogate, where dedicated
safeguarding, mental health and wellbeing leads support students at the college.</p><p>Service
personnel aged under 18 are not deployed on hostile operations outside the UK or on
any operations where they could be exposed to hostilities. All new recruits, regardless
of age, can discharge within their first three to six months of service.</p><p> </p>
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