Armed Forces families are at the heart of the Defence community. We appreciate everything that Service families and personnel do and are committed to supporting their modern-day family lives. Thanks to direct feedback from Armed Forces families, we’ve started to make improvements in areas that matter the most to them. We will continue to seek and use voices of Service personnel and families to drive forward real change as part of the strategy.
If you would like to hear about opportunities to help shape the future of the Armed Forces Families strategy, please fill out this expression of interest form.
Download PDF version here: Family-Strategy-poster.pdf
Over a year of benefiting Service families
The UK Armed Forces Families Strategy 2022-32 recognises the valuable contribution and sacrifices Armed Forces families make and the unique challenges they face. The strategy sets out Defence’s10-year plan to make sure that we continue to drive forward positive initiatives that give Service families the support they need and deserve.
Since the strategy launched in January 2022, we’ve used feedback and suggestions from Service families to make improvements. This includes updating policies to better support and nurture family life and embrace modern family structures. This article will look at some key developments – in areas such as accommodation and childcare – and how they are benefitting Service personnel and their families.
Wraparound Childcare scheme: Helping parents to pay for childcare
Since the full UK rollout of the Wraparound Childcare scheme (WAC) in September 2022, over 6,500 Service children have been registered onto the WAC scheme, and over £3.4M has been claimed to support Service families with childcare costs.
Under the scheme, eligible personnel with children aged 4 to 11 years old can claim funding for up to 20 hours per week (within capped rates), per child, for 39 weeks per year during term time.
We know that many more families are eligible to claim WAC, so if you’re a Service person wanting to find out more about WAC eligibility and how to register, visit Discover My Benefits.
Supporting children from UK Armed Forces families in education
If you’re a Service person with a child who is applying to university, you may be pleased to hear that they are now able to get tailored advice and support.
In May 2022, the Armed Forces Families and Safeguarding (AFFS) team worked closely with the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) and the Service Children’s Progression (SCiP) Alliance to put a new section on the UCAS application form.
In this section, students from Armed Forces families are advised on how to contextualise their educational journey and experiences. This will positively shape – and be considered in – their application. There is also now a Service child and a veteran ‘flag’ on the UCAS application form, which helps universities and colleges provide Service children with more bespoke advice and support.
For more information, visit the UCAS website.
Last year, our support and funding helped the SCiP Alliance to enhance their Thriving Lives Toolkit. This helps primary and secondary schools to plan and deliver support for children and young people in Armed Forces families.
We also saw the Centre for Education and Youth and the SCiP Alliance publish a research report into better understanding the needs, barriers, and experiences of Service children in post-16 education.
Picture 2: © Crown Copyright
Future Accommodation Model: Making subsidised Service Family Accommodation support more inclusive
The Future Accommodation Model pilot, known as FAM, ran over the past three years. FAM gave more choice to more Service personnel over where, how, and with whom they live. Under FAM, on the three pilot sites, Service personnel could select Single Living Accommodation or Service Family Accommodation (SFA). They could also choose to live in private rental accommodation or buy their own home.
Others who benefited were Service personnel in long term established relationships (LTR(E)) who were previously only able to apply for surplus SFA. The pilot changed this by allowing those long term established relationships (LTR(E)) on the three pilot sites to benefit from subsidised SFA.
The way people live and work is changing. FAM reflected this by opening up options for different types of accommodation so that personnel could choose to live in the way that suits them best.
Once the results from the FAM pilot have been analysed, a New Accommodation Offer will be rolled out across the rest of the UK.
Help to buy a home
The Forces Help to Buy (FHTB) scheme, which helps Service personnel to buy their own homes, was made permanent in January 2023. The scheme has been very popular, with around 5,000 applicants each year. This means that thousands of Armed Forces families have benefitted from having more stable home lives, particularly during periods of service.
The FHTB scheme enables Service personnel to borrow up to 50% of their gross annual salary – to a maximum of £25,000, interest free – to buy their first home or move to another property. Since the FHTB’s three-year pilot started in 2014, it has supported over 27,000 Service personnel and has provided around £413 million of funding.
If you’re a Service person who would like more information on the scheme, including how to apply, visit Discover My Benefits.
Picture 3: © Crown copyright 2020
Helping Armed Forces families return to the UK
Eligible Armed Forces families returning to the UK from the Sovereign Base Areas (SBAs) of Dhekelia and Akrotiri in Cyprus can now apply to the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS), which they previously didn’t qualify for. This is because SBAs are not part of the European Economic Area (EEA), and so free movement rights were not exercised.
In August 2022, a concession was agreed that enables eligible Armed Forces families to apply to the EUSS. This was later included in rule changes to Appendix EU and Appendix EU Family Permit, which came into force in November 2022. These rule changes mean that SBAs are now treated as part of the EEA for Armed Forces families that meet the relevant criteria when applying to the EUSS, including those who have already returned to the UK.
Service personnel can find out if family members are eligible to apply for the EUSS by reading this Q&A document.
The Armed Forces Families Fund will continue to help deliver the strategy this year
Projects supporting military families will once again be able to bid for a share of funding from the latest round of the Armed Forces Families Fund.
The Fund, which is administered on the MOD’s behalf by the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust, is available to organisations who want to launch projects that have a positive impact on the lives of military communities.
Last year’s round of funding supported 84 projects benefiting Armed Forces families.
This year, the fund will be available for educational support, early years projects and an innovative partner support programme.
