Armed Forces families deployed overseas will save thousands of pounds a year in childcare costs as the government increases support for service personnel, building on its commitment to renew the nation’s contract with those who serve.
The announcement forms part of a drive to boost military morale from Ministers, ahead of the first Parliamentary debate on the government’s landmark Armed Forces Commissioner Bill on Monday (18 November).
Defence Secretary John Healey MP is extending a scheme which helps service families in the UK pay for wraparound childcare, to those based abroad. Hundreds of families will be able to claim up to 20 hours a week of funded before and after school childcare, saving around £3,400-a-year.
The government is renewing the nation’s contract with those who serve, and have served, and the expansion of the Wraparound Childcare scheme to families deployed around the world recognises the unique challenges faced by parents serving abroad and the increased cost of living.
The expansion, expected to cost £3m over the next 5 years, is testament to the government’s commitment to always putting personnel at the heart of future defence plans.
Defence Secretary John Healey MP said:
We are on a drive to boost military morale and deliver on our manifesto promise to renew the nation’s contract with those who serve – from establishing a strong, independent Armed Forces Commissioner to providing the largest pay rise for personnel in decades.
We ask our Armed Forces to make extraordinary sacrifices to defend UK interests and keep us all safe.
We recognise the commitment of service families based abroad and that is why we are stepping up support, with the expansion of wraparound childcare set to save families thousands of pounds a year.
Tackling the ongoing Armed Forces recruitment and retention challenges also continues to be a key focus for the government.
As the Ministry of Defence announced earlier this year, it has slashed recruitment red tape to make the process more straightforward for those wanting to join the military. Through the removal of 100 unnecessary medical policies such as blocking some sufferers of hay fever, eczema, and acne, more than 700 applications have been reconsidered.
These reforms follow the government announcing the largest Armed Forces pay increases for 22 years. The pay rise awarded an average 6% pay rise with new recruits receiving a 35% rise, ensuring all members of the Armed Forces receive at least the National Living Wage for the first time. This acknowledges the extraordinary sacrifices made by personnel to protect and serve the UK and will help address recruitment and retention challenges, especially in light of rising cost of living pressures.
Minister for Armed Forces Luke Pollard MP said:
Armed Forces families deployed overseas give up so much to protect the UK and for the first time, the government is ensuring they can access the same level of support as those back home.
The government will always stand up for the Armed Forces, and we will not rest until we have lifted military morale.
We inherited a talented yet demoralised Armed Forces and so we are taking direct action to address this head on – ensuring their service and sacrifice are properly recognised and rewarded.
This extra support comes as landmark government legislation to establish the first ever independent champion for serving personnel and their families returns to the House of Commons on Monday (18 November) for its Second Reading.
The Armed Forces Commissioner Bill will deliver a manifesto commitment and help drive improvements to service life by giving those who serve and their families a strong, independent voice that can hold government and the Army, Royal Navy, and Royal Air Force to account.
The new Armed Forces Commissioner will be a direct point of contact for serving personnel and their families to raise issues that impact service life, including housing and equipment. They will have powers to visit sites unannounced and report to Parliament through annual and one-off thematic reports.
The German Parliamentary Commissioner for the Armed Forces, Dr. Eva Högl said:
It is gratifying to see that Armed Forces Commissioners are introduced in more and more countries.
With the establishment of a parliamentary military ombudsperson, the institution moves to the centre of society, which is especially important in times when all our armed forces are under enormous pressure.
Since 1959, the year the German Parliamentary Commissioner for the Armed forces has been established, it has become a well-recognized, respected and unchallenged institution in Germany safeguarding the basic rights of our soldiers. I would be delighted if this success story were to be repeated in the UK.
Today’s announcement also builds on recent government commitments to support and champion veterans.
In last month’s Budget, the government extended the National Insurance relief for employers hiring qualifying veterans for a further year until 5 April 2026. And at the start of this month, the government committed £3.5 million for a dedicated wraparound service for veterans at risk of or experiencing homelessness, ensuring they have access to specialist support for employment and independent living.
The Wraparound Childcare scheme already supports over 7,000 service children in the UK, and from January 2025, the scheme will be available to personnel deployed across the vast majority of European countries as well as the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar and Brunei. The scheme supports forces families with children aged 4-11, or 4-16 if receiving government disability allowances.