Forces families posted overseas tipped to save up to £3,400 a year in childcare

Armed Forces families deployed overseas could save thousands of pounds a year in childcare costs after the Government increases support for service personnel.

Defence Secretary John Healey 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, in a move described as a "deliberate attempt to improve service life," by Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard. 

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The Wraparound Childcare scheme currently supports more than 7,000 service children in the UK, and from next January it will roll out to personnel deployed across EU countries, like Cyprus and Germany, as well as the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar and Brunei.

Armed Forces Minister, Luke Pollard MP said: "This is one of the first announcements about renewing the contract between a nation and those who serve.

"We know that for military families deployed abroad, the same need of childcare support they might enjoy in the United Kingdom doesn't always apply.

"That’s why we've made this early announcement that will give military families 20 hours of wraparound childcare a week, that’s about £3,400 worth of value for a child.

"We know it is really important for those people who deploy with their families to be able to support them before and after school.

"Lots of people we know don't access wraparound childcare support at the moment, because it's too expensive for them to do so.

"So that's why frequently a deployed member of our services and their spouse have to take career breaks in order to look after children."

Maria Lyle, director of the RAF Families Federation, called the news "broadly positive", saying "anything that offers some further financial support to military families is something we welcome".

However, she pointed out the scheme does not cover all locations, like those posted to the US, and even within the UK, it does not address the different devolved administrations' funding of childcare.

Ms Lyle said a major problem still remained around the "thorny issue" of Brexit which has meant "a large percentage of military partners within the EU can't work".

"For that group, they won't be claiming a childcare allowance if they're not able to work," she explained.

The new scheme will support forces families with children aged four to 11, or four to 16 if they receive a government disability allowance.

The expansion is expected to cost £3m over the next five years.

The Defence Secretary 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."