2. Wraparound Childcare (WAC) Scheme

Wraparound Childcare (WAC) Scheme

The Wraparound Childcare (WAC) scheme for Armed Forces families was announced by Defence Secretary Ben Wallace on the 29^th of July 2022.

From September 2022, eligible Armed Forces personnel with children aged 4-11 years old will be able to apply for up to 20 hours per week (term time only) of wraparound childcare funding to be used at a before and after school childcare setting.

For information purposes, a basic overview of the eligibility criteria is outlined below; for the comprehensive list visit Childcare for service children - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk):

To be eligible for the Wraparound Childcare Scheme:

• At least one partner (or single parent) must be serving as an Armed Forces Regular or Full Time Reserve Service (all commitment types)

• The child for whom the Service person has parental responsibility for must be aged 4 to 11, must attend school (including home schooled children) and be living with the Serving person for the majority of the time unless separated due to service commitments (deployment, residential courses), or when on serving on unaccompanied assignments overseas with the family remaining in the UK

• A Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) account must be set up with HRMC for each child that Service Personnel wants to claim the funding for

• The childcare provider must also be signed up to the TFC scheme

• The Service parent has either an assignment order to a UK based unit or is serving on an unaccompanied assignment overseas with the family remaining in the UK

Service families can check if they are eligible and make an application to claim the Wraparound Childcare funding by visiting the Discover My Benefits website.

This scheme is part of the wider package of support to Service families, as laid out in the Armed Forces Families Strategy 2022 to 2032

Questions on the scheme should be directed to the Serving individual’s unit HR team or admin office. Any questions about the policy can be emailed to [email protected].

Further information on WAC for families can be viewed on the Defence Childcare Information Page on defnet (accessible only from an MOD device) or Defence Connect (requires login).

For local authorities, further information can be found within the guidance document Wraparound childcare: guidance for local authorities.