DWP news update: Children to benefit from funded childcare

 

The Government has delivered its pledge to fund childcare for 30 hours a week – saving parents £7,500 a year per child. 

Take-up is expected to be over and above initial projections, with over half a million kids on track to be more school ready by age 5, giving every child the best start in life. 

SSAFA guidance on whether your child is ready to stay home alone

BFSWS - Want to become a registered childminder in BFC

Do you enjoy looking after children?

Why not turn your passion into a rewarding career as a registered childminder?

At BFSWS, we’ll support you every step of the way — from your application to arranging your training. Our aim is to help you go from application to registration in just 12 weeks!

Interested in finding out more or ready to apply?
Drop them an email or
Give them a call today!

Start your journey to making a difference in children’s lives — while working around your own family life.

GOV.UK: Updated guidance for Service personnel and their families on Early Years childcare and child welfare policies

The Gov.uk website has been updated today, with new information in the ‘Free Early Years Childcare entitlement for children aged 9 months to school starting age (including 15 or 30 hours’ free childcare)’ and ‘Overseas Nursery Authority (ONA)’ section.

To review the revised information please go to: Guidance for Service personnel and their families on child welfare policies

Defence update: Wraparound Childcare funding updates for autumn term 2025

 

Are you eligible to join the 9,000 Service families claiming up to £3,400, per child, per year, for their before and after school childcare costs?

What is Wraparound Childcare (WAC)?

The WAC scheme provides funding for up to 20 hours per week, per child, during term time, to eligible Service families with children aged 4 to 11 years old (4-16 years old if in receipt of disability allowances), who are in full-time education in school or being home educated. WAC funding is available to eligible working Service families in the UK, assigned overseas within the European Economic Area & Switzerland (EEA&S), assigned overseas and using Defence Children Services (DCS) before and after school childcare provision or assigned overseas unaccompanied with family remaining in an eligible location.

Since September 2022 WAC has provided funding for 12,500 Service children's before and after school childcare.

WAC funding does not provide childcare spaces, it is funding for costs incurred when eligible families pay for before and after school childcare.

Wraparound childcare is also known as ‘Out of School care’ in Wales and ‘School Age Childcare’ in Scotland.

Increase to Early Years childcare funded hours for eligible working families assigned overseas

 

From September 2025 eligible working families assigned overseas will have access to up to 30 hours of funded Early Years childcare for their children aged from 9 months old.

Early Years funded childcare overseas.

To reflect the offer available in England, all families assigned overseas with children aged 3 to 4 years old, and 2-year-old children in receipt of additional government support, are entitled to 15 hours of funded childcare per week during term time (38 weeks per year).

Defence is expanding the childcare offer for working families assigned overseas with children aged 9 months to school starting age, to match the entitlement in England.

From September 2025 eligible working families can claim funding for up to 30 hours per week, per child aged 9 months old to school starting age, during term time (38 weeks per year).

This is an increase to the additional funded hours that became available in September 2024, in which 15 hours of Early Years childcare funding, per week, per child, during term time, became available for eligible working families with children aged 9 months to 3 years old.

For more information about the Early Years Childcare available in England, please go to Early Years childcare | Childcare Choices (GOV.UK).

Solihull online parenting courses from SSAFA

SSAFA are pleased to share that our service now has access to the Solihull Approach Online Parenting Courses via InOurPlace, fully funded by us for our military families. These high-quality, evidence-based courses are designed to support parenting confidence, strengthen relationships, and promote emotional wellbeing for children and families.

For access details, please contact your local HIVE or Unit Welfare Officer

There are a wide range of courses available, including:

• Understanding your baby
• Understanding your child
• Teen brain development
• Parenting children with additional needs

These courses are self-directed, available in many languages, accessible 24/7, and suitable for all stages of parenting from bump, birth and beyond.

For more information please see our dedicated page on our website.

Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust: Latest round of grants under The Armed Forces Families Fund - Early Years Programme

What’s the programme all about?

The Early Years programme is designed to help Armed Forces families access good quality early childhood education and childcare provision close to where they live or serve.

The programme is designed to address barriers that service families may experience in accessing good quality childcare for their preschool aged children and will support projects lasting up to two years that can meet one of the four outcomes:

· Expanded capacity in early years settings, allowing more service children to attend.

· Enhanced learning environments that better support the educational development of service children.

· Improved staff skills and knowledge through targeted training and professional development.

· Establishing collaborative networks and shared resources through clusters to effectively address the needs of service children.

New for this round is the theme of ‘Establishing collaborative networks and shared resources through clusters to effectively address the needs of service children’ to focus on building strong support networks and sharing best practices to better meet the needs of service children.

Childcare Worksproject starting on 25th February 2025

 

I deliver a paid employment programme called the “Childcare Works Project” and have been delivering it since 2014 on behalf of NDNA. This bespoke project to help eligible people who want a career in childcare, but don’t know where to start, a pathway into this career.

This one is slightly different as the funding provider is the “Armed Forces Covenant Fund” and I am finding it hard to get the project out to the people it is intended for.

 I have attached two documents on the background of the project plus the extra details you may need and I would really appreciate it if you could email it out to all of your colleagues that would be able to pass it onto possible trainees.

The eligibility status for entry onto the paid employment project is they must be a partner or spouse of any serving military personnel or reservist.

 The project starts on the 25^th February and runs for 16 weeks.

 So if you know of anyone who fits into that bracket please get in touch, I will happily give them a call and give them more information.

And if you can share this on an Armed Forces facebook pages, HIVE pages or anything similar I would be very grateful

 Thanks

Lesle

Wraparound Childcare (WAC) Overseas launched 6 Jan 25

Are you ready to register?

Great news for Service families assigned to locations within the European Economic Area & Switzerland (EEA&S) or using Defence Children Services (DCS) before and after school childcare provision. WAC Overseas is now available to eligible families in these areas from today (6 January 2025).

Are you planning to register for Wraparound Childcare (WAC) Overseas funding in January 2025?

There are two actions that must be completed before you register.

What is Wraparound Childcare funding?

The Wraparound Childcare (WAC) scheme provides funding for up to 20 hours per week, per child, during term time, to eligible Service families with children aged 4 to 11 years old (4-16 years old if receiving Government disability allowances) who are in full time education in school or being home educated. Over 7,000 Service children's before and after school childcare is currently being funded by WAC.

If you are assigned to a location within the European Economic Area & Switzerland (EEA&S) or using Defence Children Services (DCS) before and after school childcare provision? WAC Overseas will be available to eligible families in these areas from 6 January 2025. 

WAC Overseas mirrors the WAC scheme in the UK, it is a reimbursement from Defence to Service personnel of up to 80% of the costs of before and after school childcare. Capped hourly rates apply and can be found in 2022DIN01-079-Defence Wraparound Childcare Allowance. The remaining 20% is claimed from HMRC via an active Tax-Free Childcare account. WAC funding does not provide childcare spaces, it is funding for costs incurred when eligible families pay for before and after school childcare.

Get ready for a Wraparound Childcare (WAC) expansion to some overseas locations. Coming spring term 2025

Are you assigned to a location within the European Economic Area & Switzerland (EEA&S) or using Defence Children Services (DCS) before and after school childcare provision? WAC Overseas will be available to eligible families in these areas from 6 January 2025.

NDNA Childcare Works supported employment programme - starts next week!

 

Are you a spouse/ partner of a serving military personnel or a reservist?

Are you interested in career in childcare but don't know where to start?

Then the Childcare Works project could be for you.

Act quick as the project starts on 22nd October and there are only a couple of spaces left!

Contact Lesley.williams@ndna.org.uk or call on 07718 803652.

Please click here to read more about this project online

Ayios Nikolaos HIVE Uniform Swap Shop

 Struggling to find school uniform? 

Have uniform that has been outgrown? 

Ayios Nikolaos HIVE has a uniform swap shop! Bring along your donations, or pop in and look through the rails to see if we have what you need. 

Open every weekday 8-1. 

Wraparound Childcare – families Q&A session with the WAC team 17th Sept

 Do you have a WAC question? Ask the WAC team.

Have you registered for WAC but still have questions? Are you eligible but haven’t yet registered? Are you unsure of the registration and claims process?

The WAC team are here to answer your questions.

Tuesday 17 September 13:00-14:00

Book your space now, complete the MS Form to receive a link to the Q&A session Family Q&A with the Wraparound Childcare Team (office.com) 

What is this Q&A session for?

This session is the latest in a series of Q&As that have been held since WAC became available to eligible Service families and will aim to answer any queries that families currently have.

Where to find further information

Service personnel can access FAQs and more information on the Defence Childcare Information Page on defnet or Defence Connect

Families can find more information and FAQS on the Discover My Benefits Army, RAF, Navy or Marines webpage (www), or the HIVEs, RN FPS and Families Federations information sites.

Based overseas with young children? Find out if you can benefit from an expansion to funded childcare

 

Launch of new easier Wraparound Childcare registration and claims process

Updates to Early Years Provision

The government is expanding early years and childcare government funding to working families from April 2024 which will enable working families of two year old children to access up to 15 hours of government funded early years education a week (based on 38 weeks). This will be expanded from September 2024 for working families of children after they have turned nine months and then from September 2025 this will be expanded to 30 hours. For more information and parents to check their eligibility visit: Childcare Choices | 30 Hours Childcare, Tax-Free Childcare and More | Help with Costs | GOV.UK

There will also be an expansion of wraparound childcare ​places in settings from September for families who need it with children from Reception Year to Year 6. This plan is aimed at families who need wraparound provision from 8 am – 6pm term time only should have access to it within their local community.

There is also government start up grant funding available currently to encourage people to become registered childminders. The website where applications can be made for the start up grant can be found here: Apply for a childminder start-up grant - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Wraparound childcare (WAC): Q&A session for all Service families

In response to feedback received from families, the next Wraparound Childcare (WAC) families Q&A session will be an evening session on Tue 26 September 18.30-19.30 hrs via MS Teams.

If you have a question about WAC, join the call and ask the WAC team. Alternatively you can send you queries to the WAC mailbox
PEOPLE-AFFS-WAC-FRO-mailbox@mod.gov.uk

If you don’t have access to MS Teams, you can join meeting by dialling in. The meeting details are listed below.
Microsoft Teams meeting
Join on your computer, mobile app or room device
Click here to join the meeting
Meeting ID: 323 338 569 105
Passcode: JAqaTX

Download Teams | Join on the web
Or call in (audio only)
+44 20 3443 8728 conference ID 583 708 630#​

Wraparound Childcare (WAC) - Last Monthly Q&A session 12th July 2023 at 12.30pm

Want to know more about Wraparound Childcare?

Join the WAC team for a Q&A session.

Personnel and partners can join any session by using the link:​

12th July 2023 12:30 – 13:00​

Remember, you can find the WAC FAQs at Discover My Benefits: Army, RAF, Navy or Marines