The Government has published its new UK Armed Forces Families Strategy which sets out how we will make the recognition and care of our Service families a national priority.
Armed Forces families are at the heart of the Defence community and play a key role in the protection of the United Kingdom at home and abroad. The publication of this ambitious new strategy is acknowledgement of this and a public pledge to make the recognition and care of our families a national priority.
The strategy, and its forthcoming action plan, address the challenges Armed Forces families face with mobility, deployment and separation and the implications this has for accessing good quality healthcare, education and accommodation. It also deals with the evolving nature of family life and the pressures this can place on childcare and managing the career of the partner or spouse alongside that of the Service person.
Welcoming the strategy was St Austell and Newquay’s MP Steve Double, who said:
“I am pleased to see this Government come forward with this ambitious strategy for Armed Force families. Government has set out our priorities for putting families into the heart of the Defence community and to helping them thrive in wider society, we must now deliver real and lasting change for them. Our Armed Forces families often make huge sacrifices in order to serve our country and keep us secure. It is absolutely right we do all we can as a country to support them and this strategy is an important step towards achieving that.”
The strategy and action plan will be delivered in partnership with the devolved administrations, the charitable and private sectors. Examples of this already being delivered include:
• Our wraparound childcare offer is already being piloted in multiple locations and we are on track to roll out to the whole of the UK later this year
• The MOD working with the Department for Education, devolved administrations and local authorities to lessen the impact of mobility on service children's educational attainment.
• Working with the Department for Health and Social Care, devolved administrations and NHS providers across the UK to improve understanding of the health needs of armed forces families.
• Collaborating with the Department for Work and Pensions and charities to advocate for the skills and experiences of partners and spouses, to ensure they are recognised and valued by employers.
To see the strategy, follow the link below:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uplo…