From September 2026, a new Defence childcare scheme will be rolled out across the UK to transform support for Armed Forces families. The UK Nursery Authority (UKNA) will be delivered through the MOD’s existing Early Years childcare reimbursement scheme and will ensure that eligible working UK Armed Forces families receive the same Government funded childcare support as forces families in England.
Prior to registering for UKNA, Service personnel need to make sure that their children are recorded and verified on JPA. Eligible working parents who are in paid employment must have an active Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) account for each child that they want to claim a reimbursement of their childcare costs for through the UKNA. All UKNA claims must have been paid to the provider via the active TFC account prior to being submitted.
The RAF Families Federation would like to thank those who contributed to the evidence we submitted to key stakeholders to advocate for the RAF community on this matter. While we welcome the announcement as a positive step forward, we also appreciate that the introduction of any new scheme from a fixed start date will inevitably mean that some families miss out. We hope that this new scheme will provide greater continuity of support for Service families in future.
It was great to hear from one family about how they feel this new scheme will impact them when it is rolled out from September 2026:
It is a huge relief to have secured funding to support service families in areas where government funding is unavailable. This funding alleviates the substantial financial burden we previously faced, including childcare costs of £2000 a month. Thank you to the RAF Families Federation who have been building cases with us families and fighting for all of us who have been based in areas where funding isn’t available for working families.
Reflecting on the announcement, Air Cdre Chris Todd noted:
‘The introduction of the new Defence childcare support scheme from September 2026 is a major boost for Service families with young children in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Of course, I recognise that some families’ circumstances may mean that they can’t benefit from this new scheme but many families will benefit from significant support with childcare costs. I am very grateful to the Families Federation and to the team at RAF Lossiemouth for helping to produce the well-evidenced, reasoned, and compelling case to get this important change approved.’
See also: Childcare and early years
