Establishing a family home in the area

Family support

The Information and Support Directory provides information on many useful local organisations and activities where you live, including: 

  • childcare, including day nurseries, pre-schools, childminders and out of school clubs 
  • leisure activities 
  • support groups and services 
  • advice and guidance 
  • disability and special educational needs groups (local offer) 
  • schools 
  • education and learning support, including private tuition 

Further support information is also available as follows:

 

Domestic abuse advice and support  

  • Leicestershire County Council's website provides local advice and support about domestic abuse  
  • New Dawn Aurora provides a dedicated service to help Army, Navy and RAF personnel and their families seeking support for domestic abuse, sexual violence and stalking   

 

Universal Credit for Armed Forces personnel and their families 

Universal Credit is a single monthly payment to help with living costs, that will eventually replace some of the benefits and tax credits you may have claimed previously. Serving personnel and their families may be entitled to Universal Credit when the serving member is temporarily posted overseas. 

If you and/or your partner are responsible for paying rent for the home you live in (not SFA or SSFA), or if you have a mortgage, you may qualify for help in the form of Universal Credit housing costs. This is all part of the single monthly payment you receive, and means you don’t need to apply separately to the local authority. 

More  Universal Credit information  can be found on the GOV.UK website. 

 

Free wraparound  childcare for service children 

The children of service personnel will be entitled to free breakfast and after-school childcare as part of new measures to better support the Armed Forces and their loved ones.  Service personnel based in Buckinghamshire will be the first to trial the new offer of free ‘wraparound’ childcare as pilots are rolled out in September to coincide with the beginning of the academic year.  Service personnel based in Catterick and Plymouth will be able to access the pilot scheme from January.  Following these initial trials, details of further roll-outs are anticipated in 2021.