Deployment Welfare Package (Overseas) for Out of Area Locations
DWP(O) - Connect
Introduction
The Family Welfare Grant is designed to assist Home Units in providing welfare support to families of Service personnel deployed on operations.
Eligibility
The Family Welfare Grant is available to commanders or their representatives at Home/Parent Units with at least 5 personnel deployed on operations, exercises or deployments for which the DWP(O) has been authorised. Home/Parent Units are defined as the base port, garrison, barracks, station or unit from which the Service person has been deployed. This would normally be the location where Service Families Accommodation (SFA) is located or where other forms of welfare support are available to families. This definition includes other organisations that have prime responsibility for deployed personnel, including Reserves.
Implementation
Commanding Officers or their representatives are authorised to claim £2.20 per week for each of their deployed Service personnel who are in receipt of DWP(O) support. The chain of command is to determine how the payment should be made and are authorised to use this scheme in order to support activities at the home base that enhance communication or relieve hardships that have been generated by the deployment.
Commanding Officers at qualifying Home/Parent Units are also authorised to continue claiming Family Welfare Grant monies for operational casualties who are hospitalised outside of operational theatres. This eligibility will remain for the duration that a Service person remains an in-patient at either a hospital or a rehabilitation unit.
Commanding Officers may exercise judgement in determining the priorities for family welfare support. However, they will be required to ensure that expenditure is within the spirit of this policy and consistent with current guidance on financial propriety and regularity. Examples of acceptable expenditure are:
- Provision of communications equipment (Internet facilities and telephone lines) for HIVEs and Community Centres.
- Meeting the cost of extended Community/Welfare communications (Internet line usage to the deployment operation area).
- Assistance towards the costs of producing and posting welfare information (leaflets, flyers and updates).
- Extension of HIVE opening hours.
- Occasional provision of transport for attendance at briefings/meetings.
- Meeting costs of occasional childrens activities (e.g. provision of a crèche during family briefings/meetings).
- Provision of non-alcoholic refreshments at unit organised briefings/meetings related to the deployment.
Families Concessionary Travel
Families of married accompanied personnel stationed in the UK but deployed for 4 months or more are entitled to 2 extra warrants (or Motor Mileage Allowance (MMA) at the Converted Leave Rate (CLR) in lieu). This is to enable their families to visit their parents, parents-in-law or nominated Next of Kin/Emergency Contact in the UK.
The families of married accompanied personnel stationed overseas but deployed on operations elsewhere overseas for 4 months or more, will be eligible to the following number of return journeys to the UK at public expense provided the family remain at the overseas duty station other than for these eligible journeys:
| Length of Detachment | Number of Return Journeys to UK |
| 4 Months or more (but less than 6 Months) | 1 return journey |
| 6 Months or more (but less than 9 Months) | 2 return journeys |
| 9 Months or more (but less than 12 Months) | 3 return journeys |
| 12 Months or more | 4 return journeys |
Any or all of these warrants may be transferred to up to 2 close relatives for reverse travel from the UK to the families overseas location.
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