Research and analysis

Survey Questions - Serving Personnel

Published 14 April 2026

Demographics

This is where we gather basic information about the person completing the survey and the Serving person (where this is different). Where the question says “are you” it refers to the person completing the survey.

1. Are you?  

Please choose only one of the following:

• A Serving member of the Armed Forces
• Part of a dual-serving couple
• A spouse/partner of a Serving member of the Armed Forces

2. What is your sex?

Choose one of the following answers

Please choose only one of the following:

• Female
• Male
• Prefer not to say

3. Contract type

Choose one of the following answers

Please choose only one of the following:

• Regular
• Reserve
• Full-Time Reserve Service (FTRS)

4. What Service are you a member of?

Choose one of the following answers

Please choose only one of the following:

• Navy
• Army
• Royal Air Force

5. Please select your rank.

Choose one of the following answers

Please choose only one of the following:

• OR2 - Able Rate, Private, Air Specialist
• OR3 - Lance Corporal
• OR4 - Leading Hand, Corporal
• OR6 - Petty Officer, Sergeant
• OR7 - Chief Petty Officer, Staff Sergeant, Flight Sergeant
• OR8 - Warrant Officer 2, Warrant Officer Class 2
• OR9 - Warrant Officer 1, Warrant Officer Class 1, Warrant Officer
• OF1 - Midshipman, Second Lieutenant, Pilot Officer
• OF1 - Sub Lieutenant, Lieutenant, Flying Officer
• OF2 - Lieutenant, Captain, Flight Lieutenant
• OF3 - Lieutenant Commander, Major, Squadron Leader
• OF4 - Commander, Lieutenant Colonel, Wing Commander
• OF5 - Captain, Colonel, Group Captain
• OF6 - Commodore, Brigadier, Air Commodore
• OF7 - Rear Admiral, Major General, Air Vice-Marshal
• OF8 - Vice Admiral, Lieutenant General, Air Marshal
• OF9 - Admiral, General, Air Chief Marshal

6.Are you?

Choose one of the following answers

Please choose only one of the following:

• Single
• Married
• In a civil-partnership
• Long-term relationship (Registered) LTR(R) - (in a relationship, but not recorded on JPA)
• Long-term relationship (Established) LTR(E) - (registered on JPA)

7. Are you?

Choose one of the following answers

Please choose only one of the following:

• Accompanied
• Unaccompanied

8. Is this your first accompanied assignment overseas?

Choose one of the following answers

Please choose only one of the following:

• Yes
• No

9. If you are unaccompanied, was it for any of the following reasons?

Please choose all that apply:

• Financial
• Personal preference
• SEND
• Childcare support
• Children’s education
• Spouse/partners education
• Spouse/partners employment
• Entitlement
• Other:

Assignment Details - Serving

This is where we will ask a little more information about the overseas location that you are currently assigned to.

10. Which country are you currently assigned to? (if you’re located in USA, Canada or Australia, please provide the state/province in the comment box) Please chose one option from the list.

Please choose only one of the following:

• Australia
• Belize
• Brazil
• Belgium
• Brunei
• Canada
• Croatia
• Cyprus
• Egypt
• Falklands
• France
• Germany
• Gibraltar
• Greece
• Italy
• Jordan
• Kenya
• Nepal
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Oman
• Romania
• Saudia Arabia
• Senegal
• Singapore
• Spain
• Sweden
• Turkey
• USA
• Other (please specify)

11. Which of the following best describes your assignment type?

Please choose only one of the following:

• NATO
• Support Assignment
• Exchange Programme
• Diplomatic Assignment
• Operational Deployment
• Training Assignment
• Permanent Assignment
• Loan Service
• Other

12. What was the date of arrival in your current location?

Please enter a date:

13. What is the date of departure from your current location?

Please enter a date:

14. Was this assignment one of your preferred assignment options?

Please choose only one of the following:

• Yes
• No
• No choice on assignment location

15. If no, why not?

Please write your answer here:

16. Are you interested in future assignments to overseas locations?

Please choose only one of the following:

• Yes
• No

Communication and Information - Serving

In this section, we’d like to understand what you were able to find out about your current assignment location, what support and guidance you found available to you and where you found this information.

17. Prior to the assignment did you know where to find/access the information needed regarding what to expect in the new location?  

Please choose only one of the following:

• Yes
• No

18. Thinking about the information you/your family had access to (prior to the assignment) was it?

Please choose all that apply:

• Accurate
• Up to date
• Relevant to the location you were moving to
• None of the above

If none of the above, can you please provide more details.

Please write your answer here:

19. Thinking about your overseas experience, what additional information would have been helpful prior to your time overseas?  

Please write your answer here:

20. During the current overseas assignment have you been able to access the support or advice you have needed?

Please choose only one of the following:

• Yes
• No
• Not applicable

21. Who/what was the most useful source of advice?

22. Thinking about your overseas experience, what additional information would you have liked to have been able to access during your time overseas?

Please write your answer here:

23. Did you use any of the following sources to find out more about your overseas assignment?

Please choose all that apply:

• Career Manager
• Chain of Command/Welfare
• Current incumbent in post
• Community Support
• The Families Hub
• Education Advisory Team (EAT)
• Families Federation
• Other
• N/A

24. If you picked other in the question above then please tell us where else you got your information from?

Please write your answer here:

25. Defence have listened to your feedback and have developed a new Families Hub, a one-stop-shop information portal, where you can access information, guidance and support. Have you heard of or used the Families Hub?

Please choose only one of the following:

• Never heard of it
• Heard of it but not used it yet
• Yes, and I have used it

26. If you have accessed the new Families Hub, how useful did you find it? 

1 being not useful, 5 very useful.

Please choose only one of the following:

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

27. If you have accessed the new Families Hub, was there any information missing which would have been useful to you and your family?

Please choose only one of the following:

• Yes
• No

28. If you chose yes above, please provide us with details.

Please write your answer here:

29. Did you face any issues with the Assessment of Support Needs for Accompanied Assignments Overseas check process?

Please choose only one of the following:

• Yes
• No
• N/A

30. If yes, we would be interested in your experiences of this process.

Please write your answer here:

Childcare and Education - Serving

This section relates to children who are accompanying you full-time overseas.

31. Do you have a child or children?  

Please choose only one of the following:

• Yes
• No

32. Has/have your child(ren) accompanied you overseas on this current assignment?

Please choose only one of the following:

• Yes
• No
• I have a child(ren) accompanying and a child(ren) back in my home country too.

33. Why have your child(ren) not accompanied you on this occasion?

Please write your answer here:

34. How does your child/children receive their education whilst overseas? 

Please choose all that apply:

• Elective Home Education
• MoD School
• State Provision
• Independent Day School
• N/A
• Other:

35. Please tell us how many children in each age group are accompanying you on this current assignment?

0-2
3-5
6-11
12-16
17-18

36. Do you use formal childcare for your accompanied school-aged children outside of normal school hours currently?

(Children aged 4 – 16)?

Please choose only one of the following:

• Yes
• No

37. What type of formal childcare do you currently use whilst overseas?

Please choose all that apply:

• Childminder before school
• Childminder after school
• School breakfast club
• School after-school club
• Other:

38. Which childcare setting(s) are you using?

Please choose all that apply:

• MOD childcare setting
• International School setting
• Registered childminder
• Private arrangement
• Other:

39. Please tell us the main reasons why you do not need/use formal childcare for your school age children at the moment.

Please choose all that apply:

• I choose not to work so I can look after my children
• I work flexibly so I can manage without childcare
• I prefer to use family/friends for childcare
• I am unable to find suitable work at the moment so do not need childcare
• Suitable formal childcare is not readily available where I live
• Formal Childcare is too costly where I live
• My children are old enough that I do not need childcare for them
• My children are not accompanying us (e.g. at boarding school, staying with relatives, etc.)
• Other:

40. What type of formal childcare do you need which is not available?

Please choose all that apply:

• Pre-school (0 – 3)
• Primary age (4 – 11)
• Breakfast club
• After-school club
• Holiday care
• Weekend care

41. Do you use any of the following to help fund your current formal childcare needs?

Please choose all that apply:

• Overseas Nursery Authority (ONA)
• Tax Free Childcare (TFC) (Manual)
• Wraparound Childcare Overseas (WACO)
• Armed Forces Childcare Voucher Scheme (or similar salary sacrifice scheme)
• None

42. Do you currently access any forms of informal childcare for any of your children? (e.g. grandparents, extended family, friends, etc.)?

Please choose only one of the following:

• Yes, at least weekly
• Yes, at least monthly but less than weekly
• Yes, occasionally
• No - I am not able to (e.g. family do not live nearby)
• No - I do not need to

43. For those who respond ‘Yes’ what are the reasons for using the childcare option you have selected?

Please choose all that apply:

• Personal preference
• Cost of formal childcare
• Lack of availability of formal childcare places
• Other:

44. Can you please tell us how much you pay for each element of childcare that you currently use. The more information that you are able to provide the better. As an example if you have two children one who uses before and afterschool clubs and one who uses early years childcare you would type:

Child 1 before school club £3 for 1 hour, afterschool club £5 p/hr for up to three hours
Child 2 early years childcare morning session £25, afternoon session £10 p/hr for up to 5 hours

Please write your answer(s) here:

• Child 1
• Child 2
• Child 3
• Child 4
• Child 5
• Child 6

45. Do you think that your child/ren’s needs are being met at their Early Years setting?

Please choose only one of the following:

• Yes
• No
• N/A

46. If no, then please explain your answer.

Please write your answer here:

47. Do you think that your child/ren’s needs are being met at their school setting?

Please choose only one of the following:

• Yes
• No
• N/A

48. If no, then please explain your answer.

Please write your answer here:

49. If you had a concern relating to your child/ren’s Early Years/School setting would you know how to report this?

Please choose only one of the following:

• Yes
• No
• N/A

50. If you have responded “No” where would you expect to find this information?

Please write your answer here:

51. Thinking back to their first three months of education in your current overseas location, what did your child find the easiest to adjust to?

52. Thinking back to their first three months of education in your current overseas location, what did your child find the most difficult to adjust to?  

Please write your answer here:

53. How confident are you that your child/ren will easily transition back into their UK school? 1 being not at all confident, 5 extremely confident.

Please choose only one of the following:

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

54. Is there anything that would have been helpful to know about the childcare/education system in your overseas location before arrival?

Please write your answer here:

55. Prior to your overseas assignment did your family benefit from the Defence Wraparound Childcare Scheme (WAC)?

Please choose only one of the following:

• Yes
• No

Safeguarding - Serving

In this section we are looking to identify whether you have any particular concerns around safeguarding while you are assigned overseas.

56. Do you have any concerns about the safeguarding of your family/child/ren whilst you are overseas?

Please choose only one of the following:

• Yes
• No

57. If ‘Yes’ - please describe what your concerns are?

Please write your answer here:

58. Who would you contact should you have any safeguarding concerns?

Please write your answer here:

59. Thinking about safeguarding, is there anything that would have been helpful to know before you/your family were assigned overseas?  

Please write your answer here:

Contact Details - Serving

60. If there is anything else that you would like to tell us about your assignment overseas then please do use the space below. 

Please write your answer here:

61. Would you like to possibly take part in future focus groups that would look at specific areas from this questionnaire or other areas of the overseas lived experience?

Please choose only one of the following:

• Yes
• No

62. Please enter your contact email address below. Please be aware that your contact email will be kept on a contact list on MOD secure systems and will only be used internally by MOD staff to contact you with regard to focus groups or potential other surveys. You can ask for your contact details to be removed at any time and contact lists will be deleted after twelve months by contacting People-AFFS-Data-Research@mod.gov.uk.

Please write your answer here:

Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts on The Armed Forces Family Safeguarding (AFFS) survey! Your input is valuable and will help us review current policy processes and develop future policy. We appreciate your participation!