Research and analysis

Survey Questions - Spouse/Partner

Published 14 April 2026

Demographics - Spouse/Partner

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. Contract type (of the Service person)

Please choose only one of the following:

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

2. What Service is the serving person a member of?

Please choose only one of the following:

• Royal Navy
• Army
• Royal Air Force

3. Please select the rank of the Serving Person.

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

4. Are you?

Please choose only one of the following:

• 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)

Assignment Details - Spouse/Partner

This is where we will ask a little more information about the area that your Serving person is currently assigned to.

5. Was this assignment one of the Serving person’s preferred assignment options?  

Please choose only one of the following:

• Yes
• No
• No choice on assignment location
• Don’t know

6. If no, what reason was given (if any)?

Please write your answer here:

7. Which country are you currently accompanying your serving person to? (if you’re located in USA, Canada or Australia, please provide the state/province in the comment box next to your country choice). Please chose one option from the list.

Please choose all that apply and provide a comment:

• 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

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

Please enter a date:

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

Please enter a date:

Communication and Information - Spouse/Partner

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.

10. 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

11. 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

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

Please write your answer here:

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

Please write your answer here:

14. 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:

15. Did you use any of the following sources to find out more about your overseas assignment? (Tick all that apply)  

Please choose all that apply:

• Career Manager
• Chain of Command/Welfare
• Current incumbent in post
• Community Support
• The Families Hub
• Overseas Education & Supportability Team (OEST)
• Families Federation
• Friends
• HIVE
• HR Staff
• Social Media
• N/A
• Other:

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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

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

Please write your answer here:

Support and advice - Spouse/Partner

We are interested here in what support and advice you, as a spouse/partner, received relating to the current assignment.

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
• N/A

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

Please write your answer here:

22. What support/advice would you have liked access to but did not? Why?

Please write your answer here:

23. 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

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

Please write your answer here:

25. Do/did you feel any sense of isolation at any point during your time overseas?

Please choose only one of the following:

• Not at all
• I am currently feeling isolated
• At first but it passed after a few months
• I felt isolated for at least half the time I was overseas
• I felt isolated toward the end of the overseas assignment
• Too early to comment
• Other

26. Based on your experience so far would you be likely to accompany your Serving partner on another overseas assignment? Please select at most 3 options

Please choose all that apply:

• Yes to the same location
• No to the same location
• Yes regardless of location
• No regardless of location
• Maybe, depends on the location
• Other:

27. Please explain your reasons for the previous response

Please write your answer here:

Non-Serving Spousal/Partner Employment

In this section we are interested in any issues and opportunities you have experienced relating to employment.

28. Prior to this current overseas assignment were you working?

Please choose only one of the following:

• Yes
• No

29. Whilst working in the UK before the overseas assignment, which of the following best describes your job role? 

Please choose only one of the following:

• Administration
• Finance/Banking
• Education/Teaching
• Healthcare/Medical
• Civil Service
• Law
• Retail
• Construction and Trades
• Engineering
• Hospitality
• Customer Service
• Own business
• Other (please specify)

Make a comment on your choice here:

30. Are you working while overseas?

Please choose only one of the following:

• Yes
• No

31. If ‘Yes’ is this employment?

32. Please choose only one of the following:

• Full time
• Part time
• Self employed
• Voluntary/Charity

33. Are you actively seeking employment while overseas?

Please choose only one of the following:

• Yes
• No

34. If you are not currently working whilst overseas but are actively seeking employment, are any of the following reasons why you are not currently working overseas?  Please rank any of the reasons you feel apply to your situation, with the reason most relevant to your situation (if any apply) being ranked first. (Only rank those relevant to your situation)

Please number each box in order of preference from 1 to 11

• Qualifications not recognised.
• Job availability
• Employment visa required
• Business licence required
• Language barrier
• Live in a remote location
• No transportation
• Unable to find employment that matches my skillset
• Unable to find employment that fits around childcare
• Not allowed to work in current location
• Other

35. If you selected other, please provide details.

Please write your answer here:

36. Have you been able to either work in the same company/or the same role but for a different company now that you are overseas?

Please choose only one of the following:

• Yes
• No

37. Do you believe that your current employment role overseas matches your skill set?

Please choose only one of the following:

• Yes
• No

38. If you have selected ‘No’ why?

Please write your answer here:

Childcare and Education - Spouse/Partner

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

39. Do you have a child or children?  

Please choose only one of the following:

• Yes
• No

40. 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.

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

Please write your answer here:

42. 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:

43. 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

44. 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

45. 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:

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

Please choose all that apply:

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

47. 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:

48. 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

49. 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

50. 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

51. 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

52. 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 upto three hours
Child 2 early years childcare morning session £25, afternoon session £10 p/hr for upto 5 hours

Please write your answer(s) here:

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

53. 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

54. If no, then please explain your answer.

Please write your answer here:

55. 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

56. If no, then please explain your answer.

Please write your answer here:

57. 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

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

Please write your answer here:

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

Please write your answer here:

60. 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:

61. 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

62. 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:

63. 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 - Spouse/Partner

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

64. 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

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

Please write your answer here:

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

Please write your answer here:

67. 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 – Spouse/Partner

68. 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:

69. 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

70. 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!