Long Term Relationships to benefit from Widening Accommodation Entitlement

On 19 September 2023, Minister for Defence People, Veterans, and Service Families, Dr Andrew Murrison, announced the Widening Accommodation Entitlement Limited Locations (WAE(LL)) at eight selected sites across the UK and Northern Ireland. 

* RMB Norton Manor

* RNAS Yeovilton

* Leuchars Station

* JHC FS Aldergrove

* Palace Barracks Holywood

* Thiepval Barracks Lisburn

* RAF Cosford

* RAF Shawbury

This is a first step in meeting the commitment made in the Defence Accommodation Strategy (2022) to allocate accommodation to personnel in Established Long Term Relationships LTR(E) on the same basis as those who are cohabiting or married.

More information is available here

International HIVE (iHIVE): Now Included in the Overseas Location Compatibility Checklist

Did you know that contacting iHIVE is now listed in the 'key actions to be taken' on the Overseas Location Compatibility Checklist?

For Service personnel and families moving overseas, the Overseas Location Compatibility Checklist provides an initial list of personal and domestic factors to be considered pre-application for an overseas assignment, to determine the suitability of the overseas location, for the Service person and their immediate/close family.​​

For more information on this, or for any questions you may have on any location worldwide, contact iHIVE via RC-Pers-HIVE-iHIVE-0Mailbox@mod.gov.uk or +44 (0)7976 69 8527. 

You can also find ​the iHIVE Blog at: https://internationalhive.blogspot.com/

SSAFA Community Connection Champions

Forces Employment Charity: Career Change & Apprenticeships Event - Andover, 21 Nov

FACEBOOK
The Forces Employment Charity is hosting a transformative career change and apprenticeship event that's tailor-made for the entire military family 👪
They will be bringing employers from tech to nursing and everything in between all under one roof to discuss the exciting apprenticeship and career change opportunities in their area.

Come along and network, explore possibilities and demystify your future 🔎

Brought to by @Forces Employment Charity, Test Valley Borough Council and Andover Leisure Centre.

Find out more 👉  https://loom.ly/7Bk8LFo

📅 21.11.2023
⏰ 10:00 - 14:00
📍 Andover Leisure Centre, West Street, Andover, SP10 1QP

#MilitaryFamily #MilitaryChild #MilitarySpouse #Veterans #Apprenticeships #CareerChange

INSTAGRAM
The Forces Employment Charity is hosting a transformative career change and apprenticeship event that's tailor-made for the entire military family 👪
They will be bringing employers from tech to nursing and everything in between all under one roof to discuss the exciting apprenticeship and career change opportunities in their area.

Come along and network, explore possibilities and demystify your future 🔎

Brought to by @Forces Employment Charity, Test Valley Borough Council and Andover Leisure Centre.

Find out more 👉  forcesemploymentcharity.org.uk

📅 21.11.2023

⏰ 10:00 - 14:00

📍 Andover Leisure Centre, West Street, Andover, SP10 1QP

#MilitaryFamily #MilitaryChild #MilitarySpouse #Veterans #Apprenticeships #CareerChange

TWITTER
@ForcesEmployment is hosting a transformative #CareerChange and #apprenticeship event that's tailor-made for the entire #MilitaryFamily 👪

Come along and network, explore possibilities and demystify your future 🔎

Find out more 👉 https://loom.ly/7Bk8LFo

Museum of Army Flying: Free Admission Offers

For further information please go to: https://armyflying.com/

Historic Royal Palaces -£1 tickets for those o Universal Credit or other named benefits

From 21 October 2023, £1 tickets for a day visit to the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace and Kensington Palace will be available to anyone in receipt of the following:​​

• Universal Credit
• Working Tax Credit
• Child Tax Credit
• Pension Credit
• Employment and Support Allowance
• Income Support
• Jobseeker’s Allowance

You can claim £1 tickets for up to six people per household. Only one person per household needs to show supporting documents.

https://www.hrp.org.uk/one-pound-tickets/#gs.74u117

Togetherall: How to manage feelings of loneliness and isolation

Is loneliness the new normal? With our means of connection changing over the last few years, we can all find ourselves feeling lonely at times.

Check out this blog by @Togetherall's Chief Clinical Officer, Ben Locke, PHD., where he provides his tips for dealing with feelings of loneliness and isolation.

✅ Togetherall is FREE to anyone in the UK Military, Veterans & Family members aged 16+​

https://tinyurl.com/48m6m5pd

Pinnacle Group SFA Winter Tips: Going Away for October Half Term

If you're going away over half term, why not leave a key with a trusted friend or neighbour so they can check on your home to reduce the risk of something going wrong?

​If any issues do arise, contact the Helpdesk on 0800 031 8628 or visit https://www.pinnacleservicefamilies.co.uk/​​

MOD Accommodation Team Furniture Research - Register interest

Updated HIVE locations map: UK + all Overseas Blogs

​                                                 Our map has been updated.

Forces Family Support: Are You Affected by A Loved One’s Harmful Use of Alcohol, Drugs or Gambling?

The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust: Making positive impacts to Veterans’ mental health and wellbeing

Following the successful administration of the One Is Too Many programme, the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust (the Trust) has commissioned the University of Chester to evaluate the findings from this innovative programme which focuses on veteran suicide prevention. With funding from HM Treasury through the Veterans’ Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund, the One is Too Many programme awarded £2.1M to nine projects across the UK, to organisations with experience in working with individuals who are at increased risk of suicide.  

The Trust commissioned the University of Chester to undertake a comprehensive, external evaluation of the programme, which has found that the programme has made a positive difference through the treatments and interventions that have improved mental health and wellbeing, with life-saving implications.  

The One Is Too Many programme 
The programme funded two-year projects, designed to significantly reduce veteran suicide by gaining a better understanding of the issues, providing timely intervention including education and peer support to improve the wellbeing of veterans and engage where appropriate with their families and friends.  

An important focus of the programme was to address the possible barriers to accessing healthcare.  

Education Advisory Team (UK) (EAT (UK)): Information on School Admissions for Service Families

The Education Advisory Team (UK) (EAT (UK)) is part of the MOD’s Defence Children Services. We are a tri-service organisation that provides information, advice and guidance on all educational matters in the UK.
We are providing advice to parents of children in Year 6 about how and when to apply for secondary school places for September 2024 in the UK.

Secondary School Places in England for September 2024

If you require a secondary school place in England for September 2024, the deadline for secondary school applications is 31st October 2023.

We would advise that you follow your local authority’s application process: information will be available on their website. You can also contact your local authority’s admission team if you have any questions or require support. Contact details should be available on the local authority website.

Each local authority will send out offers for secondary school places on 1st March 2024.

Reading Force - Claim your free book

BuildForce Armed Forces Information Day with TfL and Morgan Sindall Infrastructure - London, 30 Nov

Defence Infrastructure Organisation: Communications Update

Issue 9 of the Families First newsletter which includes: the New Accommodation Offer announcement, Improved compensation system, Investment across the SFA estate, Useful links and Key Dates to note: on Service Family Accommodation – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Winter Guide for Service Family Accommodation

A guide to help families get their homes winter ready can be found here.

Domestic Abuse: MOD Guidance on Where to Find Help

Pinnacle Group: SFA Winter Tips

Going Forward into Employment (GFiE): Latest Civil Service Job Vacancies for Service Leavers, Veterans and Spouses/Partners

Armed Forces Pension Scheme: 2015 Remedy Updates Published

A booklet entitled '2015 PENSION REMEDY: Consultation Response and key details you need to know' has been published today on Gov.uk, and several other guidance documents have also been uploaded recently.

To view these documents, please click HERE

MOD Accommodation Team: We want your views on the provision of furniture in Service Family Accommodation (SFA)!

https://sway.office.com/tCdlmd6MQrY01LBZ?ref=email

The MOD Accommodation Team are reviewing what items of furniture (for example, beds, settees, bookcases etc.) are provided to you in SFA and how furniture provision could be improved for you and Defence.  

We want to find out: 

Your experience of furnishing SFA 

What furniture provision you may want and need in the future 

Your participation in our research provides a key opportunity for you to shape future furniture provision for the entire Armed Forces!  

New Consultation Launched: Child Maintenance - Accelerating Enforcement

A new consultation has launched this week seeking views on proposed legislative changes to speed up enforcement of child maintenance arrears, reducing the time it takes from almost six months to six to eight weeks.

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) will be able to use an administrative liability order to recover unpaid child maintenance instead of applying to the courts and facing a lengthy wait.

The CMS helps around 930,000 children get the financial support they are entitled to and between June 2022-2023 arranged £1.2 billion on their behalf. Overall, child maintenance payments help to keep 160,000 children out of poverty each year.

The consultation is open to voluntary and community sector organisations, as well as CMS customers and members of the public. It applies to England, Wales and Scotland, although comments are welcomed from across the United Kingdom.

The consultation closes at 11:45pm on 24 November.

​Find out more and access the consultation

Recruit for Spouses Job Vacancies

Office Based Roles: West Byfleet, Surrey

• Customer Delivery Manager: https://jobs.recruitforspouses.co.uk/job/customer-delivery-manager/
• Customer Escalation Coordinators: https://jobs.recruitforspouses.co.uk/job/customer-escalation-coordinators/
• Customer Delivery Coordinators: https://jobs.recruitforspouses.co.uk/job/customer-delivery-coordinators/
• Customer Data Coordinator: https://jobs.recruitforspouses.co.uk/job/customer-data-coordinator/

Help stop young people falling victims to loan sharks

Credit Union Grime Video - You Tube

Recent research has shown that a higher proportion of people in the 18 to 24 year old age bracket are at particular risk of being targeted by loan sharks in the current climate. More young people are having financial services or products refused by mainstream banks and many are being forced to borrow from friends and family to make ends meet.

With this in mind, Stop Loan Sharks want to highlight the services offered by credit unions, producing a new grime music video in conjunction with Find Your Credit Union and Nourish Social in the hope that it will appeal to young people and show them that other options that are available. Click the image above to watch the video online.

Service Personnel can also utilise the Joining Forces Credit Unions, supported by the MOD to make saving simple and loans more affordable to the Armed Forces community.