With Month of the Military Child just around the corner in April, Reading Force are encouraging families to sign up for their free books and resources, available to all Forces families, serving, veteran, reservist, or ex-serving (including those affected by bereavement, separation, or divorce), with children or grandchildren aged 0–18.Find out more at: https://www.readingforce.org.uk/
The latest issue of the Families First newsletter, featuring the latest Defence housing news and updates, is now available on the Defence Homes website
Let’s get building: MOD set to start construction on first military homes in a decade
Good homes will be placed at the heart of UK military family life as the MOD is set to begin the construction of 265 new military family houses at RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, the first such development in almost a decade. Families living in the area will see a range of new, modern apartments, houses and bungalows begin to be built at Carterton near the air base in the coming weeks, once formal approval is received.
In addition to the building of the houses at Brize Norton, DIO will also be refurbishing another 2,000 homes across the UK in the next 12 months alone, building on the 1,250 worst-condition properties already brought up to standard. This work is a step towards widening access for families who have previously not been able to benefit from a military home, with 1,000 of the refurbished houses being brought back into use for military families. This is almost double the number of previously empty homes that were brought online for families over the previous 12 months.
To read more on this, see the Defence Homes article here.
The Anchoring & Military Minds Spring Newsletter is now available. It’s packed with updates, upcoming events, family‑friendly activities, and information on the support available to serving personnel and military families.
Anchoring & Military Minds offers free, confidential support to anyone connected to the Armed Forces community. Whether it’s guidance around mental health, family wellbeing, navigating services, or simply needing a chat—please feel free to get in touch or pass their details on to someone who may benefit.
To read the newsletter in full, please go to LINK
To find out more, please visit https://www.solentmind.org.uk/support-for-you/our-services/military-minds/
We need your help! We're asking children and young people from military families to answer some questions and we'd really love to hear from you!
What is it all about? We want to find out what life is like for children who have a parent or guardian in the military. We're asking questions about your home, your school, your friends, and how you feel. This helps us understand what's great about military life, and where young people might need more support.
What are Social Determinants of Health? These are just the things around you that can affect how healthy and happy you feel, like where you live, who you spend time with, whether you feel safe, and whether you can get help when you need it.
What will I need to do? You'll be asked to fill in an online survey. It's not a test and there are no right or wrong answers! It will take about 10–15 minutes and you can do it at home or at school.
Everything you say is private. Your name won't be shared with anyone.
Why should I do it?
Because your opinion really matters!
To help other children in military families get better support
Hundreds of young people all over the UK are doing it too and you'll be part of something really important
Please use the relevant QR to your age group in the poster attached. Or follow the links below to the survey:
Age 8-11 – Qualtrics Survey | Qualtrics Experience Management
Age 12-15 – Qualtrics Survey | Qualtrics Experience Management
Age 16-18 - Qualtrics Survey | Qualtrics Experience Management
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
New funding opens to help young service children get the best start in life
Young children in serving armed forces families often experience change in their early years before they even start school.
Frequent moves, long periods of separation, and the pressures of service life can all affect a child’s sense of stability at a critical stage of development.
A new round of funding has now opened to help early years providers and local authorities respond to these challenges and give service children the strong, nurturing start they deserve.
The latest newsletter from Recruit for Spouses includes the following articles:
Free counselling support for military personnel, veterans, and families
Upcoming online events, such as Making Sense of Pensions: Support and Guidance for Military Families on 22 Apr, and Breaking Down Imposter Syndrome: Confidence Building Workshop on 7 May
Information and a survey invitation regarding the Foreign & Commonwealth Programme
To view the newsletter in full, please go to: Recruit for Spouses Newsletter – Mar 26
Please be advised that the Army Welfare Service has introduced updated contact numbers for two key services. These new numbers are now active and replace the previous lines, which have been permanently disconnected.
Intake & Assessment Team (IAT)
07813 019 490
The IAT remains available for queries, phone referrals, support, and contact from units, partners, and Service Users via:
Telephone: 07813 019 490
Email: RC-AWS-IAT-0Mailbox@mod.gov.uk
Referral Form: via the standard AWS referral process - Army Welfare Service (AWS) Specialist Welfare (SW) Referral Form – Fill in form
Services Cotswold Centre
03311 432754
This number replaces the previous SCC contact line.
