Serve & Protect Credit Union: August Webinars

 

Green Living: Simple Eco-Friendly Tips to Lower Your Bills

Date: Thursday 6th August

Time: 12:00-12:45

What to Expect: Tips for living a greener life to save money and protect the planet!

Saving Made Simple: Practical Tips to Boost Your Savings

Date: Wednesday 12th August

Time: 12:00-12:45

What to Expect: Explore 10 practical savings methods that anyone can apply to build a healthy savings cushion

Budgeting 101: Take Control of Your Money

Date: Thursday 13th August

Time: 12:00-12:45

What to Expect: Create a budget that meets your short and long-term financial goals, plus tips to cut your spending

Responsible Lending: How We Can Stop Loan Sharks Together

Date: Monday 17th August

Time: 12:00-13:00

What to Expect: Discover the warning signs and impact of loan sharks with representatives from Stop Loan Sharks

Financial Resilience: Ready When it Matters

Date: Wednesday 19th August

Time: 12:00-13:00

What to Expect: Understand why financial resilience matters and hear some simple, practical tips to help you improve it

Credit Score 101: Tips to Boost Your Score

Date: Thursday 20th August

Time: 12:00-12:45

What to Expect: Understand the importance of looking after your credit score, plus actionable tips to improve yours

Borrow Smarter: Tips to Strengthen Your Loan Application

Date: Tuesday 25th August

Time: 12:00-12:45

What to Expect: Understand what happens throughout the journey of a loan application, some of the key factors lenders evaluate, and what to do before you apply


Register for free here: https://sandpcu.co.uk/hs-webinars

Places where Kids Eat Free (or for £1) - Summer Holidays 2026

 

For more information: https://moneysavingcentral.co.uk/kids-eat-free

New early years childcare scheme, UK Nursery Authority (UKNA) to launch from September 2026

New early years childcare scheme, UK Nursery Authority (UKNA) to launch from September 2026

Please note that some links within this article are only accessible to those with MODnet and Defence Connect access.

Are you planning to use Defence childcare schemes from September?

Information and updates about new and existing Defence childcare schemes.

UKNA is a new Defence childcare scheme that will support eligible working Service families who live in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It will reimburse the difference in early years childcare costs, matching the “free” (Government funded) childcare hours they would be entitled to if assigned to England.

Note: UKNA does not provide childcare spaces, it is a reimbursement of costs incurred when eligible working families pay for early years childcare.

For detailed policy information including the eligibility criteria search ‘UK Nursery Authority’ at DINs Search (Defnet) or Group: Defence Instruction Notices - DIN's | Defence Connect.

Why is UKNA being introduced?

Defence recognises the importance of supporting service families. Service families can be assigned anywhere in the world, however the funded early years childcare offer differs across the UK. Families assigned to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland receive fewer Government funded childcare hours than similar working families in England or those assigned overseas. UKNA has been developed to address this difference for working families.

Defence remains committed to supporting our dedicated personnel who serve to protect our nation, alongside our families who make extraordinary sacrifices to support them.

See the UKNA announcement (March 2026)

Who is eligible for UKNA?

• Regular or Full-Time Reserve Service (Full Commitment) personnel.
• The family lives in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.
• Both parents or a sole parent in a lone parent family meets the minimum earnings threshold of at least the equivalent of 16 hours per week at the UK National Minimum or Living Wage.
• Either parent or a sole parent in a lone parent family does not exceed the maximum earnings threshold of £100,000 adjusted net income per year.
• Child is recorded and verified on JPA.
• An active Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) account is in place for the child. Active means that parents reconfirm eligibility every 3 months and receive the top up from HMRC when they add money to the account. 
• The childcare provider accepts TFC payments; all UKNA claims must first be paid via the child’s active TFC account.
• Child lives with the Service parent for at least 50% of the time except when separated for service reasons.  

How can Service personnel register for UKNA?

Registration information will be available from September 2026.

To get ready for registration, check that:

• You meet the eligibility criteria
• Your child has an active Tax-Free Childcare account
• Your child is recorded on JPA.

If you need help with JPA, contact your unit HR.

UKNA claims information

The number of hours that can be claimed via the UKNA reimbursement scheme differs between locations because the Government offers in those locations differ:

• For children aged between 9 months and 2 years old, eligible families in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland can claim up to 30 hours per week for 38 weeks per year.
• In Northern Ireland, families with children aged 3 can claim up to 30 hours weekly for 38 weeks, while those with 4-year-olds can claim up to 17.5 hours per week for 38 weeks per year.

UKNA is a reimbursement for childcare costs; it is deemed an extra income which makes it a ‘taxable benefit’ by HMRC. To offset this, Defence pays extra to cover any tax and National Insurance (NI) payments you may incur when making UKNA claims – this is called grossing up. This process can have a knock-on effect on your individual tax and NI allowance and brackets.

You can find further information about UKNA and grossing up on the Defence Childcare Information Page.

Information about how to submit claims will be added prior to the scheme launch.

UKNA bedding-in

UKNA is a new scheme, and as it is implemented, some minor adjustments may be required where aspects have not been fully captured in the guidance or are not working as intended. We have a mailbox that is monitored Monday to Friday, so if you have any questions about the scheme that we haven’t covered, or if you notice that something isn’t quite right, please let us know, our email address is included at the bottom of this article. There will be no changes to the policy rules, however your feedback will help us to make amendments to guidance where needed, which may help other families using the scheme.

We will be holding a Q&A session for families in September, so please look out for that being advertised.

Early years funded childcare overseas

All families in England with children aged 3 to 4 years old, and 2-year-old children, in receipt of additional government support, are entitled to 15 hours of free childcare per week. This is known as the ‘universal entitlement’.

For eligible working families, the entitlement is 30 hours per week for children aged 9 months old to school age. These entitlements are capped at the equivalent of 38 weeks per year.

In overseas locations where the children of entitled Defence staff have no statutory entitlement to access host nation provision, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) delivers the same entitlement through places at Defence Children Services (DCS) schools and settings or through access to the MOD Overseas Nursery Authority, (ONA) (GOV.UK).

Wraparound Childcare (WAC) scheme including Primary School Aged Childcare Overseas (PSACO)

The WAC scheme (including PSACO) provides eligible Service families with better flexibility and affordable childcare support.

Eligible Service families with children aged 4 to 11 years old (4-16 years old if child is in receipt of UK disability benefits) can claim up to 20 hours per week of funding for each child attending before and after school care during term time (up to 39 weeks per year).

Wraparound Childcare is known as ‘Out of School care’ in Wales and ‘School Age Childcare’ in Scotland.

The PSACO scheme provides a reimbursement of costs for before and after school childcare in overseas locations where due to local rules or regulations it is not possible for WAC eligibility criteria to be met, or because Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) accounts are not available.

WAC and PSACO funding do not provide childcare spaces; the funding is a reimbursement for costs incurred when eligible families pay for before and after school childcare.

When to register for WAC or PSACO

Eligible Service personnel with 4-year-old children starting full-time education (reception / P1 (including home education)) in the autumn term can register from 01 September.

If your children are already registered, you do not need to re-register unless your account shows your child as de-registered. De-registration can happen when there are changes to your JPA record such as a new assignment.

Update to WAC and PSACO capped hourly rates

The WAC and PSACO capped hourly rates are updated each year prior to the start of the autumn term. The rates may go both up and down. This will affect the amount that can be claimed. The updated rates will be published in the DIN, and on the Defence Childcare Information Page on defnet or Defence Connect.

Where to find further information about Defence childcare schemes

• For detailed policy information including the eligibility criteria search the relevant DIN - ‘UK Nursery Authority’ / ‘Wraparound Childcare’ / ‘Primary School Aged Childcare Overseas’ / ‘Early Years Funded Childcare Overseas’ at DINs Search (Defnet) or Group: Defence Instruction Notices - DIN's | Defence Connect.
• Defence Childcare Information Page defnet or Defence Connect
• Discover My Benefits webpage (www)
• Childcare for Service children - GOV.UK

Have questions?

Personnel and Service families can email the policy team:

For UKNA or ONA People-affs-child-expenses@mod.gov.uk

For WAC or PSACO People-affs-wac-fro-mailbox@mod.gov.uk

Office for Veterans’ Affairs: VALOUR employment opportunities – closing date 27 Jul

Please visit: VALOUR: corporate information - GOV.UK

Within the above link there is information about VALOUR, as well as links to all of the job vacancies that are currently available to apply for UK-wide.

Please note that external vacancies close on 27 July.

Ay Nik - BFF Panto Bus - Monday 27th July

The BFF Panto Bus will also be visiting Dhekelia, Episkopi and Akrotiri during the week.

Please contact the relevant HIVE for your location for more details.

Ay Nik - Uniform Swap

Did you know the Ay Nik HIVE has a dedicated Uniform Swap section for QBS and KRS families?

The community is welcome to swap, donate, or pick up gently‑used (and sometimes brand‑new) uniform items.

It’s a simple way to:

• Save money - no need to buy new pieces every time kids grow
• Reduce waste - give uniforms a second life
• Support each other - help families who need items quickly or unexpectedly

What do we have?

There is a wide selection of QBS and KRS uniform items, including:

• Shirts & polos
• Shorts, trousers & skirts
• Jumpers & cardigans
• Sports kit

(Availability varies depending on donations.)

How do you take part?

• Swap items that no longer fit
• Donate clean, good‑condition pieces that you no longer require
• Pick up what your child needs - no cost*, no questions

*If you can, please make a small donation to SSAFA or Home Start. All cash raised will go back into the Ay Nik community.

MOD’s Families Hub is now in its second year – have you used it yet?

Link to the Families Hub: https://discovermybenefits.mod.gov.uk/families/ 

MoneyHelper Information: AI and Financial Decisions

 

SW MoneyHelper Financial Wellbeing Network
AI & financial decisions – what you need to know

Paul Fox | Regional Manager SW Money and Pensions Service

July 2026 v1

Introduction

Research surveys suggest AI can boost confidence, but that confidence doesn’t always translate into improved financial decision making or outcomes. A study reported by Fortune found that while many millennials and Gen Z users reported felling more confident after using AI for financial advice, over 50% of them also said it had led them to make at least one poor financial decision. Feeling more confident doesn’t always mean the information is accurate.

Here’s what you need to know before relying on AI for budgeting, saving or investing.

What AI can do

Ask an AI tool to explain a confusing financial term, and it’ll do it in seconds. Want help drafting a letter to your energy provider? No problem. Need a simple budget? It can build one in minutes. AI tools may be able to:

· explain financial terms in simple language

· summarise long documents, like terms and conditions

· help you compare options based on the criteria you give it

· create budgets or savings plans tailored to your goals

· help you role‑play tricky conversations, like negotiating a bill or asking for a refund.

Used carefully, AI can be a helpful starting point for exploring money questions you might have about money – but how useful it is will depend on the quality of the information you give input and the complexity of your personal circumstances. It’s important to remember that AI tools can sound confident even when they’re wrong, so they shouldn’t be relied on without checking information against independent trusted sources.

When AI can go wrong

AI tools can “hallucinate” – in other words, give information that sounds pretty convincing but is simply wrong. Remember that AI doesn’t “know” things; it predicts them.

That means it can give:

· advice that sounds right but isn’t

· give outdated or UK‑irrelevant guidance

· misinterpret FCA‑regulated topics like pensions or investments

· offer steps that go against your provider’s rules

· make assumptions that don’t fit your personal situation

· generate scams or fraudulent content if prompted the wrong way.

Remember that AI cannot replace independent and impartial guidance from MoneyHelper or regulated, personalised financial advice. A recent Which? Investigation found that AI chatbots sometimes gave risky or incorrect investment guidance, even when asked to be cautious.

Forces Employment Charity: Discover careers in consulting and retail banking

 

McKinsey and Metro Bank have partnered with the Forces Employment Charity to host an event that helps members of the Armed Forces community explore careers in consulting and retail banking and discover how their skills and experience can translate into these sectors.

The event will take place in London on 30 July, from 18:00 to 21:00.

This event is open to all Service leavers, veterans, reservists and spouses and partners within the military community. Spaces are limited, so if you're interested in learning more about careers in consulting and retail banking, apply today!

Applications close at midnight on Monday, 20 July.

WSBA Summer Geo Cache

WSBA Home Start and WSBA BFC Youth Service have created a Geo Cache site in Happy Valley.

Pop along to the WSBA Home Start office in the Episkopi Community Hub to collect your GPS device. You will be given a quick demo before you head out.

There are eight boxes to find so please take eight small items to exchange - no sweets or chocolate.

For more information contact the WSBA Home Start team.