Generic and local information for the UK Military community in Cyprus including Serving Personnel, Families, Veterans, and MOD Civilians.
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Monday, 29 January 2024
NHS England: Help us to ensure veterans receive the very best healthcare support in 2024
To help encourage more practices to sign up, the Royal College of General Practitioners, NHS England and the Office for Veterans’ Affairs are working together to increase awareness of veterans’ healthcare needs and any challenges that prevent people who’ve served in the Armed Forces from seeking help from their GP.
Friday, 26 January 2024
Families' Activity Breaks (FAB): FAB Camps Volunteer Applications Now Open
More support for service leavers transitioning to civilian life
Personnel leaving the military are to receive more support for finding jobs in civilian life thanks to a new contract between the Ministry of Defence and Reed.
Military Coworking Network - Hub Expansion
Centrica - Multiple Customer Service Advisor Roles
Launch of Tri-Service Reserves Continuous Attitude Survey, ResCAS 2024: Take Part Now!
The 2024 Reserves Continuous Attitudes Survey (ResCAS24) is now open for completion until Tuesday April 2nd 2024.
Reservists continue to make an impressive contribution to Defence outputs. Last year, ResCAS results revealed that:
* 75% of Volunteer Reserves were satisfied with life in the Reserves in general
* 92% felt proud to be in the Reserves
* 83% would recommend joining the Reserves to others
What is RESCAS?
ResCAS is MOD’s annual survey asking for Reservists’ views of life in the Reserves. The survey is used by the Service Chiefs and the Chief of Defence People to gain an insight into Volunteer Reservists’ opinions of service and influence areas of change and focus.
Who should complete it?
If you have been selected to participate in this year’s ResCAS, you will have received a paper copy of the questionnaire, an email invitation, or a postcard giving you a link to the online version.
Why complete it?
The results of the survey are used by the MOD to understand how you, as a Reservists, feel about your experiences, and to help shape the policies that support and enable your service. This includes providing improved support and training. This year we are also seeking views on how change is managed by your team, unit and Service.
Your views as a Reservist matter to us and we will work to focus effort on areas of concern you identify in the survey. While some of the changes will take time to resolve, we remain committed to improve the service and make the Reserves an excellent survey. If you are invited to complete ResCAS 2024, please do take time out to tell us how things look from where you are – it really does make a difference to what we do!
Please take the time to provide feedback and tell us how things look from where you are. The more responses we have, the clearer the picture MOD has of your experience.
Army Reserves
ResCAS is open to selected volunteer Reservists who should have already received or will be receiving a paper copy of the survey and an email with a link to the online version. Participants can also access the survey online at Army RESCAS 2024 (Your access code/token ID is your SERVICE NUMBER) (mod.uk)
Your token is your Service number and is case sensitive. Personnel should use the Google Chrome web browser to complete the survey.
For questions, contact: Army Occupational Psychology Team
ArmyPers-Strat-APRC-Survey@mod.gov.uk
01264 886044
RAF Reserves
The RAF ResCAS is open to RAF Reservists (including Volunteer, Regular and Sponsored Reserves). Participants can access the survey online at RAF Reserves Survey 2024 - Your Token is your Service Number (mod.uk)
Your token is your Service number and is case sensitive. Personnel should use the Google Chrome web browser to complete the survey.
For questions contact: HQ Air Occupational Psychology Team
Air-COSPers-PolPsychGrpMbox@mod.gov.uk
Skype: +443001565915
Maritime Reserves
ResCAS is open to all volunteer RNR and RMR personnel. Participants can access the survey online at Maritime Reserves Survey 2024 (mod.uk)
Your token is your Service number and is case sensitive. Personnel should use the Google Chrome web browser to complete the survey.
For questions, contact: Navy Research Psychology Team
NAVYNPS-RSCHMAILBOX@mod.gov.uk
New Accommodation Offer Update: Draft JSP Now Available
Whilst the New Accommodation Offer policy will not come into effect until 11 March 2024, the draft of the new JSP 464 'Tri-Service Accommodation Regulations' is being shared with Service personnel now so that they have access to detailed policy information to help inform any future accommodation decisions they may be making. The JSP will be re-issued as 'live' policy on 11 March 2024 to replace the current version of JSP 464.
Parts 1 to 8 of the draft JSP are available on Gov.uk. Parts 9 to 11 will cover Forces Help to Buy, the Combined Accommodation Assessment System for SFA and Four-Tier Grading for SLA – these are not being released now as the policy remains the same as under the current regulations. Part 12 will cover the complaints processes which will be published when the new policy comes into effect.
Link to Draft JSP: Draft tri-service accommodation regulations (TSARs) (JSP 464) - March 2024 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Link to New Accommodation Offer SWAY: New Accommodation Offer Update release 19 Jan 2024 (cloud.microsoft)
Thursday, 25 January 2024
Mission Motorsport - The National Transition Event 2024, Silverstone on 4 Mar
Wednesday, 24 January 2024
New Accommodation Offer: Tri-Service Roadshow *Change of Date*, RAF Wyton on 5 Mar
DWP Update: Third Cost of Living Payment – Help for Households
Celebrating Forces Families Awards 2024: Finalists Include Two HIVE Staff
Jo Ratubuli works in Cyprus and is a finalist in the 'Away From Home' category, and Emma Passant is a finalist in the 'Family Volunteer of the Year' category.
To find out more about the Celebrating Forces Families awards, and to buy tickets for the Awards Night in April, please go to: https://www.celebratingforcesfamilies.co.uk/
New Accommodation Offer explained by the 'Savvy Squaddie'
DIO: Service Family Accommodation (SFA) Communications Update
RFS Career Academy Online Course: Gaining Control of Your Finances, 29 Jan
Friday, 12 January 2024
Your voice counts – AFCAS 2024
As we enter 2024, the opportunity to get involved in AFCAS is almost at its end. Don’t miss the chance to voice your thoughts.
Complete the annual survey to help Defence achieve its goal of improving the daily lives for members of the Armed Forces and their families. Every response counts.
Everyone can have their say, whether in the selected sample or not!
- If you have been selected to complete AFCAS, you will have been sent an email containing information on how to access the survey.
- If you aren’t in the sample, you can still make your voice heard by completing the shorter survey.
- Don’t miss your chance to tell Defence what is going well and where we can improve.
- The valuable feedback you provide will go a long way in supporting the lives of our serving personnel and their families.
- Completing the AFCAS Survey allows a safe space for you to share your thoughts and opinions on what you feel most positively about as well as what you feel needs changing.
New guidance for school governors and trustees on supporting Service children
The guidance:
* Outlines the education-related disadvantages that can arise for Service children and the potential impact of parental deployment, separation and family mobility.
* Explains the role of governing boards in allocating school funding to meet the needs of Service children and has questions for boards to ask and consider.
* References the Armed Forces Covenant Duty, and which education functions of a school are in scope. If you are a Service parent who sits on a school governing board or trust, read and share this new guidance with the board.
Point of contact: Armed Forces Families & Safeguarding - Education Policy Team People-affs-education-mailbox@mod.gov.uk
Thursday, 11 January 2024
Armed Forces Covenant Trust Awards
The Armed Forces Covenant Trust (the Trust) has awarded over £255K to six projects across the UK, under the Development Grants and Refurbishment Grants programmes, on behalf of the Office for Veterans’ Affairs Veterans' Capital Housing Fund.
The Veterans’ Capital Housing Fund supports projects that contribute to the wider aim of ending Veterans’ homelessness by providing affordable and viable homes for Veterans.
The six funded projects will help to refurbish homes to not only be warm, but energy efficient as well assisting in the early-stage development of new build projects.
Wednesday, 10 January 2024
NHS care for the Armed Forces community, January 2024 Update
Tuesday, 9 January 2024
Building Heroes: Jan Newsletter and 10th Anniversary
Easier registration and claims process for Wraparound Childcare (WAC)
New Accommodation Offer: Tri-Service Roadshow, RAF Wyton on 7 Feb
Op RESTORE
Op RESTORE is the new name for the Veterans Trauma Network.
Please click here to read this leaflet online
Serve and Protect Credit Union launch limited-time Fixed Saver account, offering a guaranteed return of 5% AER
Monday, 8 January 2024
Going Forward Into Employment (GFiE) - new roles in Department for Work and Pensions and HMRC
Going Forward into Employment (GFiE) provides innovative approaches to recruitment which provides people from a wide range of backgrounds, who face barriers to employment, with Life Chance opportunities within the Civil Service.
In order to be able to apply for a GFiE opportunity, certain criteria must be met.
Veterans candidates must:
- Be a Veteran of the Armed Forces
- Be in your resettlement period and due to leave the Armed Forces within a reasonable time frame to take up a new role
- Military Spouse/Partner: Your current partner must still be serving OR must have been discharged within the last 12 months
Nationwide Vacancies with Centrica/British Gas
Updates to Early Years Provision
Minimum Income Requirement - incremental approach to new threshold amount
Defence continues to liaise with the Home Office in order to understand how this will impact Service Personnel (Officers and Soldiers) and their families, and further information will be provided once more details are known.
[link for the factsheet is: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/fact-sheet-on-net-migration-measures-further-detail ]