Charlie Charlie One - for Service Personnel and Veterans battling Cancer

Cancer is indiscriminate and does not differentiate; age, gender, ethnicity, background, and status are irrelevant. But those seeking our support, regardless of their rank, are united by military service, common values, and, of course, their cancer diagnosis. While established as a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO) in August 2021, we seek to support individuals throughout the United Kingdom.

Visit the website at Charlie Charlie One - Cancer Support

Increase in Visa Fees from 4th October 2023

The Home Office have announced an increase in Visa fees from 4th October 2023.

For more information, please contact your local HIVE.

What is Service life like for you? AFCAS 2024 is now open

Every year the Armed Forces Continuous Attitude Survey (AFCAS) gives Service personnel an opportunity to share their views on working conditions, living conditions, and aspects of day-to-day life.

This year’s survey is now live, and as usual, the information it collects will help shape policies for training, support, and the terms and conditions of service. A representative sample of Service personnel is chosen to complete the survey each year. This year 30,000 personnel have been invited to take part.

​Responses are treated in the strictest confidence and no one from any Chain of Command will see your completed survey. To make sure views remain confidential, only grouped answers of a certain size are reported in the results.

Personnel can check if they are part of the sample group using their Service number. Not in the sample? Even if you have not been selected to complete the full survey, you can still make your voice heard by completing a shorter survey that you will be able to access using your service number.​

DIO Families First Newsletter - Issue 9

 To read DIO Families First latest newsletter click here

Make yourself heard - 999 calls in the UK when you can't speak

If you’re in an emergency situation and need police help, but can’t speak, Make Yourself Heard and let the 999 operator know your call is genuine. For information click here

DWP Update: Second 2023/24 Cost of Living Payment dates announced

On 20 September the Government announced that millions of UK households will shortly get a Cost of Living Payment of £300. The payment will be made to eligible customers between 31 October and 19 November.

​This is the second of three payments over the financial year totalling up to £900. Eligible pensioner households will also receive a further £300 payment later this year as an addition to the Winter Fuel payment.

Eligible tax credits-only customers who do not qualify for a payment from DWP will receive £300 from HMRC between 10 and 19 November.

Customers will receive the payments automatically. They do not need to contact DWP or do anything to receive the payment.

From 20 November, people who have become retrospectively entitled, or think they should have had a Cost of Living Payment but have not received one can report it via GOV.UK. If the person is not able to use the internet or they do not know someone who can help them, they can report a missing payment via their benefit telephony line.

Read more information about the Cost of Living Payments on GOV.UK.

For further information about the government's cost of living support package, please visit Help for Households on GOV.UK.

Service Family Accommodation: Preparing Your Home for Winter

A Winter Protection Guide has been published for SFA occupants, with guidance on preparing your home for the winter months and how to respond should an issue arise. To view the full guide, please click HERE​

NHS #NationalBreastfeedingWeek Day 7

Everyone plays a unique role in supporting breastfeeding.

Could you support with cooking food, running errands or looking after older children? This can all help to make breastfeeding more achievable as a family.

More advice: https://www.nhs.uk/start-for-life/baby/feeding-your-baby/breastfeeding/

#NationalBreastfeedingWeek

Minister for Defence People, Veterans and Service Families, Dr Andrew Murrison announces New Accommodation Offer and Widening Accommodation Entitlement

Today, the Minister of Defence People Veterans and Service Families, Dr Andrew Murrison, announced the New Accommodation Offer for the Armed Forces from 11 March 2024 this new offer will deliver greater access to subsidised accommodation for our Service personnel, their families, and partners.

The New Accommodation Offer forms part of Defence’s outputs from the recent Defence Command Paper Refresh and Haythornthwaite review which aims to improve the offer to current and future Serving personnel.

NHS #NationalBreastfeedingWeek Day 6

If you're returning to work, you might wonder whether you can continue breastfeeding. The answer is yes - it's completely possible!

Here are some tips to help you with breastfeeding and going back to work.

#NationalBreastfeedingWeek

Breastfeeding - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

NHS #NationalBreastfeedingWeek Day5

Can you breastfeed in public?

Breastfeeding in public may make you nervous, but you have a legal right to breastfeed anytime and anywhere. Remember, if you are asked to leave somewhere whilst breastfeeding, you're within your rights to challenge this.

#NationalBreastfeedingWeek

Breastfeeding in public - Start for Life - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

NHS #NationalBreastfeedingWeek Day 4

There are many ways you can get support with breastfeeding.

Health visitors, midwives, peer supporters, helplines, grandparents - who helped when you were learning how to breastfeed?

Call the National Breastfeeding Helpline on 0300 100 0212.

#NationalBreastfeedingWeek

Breastfeeding help and support - Start for Life - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

NHS #NationalBreastfeedingWeek Day 3

Have you got questions about breastfeeding?

Start for Life's Breastfeeding Friend Chatbot has lots of useful information and advice. Available whenever you need it, get the answers you need now: http://m.me/Start4LifeBreastfeedingFriend

#NationalBreastfeedingWeek

Baby basics - Start for Life - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

RAF ENVOY Magazine - Autumn Edition

To read the latest edition please click here

Civvy Street - September 2023 Edition

The latest edition of Civvy Street is available here.​

New Awards To Support Service Children Along Their Educational Pathway

The Armed Forces Covenant Trust (the Trust) is excited to announce the first awards made under the Service Pupil Support Programme.

Over £1,700,000 has been awarded to 46 fantastic projects which will deliver real change to Armed Forces communities by improving the educational pathway of Service children and helping to address the challenges they can face.

NHS #NationalBreastfeedingWeek Day2

Our Breastfeeding Friend support tool for voice, available on Amazon Alexa is now new and improved.

Get a personal Feeding Guide and NHS-approved advice 24/7 to help answer all your breastfeeding questions.

#NationalBreastfeedingWeek

Breastfeeding friend - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

NHS National Breast Feeding Week

It's #NationalBreastfeedingWeek, and everyone has a part to play. Over the next week we'll be sharing lots of tips and advice to help with your breastfeeding journey.

For more information use this link

Dept for Work & Pensions: Roundup of recent DWP announcements

  

     

Work Capability Assessment - consultation

The Government has launched an important consultation on proposals to revamp the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) to better reflect changes to the world of work potentially opening up new opportunities for disabled people.

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

 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!

Your views are very important to us, regardless of whether you have used MOD furniture provision or not.

Who can take part?

* You can take part if you:

o Are over the age of 18

o Currently live in SFA, or have previously lived in SFA, within the UK

o Are in any Service and hold any rank

* You do not need to have previously used the MOD furniture provision to take part

What will I be asked to do?

* You will be asked to take part in a 45-minute 1:1 research interview with an MOD Researcher

* The discussion will take place via MS Teams or over the telephone, at a time that suits you

* Your participation is entirely voluntary

* Anything you tell us will be anonymised, meaning you will not be identified in the research findings and your responses will not be shared with your Chain of Command

How do I take part?

* Please email people-accommodation-research@mod.gov.uk by the 17th October 2023.

Where can I find more information?

* Please email people-accommodation-research@mod.gov.uk.

We hope that you can take part. Thank you in advance for your help!

The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust: Veterans’ Capital Housing Fund launches first programmes

The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust (The Trust) are delighted to announce two exciting new programmes under the Veterans’ Capital Housing Fund that will help increase the stock of housing available to veterans.

The grants awarded under these programmes will enable homes for veterans with a housing need to be brought up-to-date through a refurbishment grant, or will support organisations with the early-stage development of more complex building projects.

Recruit for Spouses Job Vacancies & Free Courses

Recruit for Spouses have a number of remote working roles for spouses - please see https://jobs.recruitforspouses.co.uk/ 

• Research assistant
• Accounts assistant
• Associate Director and a role with Virgin red

​Currently available is free coaching and mentoring by BAE coaches and access to Open University courses through the Career Academy, also free.

Stand Out & Show Up - Young Minds

#HeIloYellow launched in 2016 to show young people they're not alone. Since then, thousands of schools, companies and communities have come together and made World Mental Health Day that little bit brighter by wearing something yellow and donating to YoungMinds.

This year, thousands of schools, companies and individuals are coming together on 10th October to show young people that they're not alone.

To find out how you can get involved and help to raise funds, please visit:
https://www.youngminds.org.uk/support-us/fundraising/helloyellow/

Wraparound Childcare (WAC): Did you know?

 

Click here for more Did you know? snippets

Service personnel with eligible children aged between 4 and 11 years old can claim up to £3,400 on childcare costs.

Information about WAC can easily be overlooked or misunderstood, so we have created quick tips and key information below to answer your questions and make WAC registration as seamless as possible.

Tax-Free Childcare account (TFC)
Service families need to have a valid and active TFC account for each child before they can register for WAC. Childcare costs must be paid from your child’s TFC account to be able to claim WAC funding. You or your partner can set up your child’s Tax-Free Childcare account today.

Togetherall Groups – free access for the UK Military Community.

@Togetherall’s groups feature allows members to connect, share and support each other in smaller spaces, on topics that matter to them. For example, Meet the Community, Gratitude Diaries, Work-Life Balance and more.
Togetherall is FREE to anyone in the UK Military, Veterans & Family members aged 16+

Visit togethe​rall.com to join today

Combat Stress: How we can help

For over a century we’ve been helping former servicemen and women deal with issues like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety and depression. Today we provide specialist treatment and support for veterans from every service and conflict, focusing on those with complex mental health issues related to their military service.

For more information please visit: www.combatstress.org.uk​

UK Health Security Agency - Around 1 in 8 New Students Unprotected Against Meningitis

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and leading meningitis charities are urging students to make sure they have been vaccinated against meningitis and other diseases before the start of the academic year.​​​​. Find out more HERE​