Recruiting now: Military Provost Guard Service (MPGS)

 

For more information please contact the MPGS on ArmyPM-MPGS-recruitment@mod.gov.uk <ArmyPM-MPGS-recruitment@mod.gov.uk>;

Families Continuous Attitude Survey (FamCAS) 2024 – the results are in

Families Continuous Attitude Survey (FamCAS) 2024 – the results are in

Find out what Service spouses and civil partners said about Service family life in this year’s Families Continuous Attitude Survey (FamCAS).

To see the full report please click on this link.

Also include link to Gov.uk to read full report and supporting documents: Tri-service families continuous attitude survey: 2024 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)​

Research Participants Request - Service Spouses & Partners

Please click the image to enlarge

This research project is student-led; it is not being carried on behalf of the MOD nor is it endorsed by the MOD.

X-Forces: 2 Day Career Compass workshop with Guest speaker

On Tuesday 10th and Wednesday 25th September, X-Forces are running a 2-day workshop: Navigate your career path.

For more details and to register to attend click here

For information about upcoming X-Forces events click here

Trust launches Armed Forces Covenant Fund: Service women: Seen & Heard programme for 2024/25

The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust (the Trust) has launched Service women: Seen and Heard Programme under the Covenant Fund exciting three-year Funding Framework.

The Service women: Seen & Heard programme is now open for applications for one-year grants of up to £50,000 and two-year grants up to £100,000, for projects that aim to tackle issues enabling targeted support for serving women and giving access to support to which they can self-refer.

What is the Service women: Seen and Heard programme all about?

The Trust ran a public consultation in 2023, which identified that one of the key areas to focus on was ‘ensuring our Armed Forces communities are not disadvantaged’.’ This programme will enable serving women to make informed choices and access services that enhance their health and wellbeing and increase accessibility into activities and support, leading to significant improvements to Service women’s quality of life. The consultation findings are available to read on The Trust website.

Trust launches Armed Forces Covenant Fund: Hidden Voices programme for 2024/25

The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust (the Trust) has launched a further Covenant Fund programme under its exciting three-year Funding Framework.

The Hidden Voices programme is now open for applications for grants of up £20,000 for projects that will provide accessible mental health and wellbeing services for under-represented serving Armed Forces personnel, Reservists, Veteran and families.

What is the Hidden Voices programme all about?

The Trust ran a public consultation in 2023, which identified that one of the key areas to focus on was ‘reducing isolation and loneliness for Armed Forces communities.’ This programme will enable and deliver accessible mental health and wellbeing support, as well as to identify known and unknown gaps in service provision. The consultation findings are available to read on The Trust website.

NHS England Guidance for Service Parents: Registering a child with an NHS GP and use of the NHS App

 Registering a child with an NHS GP and use of the NHS APP

1. Registration

There are safeguarding aspects to registering children without a parent, but it is not a reason for refusal.

Ideally, an adult with parental responsibility should normally be registered at the practice with the child where the ID of the adult can be matched to the child’s birth certificate details.

However, one of the exemptions to this is where both parents serve in the armed forces and are registered with an armed forces GP.

Serve & Protect Credit Union - Upcoming Webinars and 'Lunch & Learn' Sessions starting in September 2024

From September, Serve & Protect Credit Union are launching 'Lunch and Learns' with the following topics:​

• Managing the Cost of Living
• Budgeting and Spending
• Boosting your Credit Score
• What Lenders are looking for

​The link to sign up for these, plus other webinars throughout July and August, is here:
Webinars - Serve & Protect (serveandprotectcu.co.uk)

Reserves Continuous Attitude Survey 2024: Results Published

Findings from the Reserves Continuous Attitude Survey (ResCAS 2024) have been published on GOV.UK: ResCAS 2024 publication.

What is RESCAS? 
ResCAS is MOD’s annual survey which gathers information on the attitudes and experiences of Volunteer Reservists across the Tri-Services.

2024 Survey Results
This year, a total of 4,656 Reservists completed ResCAS.

The survey found 70% of Volunteer Reserves are satisfied with life in the Reserve in general, and 89% are proud to serve in the Service. Satisfaction with pay was 43% and the annual bounty was 63%. Overall, there has been a decreasing trend in satisfaction with pay and the annual bounty since 2021.

The top 3 reasons cited by Reservists for joining the Reserve Service were; to serve their country (64%), for the challenge (59%), and for personal development (58%).

For further results, please see the publication report: ResCAS 2024 publication.

These include perceptions on training, life in the Reserves, career progression and family support. Queries can be sent to: 

people-strat-cdpregroup@mod.gov.uk

Citizen Service Number (BSN) and Digital Identification (DigiD)

It is now possible to book appointments with staff from the Municipality of Heerlen at JFC Brunssum to apply for and obtain a Citizen Service Number (BSN) and subsequently, a Digital Identification (DigiD).

These are required if you have a dog to register in the Netherlands or if you want to access Dutch medical records.

Appointments are held in Building 100.

Bookings are made through JFC Brunssum Services Scheduling Portal. Click this link to arrange an appointment.

For any BSN & DigiD questions, email: 

rnimobile@heerlen.nl

Don’t miss out on Wraparound Childcare in the new autumn term. Are you eligible to claim WAC funding?

Don’t miss out on Wraparound Childcare in the new autumn term.

Are you eligible to claim WAC funding? Click the link to find out.

Join more than 5000 Service families who are currently benefitting from claiming up to £3,400, per child per year, of before and after school childcare costs.

What is Wraparound Childcare (WAC)?

The WAC scheme provides funding for up to 20 hours per week, per child, during term time, to eligible Service families with children aged 4 to 11 years old (4-16 years old if in receipt of disability allowances), who are in full time education in school or being home educated in the UK. Over 7000 Service children's before and after school childcare is currently being funded by WAC.

New awards provide educational support for Service children

New awards provide educational support for Service children

The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust (the Trust) has announced 21 new awards in the latest round of the Service Pupil Support Programme!

Worth £1.3 million, these projects are set to make a real difference to school-aged Service children across the UK - improving their educational pathways and helping to address the challenges they can face.

Supporting Service pupils across the UK

Part of the MOD’s Armed Forces Families Fund, the Service Pupil Support Programme supports projects which focus on pupils from currently serving families and support them along their educational pathways. The projects supported in this funding round address gaps in educational attainment, support Service pupils with additional needs, and support small cohorts of Service pupils within educational settings.

A reminder of the help available from the Forces Employment Charity

The Forces Employment Charity exists to provide life-long, life-changing support, job opportunities, and training to Service leavers, veterans, reservists and their families, irrespective of circumstances, rank, length of service, or reason for leaving.

Their Families Programme supports spouses and partners of still-serving personnel and veterans, including divorced, separated, and bereaved, on their journey into employment; regardless of whether you are in the UK or overseas. They understand Service life and transition can impact the whole family, so they also offer mentoring and career guidance to military children and young people aged 16-24.

Understanding the Afghan Relocation Assistance Policy (ARAP)

The Afghan Relocation Assistance Policy Scheme and Service Families

For information about the ARAP scheme, the status of Eligible Persons, background to the use of Transitional accommodation (TSFA) and further links to official government sites, please see the ARAP Scheme Toolkit and also see the FAQ document

Social health in the Army and wider military community

Social health aligns to the Values & Standards of the Army. It is the ability of individuals to form healthy and rewarding interpersonal relationships with others. Good social health results in the ability to adapt positively to social situations, remaining true to oneself and maintaining work life balance. It is about having a sense of belonging whilst valuing diversity. It involves open communication, boundary setting and mutual respect regardless of our differences.

We can all improve our social health status by connecting with others, communicating more effectively and engaging in the extensive range of activities that the Army provides, such as sporting activity, networks and specialist interest groups.

​This will result in an increased sense of belonging within our Army community and will have positive effects on our emotional, physical and mental health and overall wellbeing.

It is important that we all know where to turn for help. Click this link for support and self-help resources.

The Ripple Pond - Summer Newsletter

The only registered UK charity solely supporting the adult family members of physically or psychologically injured British Forces personnel and veterans

The Ripple Pond Summer 2024 Newsletter - to view click here​

Send Mail with the British Forces Post Office (BFPO)

 

The following information must be clearly stated on all packet/parcel mail:
Sender/return address in full
Recipient name and address in full, destination in full
Customs declaration - CN22 must be completed

Address format

Service Number

Rank or Title

Name

Unit

BFPO number

For family members start with:
Name of Recipient C/O Service Number, Rank and Name

The BFPO number for Brunssum is BFPO 28. The shadow postcode is BF1 2AH

For further details: https://www.gov.uk/bfpo/how-to-address-bfpo-mail

The minimum allowable address to ensure delivery in the UK is:

Number or name of residence
Name of Street
Town or City
Postcode

Togetherall: Summer Support

🌞 Feeling lonely or overwhelmed this summer? You're not alone. @Togetherall is here to help you stay connected and supported in a safe, anonymous, and compassionate community. Discover new ways to connect and find comfort in knowing that others are going through the same challenges. Prioritise your mental well-being this summer.​

📲 Sign up today at:
https://togetherall.com/en-gb/mental-health-support-for-all-uk-armed-forces-veterans/

Army Cadet Summer Magazine 2024

Army Cadets Summer Magazine is here;
In this issue we’re celebrating exped season with features that’ll have you ready for whatever your detachment or contingent commander has in store for you. With plenty of awesome stories covering DofE, Navigation, Sports and Music, there is something for everyone!

To read the latest issue click here

#Andysmanclub

The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust: New Covenant Fund programme focusing on prevention of Veteran suicide

The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust (the Trust) has launched the third in its series of new Covenant Fund programmes for 2024/25.

The Embedding Prevention of Veteran Suicide programme will award one-year grants up to £50,000 and two-year grants up to £100,000, for projects which draw upon the key findings from their One Is Too Many programme, and will enable systemic change and long-term, sustainable impact in supporting Armed Forces Veterans with poor mental health, their families, and those who are caring for or supporting them.

The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust: New Covenant Fund programme to mitigate impact of separation on Forces families

The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust (the Trust) has launched the second in a series of new Covenant Fund programmes under its exciting three-year Funding Framework. 

Apart Not Alone: Support for Serving Families programme is now open for applications for grants between £5,000 and £15,000 for projects that will help to mitigate the impact of long or frequent involuntary separation for families, spouses, and serving personnel, including Reservists and their families.

The Trust ran a public consultation in 2023, which identified that one of the key areas to focus on was ‘Reducing stress and challenges for Armed Forces families. This family focused programme will address the unique needs of serving Armed Forces families facing long and/or frequent involuntary separation which can have significant impact on different aspect of family life.  

Easy Resettlement Magazine - Summer 2024 Edition

  To read the summer edition of Easy Resettlement Magazine, click the link.​​

Families First newsletter - issue 18

To read the latestest newsletter online, please click here. 

The Ulysses Trust

The Ulysses Trust provides support and funding to encourage challenging and adventurous activities by members of the Volunteer Reserve and Cadet Forces.

To find our more: www.ulyssestrust.co.uk​

Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust launches first new Armed Forces Covenant Fund programme for 2024/25 - Serving Families: On the Move

The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust (the Trust) has launched the first Covenant Fund programme under its exciting three-year Funding Framework.

Serving Families: On the Move is now open for applications for grants of up £120,000 for two-to-three-year projects that will improve the quality of life for Service families impacted by relocation as a direct result of Service life.

Civvy Street - July 2024 Edition

The latest edition of Civvy Street can be found here​.

HQ Brigade of Gurkhas: Cradle to Grave Guide

HQ Brigade of Gurkhas has launched a 'Cradle to Grave' publication. The aim of this booklet is to:

• ​Inform potential recruits (PR) joining the Brigade of Gurkhas.
• Guide to officers in the Brigade to support their leadership, command, and management.
• Provide awareness for personnel involved in supporting roles, welfare, management of facilities and on temporary attachment.
• Provide awareness for Regional Point of Command (RPoC) and Formation HQs with Gurkhas under command.
• Provide awareness for local authorities, external supporting agencies, schools, and local councils.​

​To access the guide, please go to this link: Gurkha Life Skills - Cradle to Grave - Gurkha Brigade Association (gurkhabde.com)

C is for Cadet.

                                                 

Domestic Abuse - Help is at Hand.

                                                   

Click the poster to enlarge it.

Remember, you're not alone during Euro 24. Women's Aid has warned that domestic abuse cases can increase by up to 38% following major games. 

Sharing the information on this poster could be incredibly valuable to someone you know.

GamCare - Armed Forces gambling harms awareness.

 

Please click here to visit the GamCare website