Thursday 27 February 2020

DCYP: Pilot Launch Of A New Education Overseas Supportability Form (EOS)


There has been on-going work around how the Directorate of Children and Young People (DCYP) assess children’s educational supportability prior to an overseas posting. Currently the Pupil Information Profile (PIP) has been used for this purpose.

As of 24th February 2020, the Pupil Information Profile (PIP) will no longer be used for assessing overseas educational supportability. This will be replaced with the Education Overseas Supportability (EOS) Form. All children 0-18 require educational clearance prior to overseas postings. This includes postings to MOD Schools and Non-MOD School areas. The purpose of the Education Overseas Supportability (EOS) Form is to support the information required for Educational Clearances. The Educational Clearance and MASO processes will continue and the Education Overseas Supportability (EOS) Form is the tool for gathering the information needed towards this.

DCYP is now in a position to go ahead with a pilot phase running from 24th February 2020 until 31st August 2020, with its final endorsement ready for September 2020. During the piloting period please do not make amendments to the form, but share any feedback or proposed amendments to the form with Claire Scott, SEND Lead for MOD Schools claire.scott@modschools.org. These will then be considered for the final endorsed form, starting September 2020. MOD Schools and CEAS will use this form. The PIP will not be used for Educational Clearances and no amendments are to be made to the EOS Form. All Primary and Secondary schools are expected to use the MOD Schools Admission Form and not any other variation.

The new Education Overseas Supportability (EOS) Form (PILOT) together with a model email which will be used by schools can be access by clicking the following links:

EOS Form Pilot

EOS Letter to Schools

If you would like an editable Word version of either of these documents, please contact chathamhive@armymail.mod.uk

Further info on educational issues, available on the DCYP website

Veterans' Gateway - The First Point Of Contact For Veterans Seeking Support



There is a huge network of organisations supporting the Armed Forces community, so finding the right one for your needs can be tricky.

The Veterans' Gateway makes it quick and easy by being your first point of contact for whatever support you need, whether you are based in the UK or abroad.

Many of the team are veterans themselves so they understand the issues that people face after leaving the Armed Forces.

They work with people on a one-to-one basis, connecting them with the right support as soon as possible.

For further information or support CLICK HERE


Veterans Gateway also has a Facebook Page

Wednesday 26 February 2020

State Benefits For Ex-Service Personnel



This useful guide produced by the Career Transition Partnership will help you find out more about State Benefits, including:

What benefits exist
Eligibility
Benefits for those being medically discharged
Where to find further information and advice
Some frequently asked questions on the topic

You will also find details on some additional benefits and discount schemes for service and ex service personnel.

CLICK HERE for more information

Child Benefit Information


You are entitled to Child Benefit if you’re responsible for a child under 16 (or under 20 if they stay in approved education or training).

Only one person can claim Child Benefit for a child.

You must report any change of circumstances to the Child Benefit Office.

You may have to pay a tax charge if your or your partner’s individual income is over £50,000.

You can choose not to get Child Benefit payments, but you should still fill in the claim form because:

- it will help you get National Insurance credits which count towards your State Pension

- it will ensure your child is registered to get a National Insurance number when they’re 16 years old

Friday 21 February 2020

Good Conduct Certificate For Dependants Leaving Brunei



Before leaving Brunei it is advisable for dependants to obtain a Brunei Police Check and get a ‘Good Conduct Certificate’ if they wish to seek employment in the UK or at their next posting.

1) Complete Police form CRF1 - CRF1 Form - can be obtained from the RMP and SSO Office

2) A copy of  your passport

3) A copy of your OGS stamp

4) A copy of Garrison ID Card

5) Cash payment of $50

The process takes two weeks from point of submission to point of collection (possibly due to Covid or if during Ramadan).  Ramdhani's offers a service whereby they do all the submission process for a small fee, however, they do not complete the form for you. The form must be completed by the applicant.


Take the form & pay your $50 to:

NEW Police HQ – to make the payment and get the receipt. The address is:
Polis Diraja
Brunei – Central Police Station
Jalan Tungku
Mukim Gadon
Bandar Seri Begawan

After payment take the forms and the receipt over to OLD Police HQ and drop off the forms for processing. 

Address for Old Police HQ is:
Ibu Pejabat
Polis Gadong
Jalan Gadong
Bandar Seri Begawan

The process should take approximately 2 weeks. Collect the forms from Old Police HQ.


UK / RMP Police Checks via The Service Police Crime Bureau (SPCB) 

SPCB are able to carry out checks of REDCAP and the Police National Computer, so any convictions spent or otherwise that are incurred whilst overseas as either a serving member of the British Armed Forces or a dependant, should be on either REDCAP or PNC, so long as we have been notified of the conviction; either through the RMP Unit or if the country has a sharing agreement with the UK (this would be with ACRO UKECR). 

SPCB can accept email request to either:

SpecOpsRMP-SPCB-Vetting0Grp@mod.uk

SpecOpsRMP-SPCB-Vetting0Grp@defence.gsi.gov.uk

Ask for an acknowledgement for your email.

To enable SPCB to provide each individual with a Police certificate to cover any period spent overseas; firstly they each need to provide her with the following information:

  • Valid Proof of ID (Either photo page of Passport, photo driving licence or military ID card). They can either scan the document or take a picture using a mobile phone or tablet and attach this to their email.
  •  Full Name, Data and Place of Birth and current address.

The certificate can be emailed, with a hard copy posted.

Once SPCB has received the above information from you; they will have 40 calendar days in which to provide the certificate requested.

SPCB is not able to provide the Police Certificate to a third party.

Once left Brunei.

Once they have left Brunei it is still possible to obtain the RMP Police Check using the above method but they would have to follow the application process available at the below website once they have left:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/criminal-records-checks-for-overseas-applicants

Wednesday 19 February 2020

Service Leaver's Guide - 2020


CLICK HERE to view the Service Leavers' Guide