Armed Forces Suicide Prevention Strategy & Action Plan

The Armed Forces Suicide Prevention Strategy and Action Plan has been published today, demonstrating Defence's commitment to reduce suicide in the Armed Forces and provide support to those affected by it.

The Strategy establishes eight focus areas: 

1. Understand high risk groups within the Armed Forces
2. Educate the Armed Forces about suicide and its prevention
3. Enable individual resilience and support personal needs
4. Enable safe military environments
5. Enhance organisational management of those at risk
6. Enable access to support for those at risk
7. Develop accessible postvention support
8. Improve organisational learning

To read the full Strategy and Action Plan, please click HERE​

Defence Medical Services: SMS Medical and Dental Appointment Reminders

An SMS text message reminder service has been launched for patients registered at Defence Medical Services medical and dental practices. For more information please go to the My Healthcare Hub app on Defence Gateway​

Personal Accident and Life Insurance Schemes for Personnel

Personal Accident and Life Insurance Schemes for Personnel

MOD is re-evaluating the Personal Accident Insurance Scheme and Life Insurance Scheme offer for personnel. A procurement exercise has been completed and we are pleased to announce that a new Broker, The Risk Factor, has been appointed. Initial discussions have taken place, and our priority is the continuation of appropriate cover for existing policyholders with as little disruption as possible.

As this is a new supplier, insurance products will no longer be branded as PAX. Existing PAX Personal Accident Insurance Scheme members should note that a replacement Personal Accident Insurance Scheme (providing similar benefits) will be introduced on 1 June 2023, for which they will need to apply if they wish to maintain Personal Accident Insurance cover. There will be no automatic transfer from PAX to the new provider.

There is no action for policyholders to take at this point. Once arrangements for how to join the new Insurance Scheme(s) have been finalised these details will be made available along with the new Scheme’s policy terms and conditions so individuals can make an informed choice based on their requirements (we expect this to be mid-May).

MOD personnel: please see 2023DIN01-023

Join our Centrica Pathway

 

Staying Safe Around Stray Dogs

(Information taken From Panaga Club Website - this information is for guidance only)

Month of the Military Child - Wear PURPLE on 28 April

Brunei: BFB - H15 Communal Areas

Around H15 area found several faults that need raising:

1. Blocked drain causing water pooling (Tile 1 & 2).

2. ATAP (No. 12 & 13) wooden diagonal bracing rotting / damaged. Requires replacement and repair (Tile 3 & 4).

Location: H15 Communal area

Source: Contractor initiated

POC: SSgt Fong

Future Accommodation Model Social Media Re-branding to Defence Accommodation Policy

Never such innocence - creative art & poetry competition

In partnership with the MOD, Never such Innocence are welcoming poetry and art entries from service and civilian children 6-18 years old from the UK.

 A total of 15 pieces will be chosen to be displayed at a special location! All entrants will receive a personalised certificate of participation. 

Competition runs from 1-30 April, 2023. Winners will be announced by 15 May, 2023. The theme this year is Friends Near and Far.

All competition details can be found here: https://www.neversuchinnocence.com/month-of-the-military-child

Refuge Video: Managing Emergency Alerts on your phone to stay safe if you're experiencing domestic abuse

Refuge, the largest domestic abuse organisation in the UK, have produced a video to guide victims of domestic abuse on managing the Government's Emergency Alerts Test on Sun 23 Apr to ensure they stay safe: 

Managing Emergency Alerts on your phone to stay safe if you'r​​e experiencing domestic abuse - YouTube

Brunei: SSAFA French Breakfast - This event has been POSTPONED until the 25th of April

 

Brunei: Reminder of Ramadhan rules

Ramblers Wellbeing Walks

It’s almost impossible not to feel good when we’re walking outdoors – it’s a natural mood-booster! And the great news is we don’t need to walk far or fast to feel its effects on our health and wellbeing. Simply getting out is a tonic for our minds and bodies, and it can be sociable too.

Almost all of us can manage a stroll, and Ramblers Wellbeing Walks make it easier to start walking and stay active.​

​To find a local walk near you, please CLICK HERE

Brunei: BFB Quarterly Newsletter - Edition 2

Click here to access the latest edition of BFB's Quarterly Newsletter

 

Are you missing out on claiming Wraparound Childcare funding?

Wraparound Childcare (WAC)

There are eligible families that have not yet registered for Wraparound Childcare (WAC). Are you missing out on this funding?

Check if you are eligible:

RN Families - wraparound childcare | Royal Navy | Discover My Benefits (mod.gov.uk)

Army https://discovermybenefits.mod.gov.uk/army/army-families/families-wraparound-childcare] RAF Families - wraparound childcare |

RAF | Discover My Benefits (mod.gov.uk)

Or:

Think you can’t claim Wraparound Childcare (WAC)?

Is your partner in the Army / Navy / RAF ? Are you returning to work? You may be eligible to claim for up to 20 hours of before and after school care for eligible children aged 4 to 11 years old.

Check if you are eligible:

RN Families - wraparound childcare | Royal Navy | Discover My Benefits (mod.gov.uk)

 

Army https://discovermybenefits.mod.gov.uk/army/army-families/families-wraparound-childcare]

 

RAF Families - wraparound childcare | RAF | Discover My Benefits (mod.gov.uk)

Or:

Think you can’t claim Wraparound Childcare (WAC)?

Are you a Service person in PSTAT Cat 3,4 or 5? You may be eligible to claim up to 20 hours of before and after school care for eligible children aged 4 to 11 years old.

Check if you are eligible: 

RN Families - wraparound childcare | Royal Navy | Discover My Benefits (mod.gov.uk)

Army https://discovermybenefits.mod.gov.uk/army/army-families/families-wraparound-childcare]

RAF Families - wraparound childcare | RAF | Discover My Benefits (mod.gov.uk)

Or:

Think you can’t claim Wraparound Childcare (WAC)?

Are you a Service Person and do you commute weekly to and from your family home? You may be eligible to claim up to 20 hours of before and after school care for eligible children aged 4 to 11 years old. 

Check if you are eligible: Army, RAF, Navy or Marines

New Documentary Hearts and Minds: A Very British Tactic Now on Forces News YouTube

New Documentary Hearts and Minds: A Very British Tactic Now on Forces News YouTube

In this new documentary, Forces News takes an in-depth look at the unique tactic of 'Hearts and Minds', 20 years after it was used by the British Army during the Iraq War.

British military commanders and soldiers on the ground in Iraq used the term when working with local people. Hearts and Minds: A Very British Tactic looks at the origin of the approach, how it was applied in Iraq and asks if it is still relevant today by talking to key military players.

In a rare TV interview, Lieutenant General Sir Graeme Lamb, the British commander in 2003, says hearts and minds “underpins everything I ever did in uniform".

He was Director of Special Forces and played a key role in the development of counterinsurgency in Iraq.

General Lord Dannatt, the Chief of the General Staff from 2006 to 2009, explains why winning hearts and minds was so important.

“A counterinsurgency campaign is always going to be about the people. That's why war is in any sense a human activity. It's amongst the people."

The documentary also hears from former soldier and leading war studies academic, Professor Sir Lawrence Freedman, on what it was like going into Iraqi homes and schools as troops on the ground put the idea into practice.

The film also explores the impact latterly of the deteriorating security situation.

Colonel Tim Collins, who famously gave a rousing eve-of-invasion speech to his soldiers, compares hearts and minds to taking a course of antibiotics.

“You have to stay and grip it until the problem has gone away and that's quite a long time. If you stop half-way through, withdraw to barracks, you have no control of what's happening."

The documentary Hearts and Minds: A Very British Tactic is available to watch on Forces News YouTube channel now. https://www.youtube.com/@forces_news

Separation and divorce guide for military personnel spouses and partners

To view the Guide, please visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/separation-and-divorce-guide-for-military-personnel-spouses-and-partners​

Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme (DVDS)

Veterans UK - Armed Forces Compensation Scheme Online Claim

A new online Armed Forces compensation service has gone live. Veterans UK, part of Defence Business Services (DBS), has launched a new online claim service to help people to access injury and illness compensation more easily. Veterans UK is responsible for administering compensation and pensions schemes for both serving personnel, veterans and their families. The new service is part of our commitment to modernising the services we provide to the Defence community and is the first step in the digitalisation of DBS’s Compensation Schemes. Before launching the service, the Veterans Modernisation Team had to successfully complete a Cabinet Office Beta Assessment and provide evidence to show they had met a 14-point service standard.

How will the new online service help customers?

* Although the paper claim form can still be used if customers prefer, the online service has been developed entirely using a ‘user needs’ approach, identifying what users want and need and providing a digital solution. It has the following added benefits for customers:

* The online form takes less time to complete in comparison to the paper form

* The online form is more intuitive, meaning it only asks questions relevant to the individuals claim and is based on previous questions

* Individuals can submit multiple claims on one application

* There is an option to save progress and take a break

* It allows individuals easily upload supporting documents relevant to their claim

The online form can be accessed via any internet device, including a smartphone.

For more information on the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme, please click HERE

To use the online AFCS claim form, please click HERE

For advice on, or assistance with, an AFCS claim please contact Veterans UK

To read the launch announcement in full click on this link: AFCS ONLINE.

ASDIC - Association of Service Drop-In Centres

The Association of Service Drop-In Centres (ASDIC) represents and links veterans’ Drop-Ins across the country. ​​Sometimes called Hubs or Centres, Drop-Ins offer a variety of welfare and mental health support, together with comradeship and a sense of well-being, to the ex-military community and their families, and ASDIC helps them to enhance the service they can provide and make them more accessible.​

Click here to find your nearest drop-in centre

Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide

Only those of us who have experienced this terrible tragedy can truly understand. None of us need to suffer alone, together we can help each other.

Click here for support https://uksobs.org/​

Delivery of the Annual Army Non-UK National Awareness Brief

Month of the Military Child - Creative Competition 1-30 April

Link to further information: http://www.neversuchinnocence.com/month-of-the-military-child​

Forces Childrens Education - Celebrate month of the military child this April

Link to further information: https://forceschildrenseducation.org.uk/month-of-the-military-child-2023

Open University - Disabled Veterans' Scholarship Fund - Applications Close 5 Jul 23

If you’ve been injured or disabled in, or as a result of, military service, you could be funded to complete a full Open University qualification.

​We’re now accepting applications for the 2023/24 academic year.

Full details can be found HERE​

Expansion of SSAFA’s eRedbook service with support of Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust

Forces’ families recognise the value of the Digital Personal Child Health Record – commonly known as the eRedbook – launched in 2019 by the Cyprus-based Community Health Team of SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity.

The eRedbook is a parent-held health and development record which allows access to your child’s personal health and development records wherever the family is. It is a simple and convenient service for Forces’ families who may move often and need to securely store and access information on their child's health.

Now, with a grant – the funding is from the MOD Armed Forces Families Fund administered by the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust – the eRedbook scheme can expand this service to more parents and more children wherever UK Armed Forces are stationed including Cyprus, Sennelager, BATUS (British Army Training Unit Suffield in Canada), Gibraltar, Brunei, and BATUK (Kenya).

The grant will enable SSAFA to develop functionality within the eRedbook to better support families as they transition to overseas postings and enter bespoke information for each location, including community health services such as the local Health Visitor details and other vital support.

This will enable families to access key information at the point of need, for example domestic abuse helplines and – discreetly – advice, local emergency numbers, local contacts for welfare and support agencies, and signposting to UK resources such as Mind, Kooth, ICON, and the Child Accident Prevention Trust.

Melanie Ponomarenko, Cyprus-based SSAFA Public Health & Engagement Manager, said: It’s fantastic to be able to offer our families the eRedbook, not only ensuring they are able to access key information and advice empowering them take control of their child's health but also ensuring that they are able to access the same digital health tools that families in the UK are beginning to access under digital health plans.”

Cathey Horsfall, Head of Consulting & Digital Experience at eRedbook developer Sitekit, said: "Sitekit is delighted to be able to support SSAFA as they improve digital service to parents across the Armed Forces."

For more information about SSAFA’s Community Health Team, visit ssafa.org.uk/get-help/ssafa-community-health-overseas.

Forces families to benefit as dedicated fund returns

Forces families to benefit as dedicated fund returns

Projects supporting military families can bid for a share of funding as the latest round of the Armed Forces Families Fund opens for applications.

The Fund, which is administered on the MOD’s behalf by the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust, is available to organisations who want to launch projects that have a positive impact on the lives of military communities.

Applications for the 2023 fund can be made from Monday 3 April, with full details of eligibility criteria and how to apply available on the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust’s website. The Families Fund welcomes applications for projects under three key programmes:

* Service Pupil Support Programme; a programme that awards grants to schools to help address additional challenges that children from Armed Forces families may face 

* Supporting Partners Innovation Fund; a programme that will fund innovative support for partners of those who are serving.  

* Early years Fund; a programme which will fund projects that help support young children from serving Armed Forces families to have great places to learn and develop. The Armed Forces Families Fund was created to help implement parts of the UK Armed Forces Families Strategy following its launch in January 2022.

Last year’s round of funding supported 84 projects benefiting Armed Forces families, including a Safe Space and Support scheme for the 86 Service children attending Somerset’s Stanchester Academy.

The bespoke, supervised safe space is used as a meeting place, homework room, and dining area, as well as a location for an additional Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA) to provide one-to-one tutoring.

The project also allowed the Academy to train a member of staff as a ‘Bounce Forward Armed Forces Resilience Champion’, providing resilience sessions and community events to improve the lives of Service children and their families.

Teacher Rebecca Hendry, who applied for the grant, said: “We have a high number of pupils that transfer to our secondary school in later years or midway through the year.

“Many of our students experience having a parent deployed or based elsewhere and away during the week. By funding a specialist ELSA staff member and offering them extra tuition combined with a safe space, we can ensure that they have all the support needed to help them.”

Get involved

For full details about the Armed Forces Families Fund, including eligibility criteria for each programme, deadline dates and application guidance, visit the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust’s website.

Please click here for links

New Service Pupil Support Programme - part of exciting new funding opportunity from the Armed Forces Families Fund

Please click here to read

Gambling in the spotlight - survey for Service Personnel

As part of MOD's work to better understand problem gambling across the Armed Forces, we have worked with Swansea University to develop a survey. A large number of respondents are required to make this a worthwhile source of evidence.

The confidential survey is open to any serving member of the Armed Forces and takes around 10 minutes to complete – it is also aimed at those Healthcare and welfare teams working within the Armed Forces to get a view of their experiences of dealing with problem-gambling.


Ideally responses need to be reflective of the AF community, so input from those in Basic and Initial Trade Training, across all types of Unit, including those deployed overseas and deployed on operations, and all types of Reservist. Responses will inform further research and work that the Health Priority Group will undertake. The survey will close on Mon 24 Apr.


​Please contact your nearest HIVE to be given the survey link or see DefNet or Defence Connect.

Take Five to Stop Fraud Week 17-21 April

Take Five is a national campaign offering straight-forward, impartial advice that helps prevent email, phone-based and online fraud - particularly where criminals impersonate trusted organisations.

To stay safe, follow the advice from Take Five to Stop Fraud.

Looking for advice on how to save money on your energy bills?

Click here to visit the website for further detail on how energy saving actions and more can add up to big savings​

Op Courage - Specialist care for Service leavers, reservists, veterans and their families

Managing Emergency Alerts on your phone to stay safe if you're experiencing domestic abuse

The government is rolling out a new Emergency Alerts system and a test alert will be sent out on Sunday 23rd April. 

The alerts will be used to let you know about emergency situations (like severe flooding) through your mobile phone. However, the alert will be accompanied by a loud sound even if your phone is on silent. If you live with an abusive partner this could alert them to any secret or secondary phones that you may have.

Here's how you can turn alerts off, both on Android phones and on iPhones: Managing Emergency Alerts on your phone to stay safe if you're experiencing domestic abuse - YouTube

 

If you’re afraid of your partner call the free 24 hours a day National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247, or live chat with them Monday-Friday, 3-10pm by going to nationaldahelpline.org.uk.