Brunei: Baggage Entitlements

BAGGAGE ENTITLEMENTS

1. JSP800 Volume 2, Part 2, Chap 6, Table 2-6-1, page 154 stipulates the
baggage entitlements for SP and Spouses when travelling for service reasons by air.

2. The current MoU that HQ BFB have with Royal Brunei Airlines (RBA) states that pax traveling within this agreement will receives an entitlement of either;

a. 30Kg - Routine activity.

b. 40Kg - Personnel (including family members) on routine assignments.

c. 56Kg - Other activity if justified.

d. Pax travelling on alternative methods (Not using RBA or if booked without the MCC) will have baggage in accordance with JSP800 Volume 2.

Museum of Army Flying - Free Admission Offers

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To visit the website, click HERE

Togetherall: How to manage feelings of loneliness and isolation

Is loneliness the new normal? With our means of connection changing over the last few years, we can all find ourselves feeling lonely at times.

Check out this blog by @Togetherall's Chief Clinical Officer, Ben Locke, PHD., where he provides his tips for dealing with feelings of loneliness and isolation.

Togetherall is FREE to anyone in the UK Military, Veterans & Family members aged 16+

Pinnacle Group SFA Winter Tips: Going Away for October Half Term

If you're going away over half term, why not leave a key with a trusted friend or neighbour so they can check on your home to reduce the risk of something going wrong?

​If any issues do arise, contact the Helpdesk on 0800 031 8628 or visit https://www.pinnacleservicefamilies.co.uk/​​

MOD Accommodation Team Furniture Research - Register interest

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The MOD Accommodation Team are reviewing what items of furniture are provided to you in SFA and how furniture provision could be improved for you and Defence.​

Please email people-accommodation-research@mod.gov.uk by the 31st October 2023 if you would like to take part, or if you would like further information.​ 

Brunei: NAAFI Car Park - For Customers Only

Please be advised that the NAAFI car park is reserved for NAAFI customers only and not for general parking. Extra parking is available at the temple car park and must be utilised by those who are not shopping at the NAAFI.

Forces Family Support: Are You Affected by A Loved One’s Harmful Use of Alcohol, Drugs or Gambling?

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The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust: Making positive impacts to Veterans’ mental health and wellbeing

Following the successful administration of the One Is Too Many programme, the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust (the Trust) has commissioned the University of Chester to evaluate the findings from this innovative programme which focuses on veteran suicide prevention.

With funding from HM Treasury through the Veterans’ Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund, the One is Too Many programme awarded £2.1M to nine projects across the UK, to organisations with experience in working with individuals who are at increased risk of suicide.

The Trust commissioned the University of Chester to undertake a comprehensive, external evaluation of the programme, which has found that the programme has made a positive difference through the treatments and interventions that have improved mental health and wellbeing, with life-saving implications. 

The One Is Too Many programme
The programme funded two-year projects, designed to significantly reduce veteran suicide by gaining a better understanding of the issues, providing timely intervention including education and peer support to improve the wellbeing of veterans and engage where appropriate with their families and friends.

An important focus of the programme was to address the possible barriers to accessing healthcare.

We wanted to further explore specific approaches that could help reduce suicide and suicide risk in veterans. At the heart of the programme we wanted to better understand the difficulties experienced by vulnerable veterans in dealing with suicidal thoughts and feelings, but who were not successfully accessing the support they need.

The funded organisations delivered their projects in a co-ordinated and targeted way, concentrating on the quality of the interventions in reducing suicide, rather than the number of participants.

Who did the programme support?
Nearly 600 Veterans took part in the projects examined in depth by the evaluators. The Veterans had multiple aspects within their lives that were sources of stress to them.

The majority of service users had an average service of 12 years. Most were male with an average age of 45.

Some key findings from the evaluation include:

• 77% reported being exposed to a traumatic event during Service with an average of two each
• 83% of Veterans taking part in projects reported long-standing physical or mental health illness
• 3% of project participants were homeless on entering the programme

The evaluation notes that the programme has illustrated suicide risk factors leading to Veterans’ self-harm, suicide risk and protective factors.

These can now inform policymakers, healthcare professionals, and third-sector organisations of a direction of travel that has palpable benefits.

Impact of the programme
The evaluation report has shown that projects were successful in improving the health and wellbeing of Veterans.

However, there is a need to further explore initiatives to engage with female Veterans. Research is also needed to examine the impact of gender-related experiences during military Service on female Veterans’ help-seeking behaviour.

Anna Wright, Chief Executive of the Trust said:

“We are delighted that there is good evidence that this ambitious programme has made a positive difference through the treatments and interventions that have improved mental health and wellbeing in veterans, with lifesaving implications.”

Recommendations from the evaluation
The evaluation report notes several recommendations. These include:

• additional resources and research
• developing strategies to reach under-represented and minority groups
• ways to encourage help-seeking behaviour

Read the report
The evaluation report is available to read on our website. It includes a full list of recommendations and lots of insight from those who took part in the programme.

One Is Too Many: Suicide Prevention Conference
The evaluation report is being launched at the Trust’s One Is Too Many: Suicide Prevention Conference, today (11 October 2023).

We are delighted to be able to launch such an important impact document at our flagship event for 2023. Further updates from the conference will follow.

In the meantime, you can learn more about the One Is Too Many programme on our website.

Education Advisory Team (UK) (EAT (UK)): Information on School Admissions for Service Families

The Education Advisory Team (UK) (EAT (UK)) is part of the MOD’s Defence Children Services. We are a tri-service organisation that provides information, advice and guidance on all educational matters in the UK.

We are providing advice to parents of children in Year 6 about how and when to apply for secondary school places for September 2024 in the UK.

Secondary School Places in England for September 2024

If you require a secondary school place in England for September 2024, the deadline for secondary school applications is 31st October 2023.

We would advise that you follow your local authority’s application process: information will be available on their website. You can also contact your local authority’s admission team if you have any questions or require support. Contact details should be available on the local authority website.

Each local authority will send out offers for secondary school places on 1st March 2024.

Further information - https://www.gov.uk/schools-admissions/how-to-apply https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-admissions-code--2

Secondary School Places in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland for September 2024

Education is a devolved matter and each of the four countries have different education systems. Dependent on location, it is likely that there will be a different process and deadline for applying for secondary school places in each area. We would advise that you follow your local authority’s application process and ensure that you are aware of the deadline to submit your application by. This information will usually be available on the local authority website and we would advise that you contact the local authority directly if you have any questions or require any further support.

Further information can be found on the links below:

• Scotland - https://www.mygov.scot/browse/education-training/secondary-school https://forceschildrenseducation.org.uk/

• Wales - https://gov.wales/school-admissions https://www.sscecymru.co.uk/

• Northern Ireland - https://www.eani.org.uk/parents/admissions

EAT (UK) Advice and Support

We would advise that you contact the EAT (UK) team immediately for advice and support in the following situations:

• If you are due to move and require a secondary school place for September 2024 in a different area to where you are currently living

• If you are unable to apply for a secondary school place by the deadline within your local authority

For bespoke advice in relation to your individual situation then please contact the Education Advisory Team (UK) (EAT (UK)) on the contact details below:

Email: RC-DCS-HQ-EAT@mod.gov.uk

Address: EAT, Trenchard Lines, Upavon, Wiltshire, SN9 6BE Further information can also be found on the EAT (UK) website:

https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/defence-children-services-dcs

We welcome contact from any Service families and are here to support you as best we can.

Please click link for further information and FAQs: EAT (UK) Co-ordinated school admissions England information sheet

GamCare: Signs of gambling harm and where to get support

Would you know how to spot the signs of gambling harm and where to get support? GamCare can help with some practical steps.

Gambling is very easy to access these days with our phones and multiple options to get involved. This can mean that we spend more of our time and money than we want to or mean to, and it is easy to experience the negative impacts of too much gambling.

GamCare is the leading provider of information, advice and support for anyone affected by gambling harms, and receives over 44,000 calls to the helpline and live chat each year to support people to change their relationship with gambling. There are a range of ways you can be supported - in person, over the phone, or virtually. If you're unsure if your own or someone else's gambling is becoming harmful, we've put together some useful signs to think about.

GamCare hears from people who have become isolated and lonely as a result of their gambling, and who haven’t spoken to anyone else about what they are going through.

We support anyone who has an issue with their gambling or someone else’s. We're available 24/7, we operate the free National Gambling Helpline, and provide treatment in all regions across England, Scotland, and Wales.

Our trained advisers will help you find the right kind of support – whether it’s free tools to block gambling sites; forums and groups where you can get support from people in the same situation; or free confidential treatment in your area or residential treatment. Negative impacts on mental health are very common – people experience anxiety, depression and stress, and the effects on their loved ones can be just as bad. But there is hope and we help thousands of people to overcome gambling harms every year.

Would you know how to spot if your own or someone else's gambling is causing harm?

Becoming so focused on gambling can increase the isolation people feel and it can also make it harder to ask for help.

Gambling is also known as the ‘hidden addiction’, and often the signs are not clear. From experience, we understand that these are the most common ways to identify if your own or someone else’s gambling has become harmful.

Five signs to consider about your own gambling:

• Preoccupation – Do you spend much of your day thinking about betting? Are you finding it distracting you whilst at work, or taking you out of the moment when you spend time with friends and family? Often thinking about or planning to gamble can be one of the early warning signs that gambling could be harmful.

• Withdrawal – Removing yourself from social and professional situations so that you can place a bet is another warning signal that your gambling might be going too far, and that the urges to gamble are potentially harming other areas of your life.

• Escape – Life can be overwhelming at times, and you might feel like you want to escape it for a while. Using gambling as a coping mechanism is a sign of harmful gambling and can lead to losing significant amounts of money.

• Chasing losses – The main motive of gambling is to win money but during a gambling session, that motive can change. Chasing losses is where your motive from winning money changes to winning back the money you have already lost. This can be dangerous and lead to significant losses.

• Lying – If you find yourself hiding how much you are spending or lying about the amount of time you are gambling, or perhaps asking for money to cover bills that you are spending. These are just some signs that gambling is harming your life, and possibly risking your relationships with family and friends.

How to stop a gambling issue from escalating

Stopping an issue around gambling can be difficult if it has become a key part of your life. However, a mix of practical activities or hobbies to occupy your time along with taking positive action with the following steps can help:

• Talk to a friend or a family member – talking to someone you trust is often the best place to start if you feel your gambling is going too far. Even if they may not be able to help immediately, sharing any concerns you have can be an important first step to stop your gambling from escalating.

• Talk to a trained adviser at GamCare – if you don’t feel comfortable talking to someone you know, then talking to someone you don’t know can also help. Call the National Gambling Helpline for free on 0808 8020 133 where you can speak to an adviser for non-judgmental advice and support: gamcare.org.uk

• Restrict access to gambling websites – using practical tools can also help. Gamban is a software provider that blocks access to gambling websites, and you can also self-exclude from gambling websites through GAMSTOP for free. Gamban is available for free when calling the National Gambling Helpline through the TalkBanStop partnership (talkbanstop.com).

• Put banking blocks on your card – Many retail banks now offer the ability to block transactions to gambling companies. This can be an important extra layer of protection when trying to cut down or restrict your gambling. Find out more about this tool via gamcare.org.uk/banks

Reading Force - Claim your free book

BuildForce Armed Forces Information Day with TfL and Morgan Sindall Infrastructure - London, 30 Nov

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Pinnacle Group: SFA Winter Tips

Check your boiler is working

Autumn is here and there’s no better time to check your boiler is working correctly:

• The pressure should be between 1 and 1.5
• Amend your thermostat, check the boiler fires up properly and radiators are warming up

If you’re having problems with your boiler, contact us on 0800 031 8628.

Bleed your radiators

If your radiators are cold at the top when the heating is on, you may need to bleed them to make sure they work and heat up your home efficiently. If you’re having problems with your heating system, contact us for advice on 0800 031 8628.

Check your roof and gutters

Blocked outside drains and gutters can mean water, ice and snow can’t drain away from your roof. If your gutters need clearing, contact us on 0800 031 8628 and we can arrange for DIO’s maintenance contractors to attend.

Locate your stop tap

Do you know where your stop tap is? It’s the little tap or lever on pipes, often found under your sink. It’s important to check it works so you can turn the water off in an emergency until DIO’s maintenance contractors can attend. If you encounter an emergency, call 0800 031 8628.

Locate isolation valves

Most sinks, baths, boilers and toilets have isolation valves that can be turned off in the event of a leak. Take the time to locate your isolation valves so you know how to turn the water off. If you encounter an emergency, please contact us on 0800 031 8628.

Please click here to visit the Pinnacle website

New Consultation Launched: Child Maintenance - Accelerating Enforcement

A new consultation has launched this week seeking views on proposed legislative changes to speed up enforcement of child maintenance arrears, reducing the time it takes from almost six months to six to eight weeks.

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) will be able to use an administrative liability order to recover unpaid child maintenance instead of applying to the courts and facing a lengthy wait.

The CMS helps around 930,000 children get the financial support they are entitled to and between June 2022-2023 arranged £1.2 billion on their behalf. Overall, child maintenance payments help to keep 160,000 children out of poverty each year.

The consultation is open to voluntary and community sector organisations, as well as CMS customers and members of the public. It applies to England, Wales and Scotland, although comments are welcomed from across the United Kingdom.

The consultation closes at 11:45pm on 24 November.

​Find out more and access the consultation

Little Troopers Therapy Programme

To find out more online, please click here 

Help stop young people falling victims to loan sharks

Recent research has shown that a higher proportion of people in the 18 to 24 year old age bracket are at particular risk of being targeted by loan sharks in the current climate. More young people are having financial services or products refused by mainstream banks and many are being forced to borrow from friends and family to make ends meet.

With this in mind, Stop Loan Sharks want to highlight the services offered by credit unions, producing a new grime music video in conjunction with Find Your Credit Union and Nourish Social in the hope that it will appeal to young people and show them that other options that are available. Click the image above to watch the video online.

Service Personnel can also utilise the Joining Forces Credit Unions, supported by the MOD to make saving simple and loans more affordable to the Armed Forces community.

Please CLICK HERE to watch the Credit Union Grime Video.

Kooth - World Mental Health Day - 10th Oct

World Mental Health Day - let’s talk about mental health

10 October is World Mental Health Day - a chance for us to talk openly about mental health with our loved ones, listen without judgement, and share how important it is.

So please join in by setting aside time to talk about mental wellbeing with your loved ones. If you are aware of a child who is struggling or has questions, you can direct them to www.kooth.com/mod, where they can talk online in a psychologically safe space.

In Kooth children can participate in our online community or talk with a professional if they need a little extra help.

Armed Forces Pension Scheme: 2015 Remedy Updates Published

A booklet entitled '2015 PENSION REMEDY: Consultation Response and key details you need to know' has been published today on Gov.uk, and several other guidance documents have also been uploaded recently.

To view these documents, please click HERE

Mental Health First Aid England

As part of MHFA England®’s mission to train one in ten people in mental health knowledge, awareness, and skills, we are supporting several key awareness moments throughout Autumn 2023.

These also give you an opportunity to either get involved, share on your social media, or learn more.

10 September - World Suicide Prevention Day

10 October - World Mental Health Day

October - UK Black History Month

28 November - #techtimeouttuesday

Please Click HERE to visit the Mental Health First Aid website, where you will find more resources to help your overall mental health.

Brunei: AWS Community Support - Volunteers Needed