X-Forces Enterprise: Virtual 3-day Spouse and Partner Self Employment Workshop

For further information, please click here: X-Forces Enterprise. 

Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust: Over £290,000 to support those with seldom heard needs in Armed Forces communities

Ensuring under-represented voices in armed forces communities are heard is vital. In the latest round of their Hidden Voices programme, the Armed Forces Covenant Trust (the Trust) awarded grants totalling more than £290,000 to 15 projects delivering accessible mental health and wellbeing support for those with seldom heard needs in armed forces communities.

These projects will focus on improving access to bespoke support for groups whose voices, opinions or needs are not adequately represented or who face barriers to accessing support services.

Month of the Military Child: Final week to enter the Poetry and Art Competition

Final week to enter the Month of the Military Child Poetry and Art Competition – the closing date is 2 May.

Prizes include a £25 Amazon voucher, goodie bag and invitation to come to an award ceremony in London, and the best school display will win a £250 book voucher!

Learn more and enter here:

https://www.neversuchinnocence.com/month-of-the-military-child

AFF Virtual Immigration Brief – Tuesday, 29th April 2025, 7 PM - 8 PM

Month of the Military Child - Wear PURPLE on 25th April 2025

Kent University Space Week - 06th - 10th August 2025

Kent University Space Week, which is being held again this year and falls during the summer holidays and might be of interest to some of the elder children when they arrive from Brunei.

Space week will be on the 6th - 10th August 2025 for the same ages as last year.

Pre-registration can be accessed here:

Pre-register your interest here:

https://universityofkent.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_dhDEvKKQcQ2jsJo

Website: https://research.kent.ac.uk/kent-space-week/

Mailbox: spaceweek@kent.ac.uk

Information provided by South East HIVE Hub

Job opportunity with a charity - Senior Social Media Executive (remote, full time, permanent)

There’s a job opportunity at Relate (now part of Family Action, a national charity) that might be of interest to Service leavers, veterans, spouses, partners and the wider military community.

Senior Social Media Executive (Remote, Full Time, Permanent Job Opportunity)

• Job Reference: 1439
• Location: Homeworking
• Hours of Work: 37 hours per week (full-time)
• Salary: £32,311 FTE + £480 home working allowance per annum
• Contract Type: Permanent
• Closing Date: 11 May 2025

Relate at Family Action & the Role’s Impact:

Family Action is a national charity that supports people through change, challenge and crisis across England and Wales. On 1st January 2025, Relate, the largest provider of relationship support, joined the organisation helping us reach even more people and support the creation of secure foundations for children and young people, and safe, supportive relationships for all.

For over 150 years Family Action has seen first-hand the power of family and relationships to shape lives, for better or worse. That's why we speak up for the importance of family in national and local policymaking, amplify family voices and represent the changing needs of families in the UK today.

Whatever family means or looks like to us, it's relationships that matter. With Relate at Family Action, we are able to extend the support we provide with counselling, information, mediation and support to individuals, couples and families from all backgrounds and sexualities, as well as provide expert training for relationship support practitioners.

This is an exciting opportunity to join our organisation and help shape the future of Relate’s social media presence as part of Family Action. You will oversee Relate’s paid and organic social media activity, build brand awareness and drive sales of services and toolkits, whilst also supporting wider Relate at Family Action work aligning both brands.

SSAFA Forces Additional Needs & Disability Forum (FANDF) Conference – Registration Now Open

In-person tickets are now down to the last few, however there is still availability for virtual tickets.

The Forces Additional Needs & Disability Forum (FANDF) Conference 2025 is taking place on 2 June 2025. This is an empowering and informative event designed for current service personnel and their families with additional needs or disabilities. Hosted by the FANDF committee and facilitated by SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity, this conference will offer expert insights and practical advice for service families.

The event will be FANDF’s first hybrid FANDF event. You can join in person or virtually, making it accessible for those with caring responsibilities or living further afield.

The event will feature guest speakers from Defence (MOD) and support services offering valuable advice, information, and insights on available support for families. Our theme for this conference is 35 years strong: Championing Families, Shaping Change and we hope to celebrate some of the successes of support available for service families, whilst also highlighting how we can continue to shape change.

What's included:

• Food provided on the day
• Travel reimbursement available for FANDF members
• Accommodation available for FANDF members traveling over 2.5 hours

Who should attend?

• FANDF members or those eligible for FANDF membership.
• Professionals in the sector - please note, priority will be given to FANDF members for in-person attendance.

We invite you to attend this important event to hear from experts, ask questions, and access the support you and your family deserve. The FANDF committee look forward to welcoming you to this significant event, designed to shape change and further champion families with Additional Needs & Disabilities within the Armed Forces.

If you would like more information, please email: CS.ANDA@ssafa.org.uk

For details of FANDF membership, please visit: Forces Additional Needs and Disability Forum FANDF | Disability support | SSAFA

Support is Always Available

Please click the image to enlarge.

Click HERE for PDF.

Aurora New Dawn - Armed Forces Domestic Abuse, Sexual Violence and Stalking Helpline launches is now live.

Please click the image to enlarge.

We are delighted to share that our new Armed Forces Helpline for survivors of domestic abuse, sexual violence, and stalking is now live.

This Helpline is for any members of the Royal Navy British Army and Royal Air Force and their family members, including those deployed abroad, who are victims and survivors of Domestic Abuse, Sexual Violence or Stalking.

The Helpline operates 6 days a week. It is independent, confidential, and free, and having consulted with victim/survivors we have made sure to be available at different times.

Launched on the 31st March 2025, and funded by the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust, and the Army Benevolent Fund the Helpline has already exceeded the number of contacts anticipated.

At Aurora, we understand that the Armed Forces Community is unique, and we know that service life brings with it a number of challenges which can make it harder to talk about these issues.

The Helpline has been designed with an understanding of these specific needs in mind. Many of our specialist team are from Forces families or are ex service personnel. They understand service life, and how difficult it can be to talk about what is happening.

Those who choose to perpetrate Domestic Abuse, Sexual Violence and Stalking come from all walks of life. We want to make sure that victim/survivors with links to the armed forces get specialist support that has been designed with them and for them.

For general and professional enquiries, to contact the team, or for information on how to refer to the service call 023 92 479 254 or email us.

Need help?

Get support from the Armed Forces Helpline via 

Phone +44 (0)333 0912 527 (GMT): 0900-1500 Monday to Friday

Get support from the Armed Forces Helpline via 

WhatsApp on +44 (0)333 0912 527: Tuesday 0900-1500 / Wednesday & Thursday 1700-2000 / Sunday 1000-1400

MOD: Victim Witness Care Unit

The Defence Victim Witness Care Unit (VWCU) provides support and guidance for victims and witnesses during their journey through the Service Justice System.

Visit the website for more information: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/victim-witness-care-unit-vwcu

NHS England: Armed Forces health stakeholder brief - Spring 2025

Please click the image to enlarge.

NHS England’s Spring 2025 Armed Forces health stakeholder brief provides updates on the following topics:

• Op RESTORE, the NHS England-commissioned physical health and wellbeing service for veterans
• Op NOVA, the NHS England commissioned support service for veterans in the justice system
• The NHS Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance (VCHA) Veteran Aware Annual Conference
• Step into Health - assisting with the transition from military service to careers within the NHS
• NHS SARCS: Care and support available to sexual assault and abuse survivors
• Latest primary care network veteran friendly accreditations

To read the brief in full please click HERE.

Serve & Protect Credit Union: 2025/26 Cash ISA now launched!

Serve and Protect Credit Union's latest Fixed Cash ISA is here!

Secure a guaranteed and tax-free 4% AER return on your savings for the 2025/26 tax year, while supporting the wider community of those who serve and protect. Here’s how the new Fixed Cash ISA benefits you:

• Start Small, Save Big: Deposit as little as £5, with contributions up to £20,000 for this tax year.
• Tax-Free Growth: Enjoy a guaranteed 4% AER return to maximise your savings effortlessly.
• Peace of Mind: Your savings are protected up to £85,000 by the FSCS (Financial Services Compensation Scheme).
• Community Impact: Your savings make a meaningful difference by supporting others within the credit union.

Learn more at: https://sandpcu.co.uk/isa-hs-email

BFBS Update - April 2025

The BFBS April Update is now available to read online – please clink this link to view the latest news.

Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust latest round of grants: Serving Families - On the Move programme

A further three projects have been awarded bringing the total number to 14 projects worth over £1.25 million! These inclusive projects will improve the quality of life for service families affected by the difficulties and challenges relocation can bring, by implementing support for families not to just adapt but thrive in their new communities - in the latest round of grants from the Armed Forces Covenant Fund.

Aurora New Dawn: Athena Domestic Abuse Awareness & Recovery Programme – 3 June to 22 July

Aurora New Dawn’s Athena Domestic Abuse Awareness/Recovery Group is military specific and all online via zoom. This programme is for 8 weeks taking place on Tuesday evenings 3 June to 22 July, and is open to serving personnel and families worldwide.

Details of how to sign up are on the poster, and to find out more about Aurora New Dawn’s support to the Service community, please go to: https://www.aurorand.org.uk/armed-forces/

Veterans Karting Championships with Mission Motorsport

Mission Motorsport, the Forces’ Motorsport Charity, supports the recovery and rehabilitation of those affected by military service by offering exciting opportunities in motorsport and the wider automotive industry. It’s all about helping individuals regain confidence, build new skills, and have a great time doing it.

Please see the image for details of all event locations and dates.

Registration is now open for all rounds—you can sign up via the links below or simply use the QR code on the poster.

Here are the event dates and sign-up links:

29th April – Leicester: Sign up here
13th May – Newcastle: Sign up here
17th June – Crawley: Sign up here
15th July – Cardiff: Sign up here
16th September – Preston: Sign up here
7th October – Birmingham: Sign up here

These events are free to attend and open exclusively to members of the Armed Forces Community. It’s a brilliant opportunity to reconnect, try something new, and experience the buzz of motorsport in a relaxed, welcoming environment.

Events like this happen with amazing support from TeamSport Karting.

To see what events Mission Motorsport are running please visit: website.

Young Carers within Armed Forces Families - Nexus Easter Newsletter

Nexus is a three-year project funded by the Armed Forces Covenant Trust. The project aims to improve support, resources and access to services for young carers within armed forces families.

To find out more, and the latest updates, you can read the Easter Newsletter.

Headspace: New Ebb Chat Service now available

Army personnel and Army civil servants are eligible to sign up to Headspace for free, and also to extend this free subscription offer to five friends and family.

To sign up, please go to https://work.headspace.com/britisharmy/member-enroll

Please use your @mod.gov.uk, @armymail.mod.uk or @csmail.mod.uk email address to verify your account when prompted.

New guidance for schools and local authorities on supporting Service pupils

On 1 April 2025, the Ministry of Defence and Department for Education published non-statutory guidance to help state-funded schools and local authorities in England to understand and address the needs of Service pupils in schools (reception to year 11).

NAAFI Fund 2025 – Applications Now Open

NAAFI have just announced the launch of the NAAFI Fund Date for 2025!

The NAAFI Fund was launched back in 2020 and has supported 467 projects so far, donating over £4 million to help improve the lives of service personnel and their families around the world. To read more about the projects that NAAFI have supported to date: https://naafi.co.uk/giving-back/

To read the blog post announcing new information regarding the NAAFI Fund 2025: NAAFI Fund: Applications Open Soon - NAAFI

Forces Employment Charity Monthly Update - Award Nominations, Marathons, and Events

Forces Employment Charity’s monthly update is now available, and the latest news includes:

• Heropreneurs Awards 2025 nominations are now open
• A round-up of events across the UK and online webinars
• Marathon preparations
• Get to know Forces Employment Charity’s military women employment lead
• Satisfaction survey
• Links for further information

Read the update in full at this link: Get involved: Award Nominations, Marathons, and Events

FamCAS 25: Have you shared your views on Service family life? Time’s running out!

The Families Continuous Attitude Survey (FamCAS) 2025 closes today Monday 7 April at 23:59! Don’t miss your opportunity to tell us what you think about Service family life.

Each year, Defence invites a random sample of Service partners to complete the Families Continuous Attitude Survey (FamCAS). This survey is your chance to tell us about your experiences and views in relation to various aspects of Service family life.

You can see if you are in this year’s sample, and can access the survey, by using the online tool.

Why complete the survey?
Your feedback will help us to understand what Service life is like for your family, which will help us to make informed decisions on what changes to prioritise and develop policies to address your family’s challenges and needs. Whether it’s with childcare and children’s education, housing, deployment, or employment.

Who can complete the survey, and how?
To find out if you can take part in FamCAS 2025, please use the online eligibility tool. You will be asked to enter a token/access code, which is your partner’s Service number. This is needed for security reasons only. Please be assured that all survey responses are anonymous.

If eligible, the tool will direct you to the survey. We recommend using Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge.

If you have any questions about this year's FamCAS, please email: Analysis-Surveys-Enquiries@mod.gov.uk.

Information and support
Check out our new Families Hub, which signposts to support, guidance and organisations to help you navigate Service family life.

Visit Discover My Benefits to find out about the range of benefits, opportunities, and support for you and your family.