Grantham: Lincolnshire Mental Health Adviser Helpline

www.lpft.nhs.uk

Information provided by Grantham HIVE

 

Assigned overseas? We want to hear your views on Service family life

 

Are you assigned overseas? We want to hear from you and learn more about your family's experience. Complete the Armed Forces Families and Safeguarding (AFFS) Overseas Families Survey to share your views on:

• Spousal / partner employment
• Childcare
• Communications
• Education
• Accommodation
• Safeguarding

It is important that we hear about the positive experiences and any challenges that families might be facing. The survey is anonymous, will take around 30 minutes to complete and is open until 04 August 2023. The responses will be analysed by AFFS and the Defence Analysis and Research Team and used to help review current policy and develop future families policies.

If you have any questions, please contact: People-AFFS-FamiliesTeam@mod.gov.uk.

People given even more time to pay National Insurance contributions towards their State Pension

 

The Government has extended the voluntary National Insurance (NI) contributions deadline to 5 April 2025, to give people even more time to fill gaps in their NI record and help increase the amount they receive in State Pension when they retire. The deadline was previously July 2023.

Extending the voluntary NI contributions deadline for another two years also means people have more time to properly consider whether paying voluntary contributions is right for them.

As part of the transition to the new State Pension, people have been able to pay these contributions to make up any incomplete years between April 2006 and April 2016. Some of the people likely to be affected include those who may have been unemployed during this period, off work because of caring responsibilities or living abroad*.

Further information and guidance are available on GOV.UK.

*This includes those posted overseas; Service spouses can apply for NI credits for periods 1975 onwards where they accompanied their serving partner overseas. For full details and the application forms please see National Insurance credits for partners of armed forces personnel overseas - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Armed Forces access to Jobcentre Plus services - update

 

As part of the Armed Forces Covenant, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has initiatives that help current and former armed forces personnel and your families access Jobcentre Plus services.

This includes having an armed forces champion in every Jobcentre Plus district who ensures that we provide support that meets your needs.

This page explains the role of the armed forces champion and the way you and your families can access our services.​

CLICK HERE​ to read the guidance

Defence Domestic Abuse Survivor Community & Awareness Network - for anyone employed by MOD

 

The Survivor Community is for women that are survivors of domestic abuse, providing peer support and signposting support and resources and has a safe, private group where survivors can interact. The wider network highlights and informs policy around domestic abuse in Defence, to help improve policies and practices and encourages engagement with wider Defence, promoting the need for survivors’ voices to be heard.

Read Defnet article

Read Welcome letter from Lt Col Elisabeth Roberts

Click HERE to view information flyer

Royal Mail - reinventing stamps for future generations

 

Royal Mail stamps are changing, so what should you do with your old stamps?

We’re adding barcodes to all our regular ‘everyday’ stamps. These are the stamps that should be very familiar with you. They feature the profile of Her Majesty the Queen on a plain coloured background. The barcodes will enable exciting new services by connecting physical stamps to the digital world through the Royal Mail app which you can download here.

We’re giving you plenty of notice about this change and any non-barcoded stamps you have will still be valid until 31 July 2023. If you won’t be able to use all of your stamps by that date you can swap them out for new barcoded ones.

Special Stamps with pictures on and Christmas Stamps without a bar code will continue to be valid and don’t need to be swapped out.

For more information and how to ‘swap them out’ visit www.royalmail.com/sending/barcoded-stamps

Chester: Upton Library - Regular Activities

Tuesday

Rhymetime: 2.15 - 2.45pm,weekly (term time only)

Wednesday

Scrabble Club: 10am - 12pm, fortnightly (alternates with Rummikub)
Rummikub: 10am - 12pm, fortnightly (alternates with Scrabble)
Not a Reading Group: 2.15pm - 3.15pm, last Wednesday in the month

Thursday

Knit and Natter: 10.30am - 11.30am, weekly
Poetry sharing: 2.15pm - 3.15pm, first Thursday of the month. No prior reading necessary. All welcome.

Friday

Storytime: 2.15 - 2.45pm, weekly (term time only)
A Cache of Crocheters: 5.45pm - 6.45pm, weekly. New crochet club. All welcome.

Saturday

Lego and mega bloks club: 10am - 12pm, fortnightly 
Children's board games: 10am - 12pm, fortnightly

Further information can be found HERE

Information provided by Chester HIVE

Update for Tax Free Childcare for Non-UK National Personnel and Families

 

For more information, visit the Defence Childcare portal ​(on MODnet), Discover My Benefits or dial in to one of the Wrap Around Childcare Webinars.

To view/listen to the update, please CLICK HERE

Op RESTORE - The new name for the Veterans trauma network

Op RESTORE is the new name for the Veterans Trauma Network.

CLICK HERE​ for full details

DIO's Service Family Accommodation 'Families First' newsletter - issue 8

 

To read DIO's Service Family Accommodation Newsletter: Families First - Issue 8, please CLICK HERE and click 'latest news for SFA residents'