Service Family Accommodation (SFA) communications update

 

Update on FDIS performance
For updates on the action DIO is taking to improve the performance of the accommodation contracts, please read the Families First Newsletters which can be found here: Service Family Accommodation - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Online forms for in-home requests are now available on the Pinnacle website

Online forms are now available at In-Home Requests - Pinnacle Service Families to make it easier for families to submit in-home applications for pets, visitors, nannies/au pairs, minor encroachments or to run a business.

Defence Transition Services - Civilian Housing Briefs Sep-Dec 23

Please click the following link for further details or to register online - https://www.gov.uk/guidance/information-and-guidance-on-civilian-housing​

Office For Veterans' Affairs have launched Op FORTITUDE for homeless Veterans

 

From today, vulnerable Veterans across the country will have access to Op FORTITUDE, a new dedicated referral pathway for homeless Veterans, including those sleeping on the streets.​

Veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness and the organisations working with them are encouraged to contact the Op FORTITUDE hotline on 0800 952 0774 or through a secure web portal at riv.org.uk/opfortitude.​

Find out more HERE

Grantham: Lincolnshire Children's Centres Best Start - Lincolnshire BME Inclusion Service

Working with BME families, supporting parents and their children's integration within the community and helping them in accessing local services. For more detailed information email:

pabced@pablanguages.co.uk

Information provided by Grantham HIVE

 

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