Wales: Armed Forces Family Focus - Citizens Advice Service in Wales

 
Citizens Advice:

Our Wales-wide holistic advice service supports service men and women, ex-service personnel, and their families by providing practical, comprehensive, and tailored advice on benefits, debt, welfare, and housing, helping them access the right support and information to move forward.

Our project will provide holistic, multi-issue support, including:

• Income maximisation (identifying unclaimed benefits, supporting grant applications)
• Practical assistance accessing financial support following injury or development of health conditions
• Unlocking entitlement to financial support for carers and connecting them with specialist support agencies
• Help with benefit applications and appeals
• Access to emergency financial support (fuel vouchers, food bank referrals)
• Managing problem debt and preventing financial crisis
• Housing rights advice (tenancy support, preventing evictions, ensuring safe living conditions)
• Advice on employment matters, such as general employment rights, flexible working to accommodate caring responsibilities and potential discrimination

Contact our helpline on 0808 531 0313 Monday to Friday 8am until 7pm and Saturdays 9am to 1pm.

https://cacv.org.uk/our-projects/armed-forces-family-advice-service/

This service is provided by Citizens Advice Cardiff & Vale and Citizens Advice Caerphilly Blaenau Gwent and funded by the Armed Forces Community Covenant Fund.

Dorset: Community library & free digital services - Wool Village nr Bovington

 

Click on poster above to enlarge

Any queries please phone 07908 888347

Click HERE for full services at Wool Library

Wool Community Library, D'Urbeville Centre, Colliers Lane, Wool, BH20 6DL

Information provided by Bovington HIVE

Northern Ireland: AFVBC Breakfast Clubs Throughout Northern Ireland

  

The purpose of Armed Forces & Veterans Breakfast Clubs is to facilitate veterans and serving Armed Forces personnel to meet face to face in a relaxed, safe, social environment to enjoy breakfast and banter, to combat loneliness and allow veterans to ”return to the tribe”
Free to attend, free to join.

There are no fees, subs or commitments: AFVBC don't exist to support any national charity, organisation or business: just turn up, pay for your breakfast and enjoy the company of other Armed Forces Veterans.
There are seven AFVBC's in Northern Ireland for more details www.afvbc.world

Information provided by HIVE NI

Dorset: Child & Adolescent Mental Health service

Dorset Health Care’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) Gateway Service is now available across the whole of Dorset. The service manages assessments and provides help for children and young people experiencing problems with their mental health. It acts as the ‘front door’ of CAMHS and has been introduced to help reduce the wait time for assessments and treatments that young people can experience when accessing the service. Information provided by Bovington HIVE via Dorset Council

AFCAS 2026 is live – have your say!

 
AFCAS 2026 is live – have your say!

The Armed Forces Continuous Attitude Survey (AFCAS) is now open!

The annual Armed Forces Continuous Attitude Survey (AFCAS) is an opportunity for Service personnel to share views on working conditions, living conditions, and day-to-day Service and family life.

Complete the survey to have your say!

Why is AFCAS important?

AFCAS is not only a chance for Service personnel to share their views on important matters, but also a vital way for Defence to hear from you and develop policies and initiatives to better support you in your Service and family life.

This survey helps Defence to gain a better understanding of your needs about:

• Service life
• Accommodation
• Catering and Retail
• Deployments
• Allowances and Pensions
• Service complaints/Service Complaints Ombudsman
• Armed Forces Covenant
• Factors influencing intentions to stay/leave the Armed Forces
• Defence Estate, e.g., training facilities, opportunities for sport and much more.

Who can complete AFCAS, and how?

If you are a Service person who has been invited to take part in this year’s survey, you will receive an email with information on how to complete the survey. To see if you’re eligible to take part in AFCAS, check the eligibility tool.

Your Service number – which is case sensitive – is the token you need to enter; you will then be directed to the survey if you are in this year’s sample.

If you are not in the sample, you can still have your say by completing a short survey via the eligibility tool. Please be assured that your responses will be confidential.

Every response counts…

The more people that take the survey, the more able Defence is to help you in areas that will make your Service and family life easier. Make your voice count.

To view previous AFCAS results, visit GOV.UK.

Wiltshire, Gloucestershire & Bristol: Marmalade Connections - tackling loneliness in the South West

 

Click here to visit the website

Information provided by Colerne & Lyneham HIVEs

Scotland: Turn to SARCS

"The staff constantly checked in to make sure I understood and went at my pace." – Anonymous SARCS user

The NHS Scotland sexual assault self-referral phone service can help to arrange care for you in the days following a rape or sexual assault.

SARCS staff are specially trained and there to support you. You will not be rushed into making any decisions.

Find out more at www.nhsinform.scot/SARCS

Aldershot: Army Welfare Service Stay and Play Maurice Toy House Every Tuesday 10:00 - 11:30am

 

Information Provided by South East HIVE Hub

Aldershot: Army Welfare Service Stay & Play Garrison Community Hub Monday 1:00- 2:30pm

 

Information provided by South East HIVE Hub

Yorkshire: Independent Domestic Abuse Services (IDAS)

IDAS are a specialist charity with many years’ experience of supporting and accommodating victims and survivors of domestic abuse. IDAS support anyone experiencing or affected by domestic abuse or sexual violence.
The services include refuge accommodation, community based support, peer mentoring, group work and access to a free, confidential out of hours’ helpline.

The teams of accredited specialist workers (IDVA’s and ISVAs) support people through the criminal justice system in addition to providing emotional support and safety planning advice.

Contact:

24/7 National Helpline : 0808 2000 247

North Yorkshire and Barnsley

· 03000 110 110

Sheffield

· 0808 808 2241

Website : https://www.idas.org.uk/

Email : Info@idas.org.uk

Information provided by North HIVE Hub