Military Liaison

YHT Supporting service children and education

You can book an appointment with our Military Liaison support officer, Mrs Morgan, by clicking the appointment button above or below.

This service is in place to help ensure our pupils receive a greater continuity of education and pastoral support.

Part of a quality family life is supporting your children and their education, wherever you are and whenever you move.

There are several links to advice on ways to help maintain service children’s education on GOV.UK. Any additional enquiries can be addressed to: DCYP-CEAS-Enquiries@mod.gov.uk .

SPECIFIC TO WALES:

www.sscecymru.co.uk is a dedicated website for service children’s education in Wales.

Bereavement:

The Bereavement Scholarship Scheme is available to provide university and further education scholarships for the children of service personnel whose death has been attributed to service since 1990. Scholarships available for further education under the scheme now include programmes of study below A Levels. You can apply on the GOV.UK website .

Childcare:

MOD personnel based in the UK have the same access to Childcare Choices as any other citizen. Since 2013, the MOD has been working to ensure that any changes to childcare entitlements can be mirrored, so far as it is reasonably practicable to do so, for entitled MOD personnel based outside the UK. Visit DCYP GOV.UK website for details.

Tax Free Childcare (TFC) was introduced by government in April 2018 and fully rolled out by the end of 2018, replacing the Childcare Voucher Scheme which closed to new entrants in October 2018. TFC is a savings account which working parents can use to pay for regulated childcare. For every £8 the parent pays in, the government will top up by £2 up to a total of £2,000 per year (£4,000 for disabled children). Visit GOV.UK website for details.

Disabilities and additional needs:

An Additional Needs and Disability Guide has been created for service families by the Forces Additional Needs and Disability Forum (‘FANDF’) Committee and the SSAFA Additional Needs and Disability Advisor.

Having access to healthcare

Having access to modern and advanced clinical care is essential. The National Health Service (NHS), Ministry of Defence (MOD), charities and welfare organisations are working together to provide this, wherever you are.

Find out about healthcare through the NHS for the armed forces families .

MOD and Department of Health support services information can be found on GOV.UK.

Get healthcare advice for you and your family when relocating within the UK or returning home from an overseas posting.

Mental health support for the armed forces community can be found on GOV.UK and NHS Choices . The NHS can also provide mental health support through the Big White Wall service . This service is available for free to serving personnel, veterans and their families.

The Ministry of Defence has launched the defence people mental health and wellbeing strategy . It provides a renewed focus on promotion of mental health wellbeing and the prevention of mental ill health for serving personnel, veterans, families and MOD civil servants.

Having a home

Having a comfortable home is an important part of your well-being. Whether you are living on or off base, renting or thinking about buying a home, there is advice and support available to you.

With the Forces Help to Buy scheme your family can borrow up to £25,000 interest free over 10 years to help create a deposit for a new home.

Another way to get financial help is through the government’s affordable home ownership schemes .

Own your own home provides a range of schemes that make home-buying more affordable.

The Joint Service Housing Advice Office (JSHAO) provides serving personnel and their dependants with civilian housing information for those wishing to move to civilian accommodation at any time in their career, and for those during resettlement to assist with the transition to civilian life.

The Scottish Government have created a Veterans Portal which provides information on services for transitioning service personnel and their families and those currently serving who are considering living in Scotland in the future.

Getting financial advice

Managing your money now and the future can be confusing for any of us, but you can get get advice and support specific to those in the armed forces community.

Find out more about financial and pension advice and support services for the defence personnel and families that you may be able to take advantage of.

The Ministry of Defence has published a helpful guide on financial top tips for service personnel . It provides service personnel with advice on getting a fair deal when they need to access financial services.

The Armed Forces Railcard offers your family up to 1/3 off rail fares. Spouses/partners of currently serving armed forces personnel can sign up for the Defence Discount Service .

Joining Forces is 3 credit unions working together to provide savings accounts and loans to the armed forces and their families.

The British Insurers Brokers’ Association have published on their website a list to highlight which of companies which policies which tailored to the armed forces community.

We have put together a useful summary of businesses who offer support to the Armed Forces community with mortgages, motor insurance, broadband, media packages, and mobile phones. Click on the link to find out more.

Finance: Overseas Investment and Scam-avoidance

The Covenant team has worked in collaboration with UK Finance, the collective voice of the banking and finance industry, and the Service Families Federations, to provide an Overseas Investment and Scam-avoidance advice note for those service personnel and their families serving, or due to be assigned, overseas.

The MOD works closely with three credit unions under the banner of Joining Forces and has facilitated direct salary sacrifice via JPA to encourage Service personnel to save, and to make loan repayment simpler. The Department also provides up to date information in respect of pay, pensions and allowances to MoneyForce, the Royal British Legion’s money advice service.

Money Force is a joint venture between Royal British Legion, Ministry of Defence and the Government’s The Money Advice Service. Both Joining Forces and MoneyForce are proactively providing impartial financial advice through visits to units and bases across the country and most importantly strive to offer the most appropriate product to service personnel. Credit Unions are not there to make a profit and have a proven track record of ethical lending and better in many instances levels of interest for savings.

Supporting spouse/partner careers and education

Supporting spouses and partners aspirations is also part of the covenant, as we recognise the importance of family within the armed forces community.

Organisations who have signed the Armed Forces Covenant have made their own commitments to supporting reservists, spouses and veterans. Find Forces friendly employers in your area.

There are various initiatives under DWP’s enhanced access to Jobcentre Plus services that may benefit you.

You may be able to claim National Insurance credits for time spent accompanying your partner abroad.

As a spouse / partner of serving personnel, you can be considered for early access to the Work Programme which provides support, work experience and training for up to 2 years to help people find and stay in work. Those who have been claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance for at least 3 month are eligible.

You can nominate your employer or an organisation for a silver or gold award under the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) which encourages employers to support defence and inspire others to do the same.

The College of Policing have published updated vetting guidance so spouses and dependants of service personnel will no longer fail the residency requirements due to time spent overseas when applying to work for the Police Service.

RBLI Lifeworks is a fully funded support service to help military spouses and partners get the job they want. It’s available to all spouses and partners of any serving (or recently discharged) member of the British armed forces, including reserves and bereaved families. It’s completely free as the course is fully funded by Armed Forces charities.

The Supporting the Unsung Hero Dependants’ Business Start-Up Programme delivered by the University of Wolverhampton has been developed specifically for armed forces families to provide them with the transferable skills and support required to start and maintain a business that will not be restricted to a geographical area, allowing families to become more financially stable and break the cycle of being unable to work.

Recruit for Spouses is an independent social enterprise Community Interest Company run largely by people who have a Serving spouse. They exist to help military spouses and partners find a job or start a business. They can offer help with CVs and interview skills, enhancing digital skills, sourcing career opportunities and placing spouses and partners into posts advertised by partner organisations. They offer access to a range of free online resources including webinars, social media and live Q&A sessions and extend their support to the spouses and partners of serving personnel, veterans, and bereaved or divorced spouses and partners. Visit Recruit for Spouses website

Families Federations

Each service has an independent Families Federation, which can offer you support and advice. They work with your service and every level of government as your advocate.

Families Federations meet regularly with key government departments including Department of Work and Pensions, Department of Education, Department of Health and the Ministry of Defence to review issues that are affecting the serving and family community. If you have concerns please get in touch with these organisations.

Naval Families Federation (Royal Navy and Royal Marines)

Army Families Federation

Royal Air Force Families Federation

Information Offices/HIVEs

The network of Information Offices and HIVEs across the UK and overseas are a valuable point of contact for Service personnel and their families, offering an extensive range of material and advice on issues such as relocation, local area information, education, accommodation, employment and training opportunities, childcare and travel. Welfare Information Support Teams and HIVE Information Support Officers (HISOs) research answers to enquiries and have excellent links with Service and civilian agencies. Staff work closely with the unit welfare staff at times of deployment and provide a communication pack detailing how families can keep in touch with their loved ones during deployments. All HIVE staff are bound to a Code of Confidentiality.

The word HIVE is not an abbreviation or acronym but based on the concept that the centres would act like a bee hive.

Royal Navy Royal Marines

Welfare Information Support website

Email: navynps-peoplesptrnrmwinfo@mod.gov.uk

RN Forum

Facebook: /RNRMW

Twitter: @RNRM Welfare

Army HIVEs

The Army HIVEs website contains links to Army HIVE blogs providing information and contact details for all HIVE in UK and overseas.

RAF HIVEs

The RAF HIVE Service provides an information and welfare referral service to the armed forces community, including serving personnel, their families, veterans, reservists and civilians on station.

The HIVEs can support you with:

• deployment support

• relocating

• local station and civilian facilities

• schools and further education

• housing

• healthcare facilities

• employment and training opportunities

• places of interest

RAF HIVE Information Officers are not trained in welfare counselling but they are able to offer initial support to individuals and can make referrals to appropriate professional services. All HIVE staff are bound to a Code of Confidentiality.

Community Support Internet Site

RAF HIVE Facebook

RAF HIVE Twitter

Support groups

Find out about the Family Support Groups available to you and your family.