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Click on the titles to download
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Childcare Voucher Scheme Start Date – 10th December 2007
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The MOD Childcare Voucher Scheme is about to go live. From 10th December, serving personnel with eligible children receiving care from registered providers will now be able to exchange up to £243 of their monthly salary for childcare vouchers. Personnel in the scheme will benefit from reduced income tax and NIC contributions on their remaining salary, although individual circumstances will determine whether joining the scheme is worth your while or not. Vouchers will be available in paper or electronic form. The scheme provider is Sodexho Pass Ltd, and you can register your interest now at AFCVS@sodexhopass.co.uk. Application packs will be sent out as soon as they are available.
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All arrangements are made by Sodexho Pass, so there is nothing to sort out on JPA or with unit HR staff. Click here to download the latest information or click here to read more on the MoD website |
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Army Gets FM in Catterick
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| The largest Army garrison in Europe has been given the go ahead to broadcast an FM radio service to its soldiers and their families. Catterick Garrison, home to over 16,000 military personnel and civilians, has been awarded a Community Radio licence by broadcast authority Ofcom. |
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Wattisham Gets The BIG Switch-On
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Army personnel and civilians based at Wattisham, Suffolk, now have their own radio service.
The British Army’s community radio network, Garrison Radio, has extended its broadcasting to Wattisham on 1287am on the medium wave.
Click here to visit Garrison Radio's website for more details.
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The Army Children Archive (TACA)
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The Army Children Archive (TACA), which was launched online on 1 October 2007, was established by Clare Gibson, a writer and researcher, history graduate and one-time army child, to collect, record and preserve details of the unique aspects of growing up as the child of a soldier serving in the British Army, whether that growing up was done during the seventeenth, eighteenth, nineteenth, twentieth or twenty-first century.
Although it is still in its infancy, it is hoped that TACA will eventually provide a useful source for social, military and family historians, and particularly that it will interest former and current army children, who, on the one hand, may find that it ignites some sparks of recognition that in turn trigger a string of memories, and, on the other, may enjoy the sense of having a rich history all of their own. Click here to visit the website.
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Families' Concerns July - September 2007
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AFF recognises the importance of recording the issues which affect Army families and in December 2004 we updated the way we recorded enquiries and contact with Army families. These enquiries, gathered from Army families across the world, enable AFF to produce quarterly reports on the concerns and issues of families and also to inform interested parties of any outcomes. This is not an in-depth statistical analysis; this is a 'comment' document. The methodology behind these figures is that every contact with AFF from Army families is recorded. Our subject classifications are based on our experience and understanding of common issues. The latest report covers the period from 1st July 2007 to 30th September 2007.
Download Families' Concerns July - September 2007
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HIVE and Start Here – working together to help you help yourself!
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The HIVE Information Service is committed to updating and improving the way in which we provide the Service community with timely, impartial and relevant information. In December 2007 HIVE will launch a partnership with Start Here to allow our customers to access a national and local database of civilian welfare related help and information via the HIVE website (www.hive.mod.uk). This partnership has been sponsored and funded by EDS Ltd.
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Click here to for further details
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The global social change movement We Are What We Do is launching a UK wide call to action that will invite every child and young person to answer the question:
What would you ask one million people to do to change the world?
Click here to read more
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ARMY FAMILIES FEDERATION OFFER
Join the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) before 31 December 2007 and save up to £30.
Click here for details
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The Services Cotswold Centre has a new website – www.servicescotswoldcentre.mod.uk.
You can now download a booking form from the site or book by calling 01225 810358. It has links to the local school there, as well as links to other relevant agencies.
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Is your SFA being surveyed?
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Modern Housing Solutions (MHS) has tasked Faithful and Gould to carry out condition surveys on all SFA in GB over the next 12 months. These surveys will give the housing providers a much better understanding of the state of our housing and will enable future funding to be better utilised when improving our homes. It is essential that the surveys are completed on all SFA . Therefore, if you are sent an appointment date for one of these surveys, could you make every effort to arrange for access to your property for the survey - which should take less than an hour to complete.
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Notification of operational casualties to the media
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There have been incidents recently (e.g. Royal Welsh in early July 07) where the media have released news of a fatality on operations including Unit details before the next of kin (NOK) have been told. This causes great distress amongst the families within the unit who all worry that their soldier is involved.
Many of us would like to have a guarantee from the media that release of information on fatalities will not happen until after the NOK have been contacted. Detailed below is the MOD notification process, an explanation of where the early release of information is coming from, and discussion of how we could change some of the present poor practice by the media.
The MOD does not release any casualty detail until after the NOK has been informed but they are often approached by the media asking for confirmation that there has been an incident. Therefore the MOD is reactive - it only takes action if contacted by the media.
Reactive Response
- Confirm that an incident and fatality has taken place but take a defensive line – the MOD cannot hide or lie about incidents
- Contact Joint Casualty and Compassionate Cell (JCCC) that there is media interest
- Wait for confirmation from JCCC that the family has been informed and find out if they have requested 24 hours before releasing the name. When a family are told of a fatality they are offered up to 24 hours grace before the name is released.
Proactive response
- Once confirmation that NOK have been contacted the casualty/fatality is announced on the MOD website and to the Press Association
- This will be outline detail of where, when and which Unit but not the name
- Permanent Joint Head Quarters (PJHQ) write the eulogy for the soldier to be released with the name
Final
- The name is released when the family give permission, up to 24 hours after notification.
There are still a large number of embedded journalists with the Army in Iraq and Afghanistan. They can, and do send information back to the UK, including information on fatalities. The media have been good at not releasing the name of casualties before NOK have been informed, but still release the name of the soldier’s unit.
Some families learn quickly about fatalities from operational theatre – a soldier will call home on a mobile and say ‘don’t worry it’s not me’. This then spreads around, sometimes even to the press before NOK know.
What we can do
If you read or see release of information about a casualty that does not say that it is released by the MOD or that the NOK have been told then either ask the paper or TV station where their information comes from or ask AFF to do this. We will have to tackle this on a case by case basis to explain the impact and change practice. AFF would be grateful for all feedback so that we can monitor which media outlets have been contacted and responses received.
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Child car seats warning
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which.co.uk is urging consumers not to buy four child car seats that have failed its latest round of safety tests.
The consumer organisation advises parents not to assume that because a child car seat has reached the minimum safety standard and is on sale in the UK, it will protect a child in a crash.
which.co.uk’s car seat tests include a side impact crash. Most cars are safety rated for the protection they give adults in such a crash, but child car seats, inexplicably, are not legally required to undergo a side impact test.
Video footage of the which.co.uk tests can be seen at www.which.co.uk/childseatsvideo and shows the potentially devastating effects of a crash on some child car seats.
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Important Information from AFF Germany - CHANGES TO FUEL AND LIGHT PAYMENTS
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If you pay fuel and light charges, you will notice that the charge has been increased. You will have been charged the new rate from the beginning of April 2007.
However, the new rate for fuel and light should have come into effect from October 2006 (following a review in September). An article in Sixth Sense on 24th May outlined that the shortfall from October 2006 to the end of March 2007 will have to be collected from people’s pay.
A decision has now been made on how that money will be recovered. The amount you owe will depend on the rate you pay, but is expected to be between £50 and £150.
The money will be recovered during the annual reconciliation period in October 2007 (this is the time when F&L bills are reviewed to see if households are owed money or if they need to pay more for F&L used). Many occupants receive a credit at this time, having used less F&L than they paid for; these individuals will receive a lower credit or a small debit depending on their personal usage of fuel and light.
For occupants who left SFA after 1st October 2006, or will leave before this year’s reconciliation (in October), the money will be recovered as follows:
- Services Pay and Veterans Agency (SPVA) will recover the money from individuals who have vacated/will vacate SFA during the period 1st October 2006 up until the 31st July 2007.
- For those individuals marching out on or after the 1st August 2007, the recovery will be made as part of the reconciliation process which is carried out at the point of march out. For most occupants this should still result in a credit, albeit a smaller credit than anticipated.
If you have any questions or concerns about your F&L payments, or the recovery of this shortfall, please contact AFF on 05221 995 3180.
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Gurkhas to receive British Terms and Conditions of Service
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From 1st April 2007, all ranks in the Brigade of Gurkhas will have broadly the same terms and conditions of service (TACOS) as their British and Commonwealth counterparts.
Gurkhas already enjoy the same pay and tax benefits as the wider Army, but they will now have the option of transferring from their Gurkha Pension Scheme to the main Armed Forces Pension Scheme – as will any Gurkha soldiers who retired on or after 1 July 1997. There will also be new benefits in respect of Gurkha nationality and status, being able to transfer jobs within the Army and welfare support.
Nationality and Status
Gurkhas will continue to be selected and recruited in Nepal, and remain Nepalese citizens throughout their service. However, at the end of their service, Gurkhas will now be offered the choice of discharge in Nepal or in the UK; they could then apply for British citizenship if they wanted to.
Wider Employment & Transfer
After serving five years, Gurkha soldiers will be eligible to apply for transfer to Regiments and Corps outside the BG, on the same terms as the rest of the Army.
Recruitment and Selection
Recruitment and selection of Gurkhas will remain in Nepal but the recruiting standards will be aligned with British selection arrangements. The feasibility of recruiting Nepalese women is also being assessed.
Pay & Allowances
Gurkha pay will be brought in line with the wider Army. They will also have the same leave entitlements as the rest of the Army (30 days). This will replace the unpaid Nepal Long Leave which is for five months every three years.
Leave of Absence
Gurkhas are to be provided with the same leave arrangements as for British soldiers. Consequentially, the practice of Nepal Long Leave will cease. Gurkhas with less than 3 years service will have the option of using the Get You Home (Early Years)(Overseas Allowance) GYH(EY)(OA) package, which helps soldiers from overseas to maintain contact with their overseas families.
Pensions
- Gurkhas recruited after 1 December 2006 will join the Armed Forces Pension Scheme 2005 (AFPS 05).
- Gurkhas serving on 1 October 2007 who joined on or after 6 April 2005 but before 6 April 2006 will be offered the option to transfer from the Gurkha Pension Scheme (GPS) to AFPS 05.
- Gurkhas serving on 1 October 2007 who were also serving before 6 April 2005 will be offered the option to transfer from GPS to either AFPS 75 or AFPS 05.
- Gurkhas who retired between 1 July 1997 and 5 April 2006 will be offered the option to transfer to AFPS 75 or remain in the GPS. Those who retired after 6 April 2006, but before 1 October 2007, will be offered the options to transfer to AFPS 75 or AFPS 05 or remain in the GPS.
- Gurkhas transferring from GPS to AFPS are to be given actuarial value for any service before 1 July 1997, but service given on or after 1 July 1997 will be transferred on a year-for-year basis.
Welfare and Education
- Gurkha children will have the same educational opportunities as their British counterparts.
- Additional welfare support staff will be available to the Army Welfare Service to cope with the additional family welfare issues relating to the introduction of Gurkha MAS.
- Aftercare provision for Gurkhas and their dependants will be the same as that available for British personnel.
- Present establishment of Religious teachers (RTs) – often referred to as Pandits – will be increased from 3 to 9.
- The present special cultural support provided within Gurkha units will continue.
- Headquarters Brigade of Gurkhas secretariat support will be reinforced to become the focus for the provision of Benevolence and Welfare Support to Gurkha ex-servicemen in UK.
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Armed Forces Pay Review Body publishes it latest report
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The Government has decided to accept the recommendations of the 36th AFPRB report in full which will be implemented from 1st April 2007. The main recommendations which will affect our serving spouses are:
Pay Increase
All ranks up to Brigadier will receive an average 3.3% pay increase; the most junior ranks will receive around a 9% pay increase.
Accommodation Charges
Accommodation charge will only rise in line with the consumer price index as at November 2006. Grade 1 charges will therefore increase by 2.7% (Grade 4 basic rent will not change but the utilities element has increased).
New Retention Incentive
A four year retention incentive will be introduced for Infantry other ranks – the incentive will be for £4,500 for those with four years service subject to a two year return of service. This is in addition to the existing Commitment Bonuses which are currently available to personnel serving in the Infantry.
Separation Allowance
The Longer Separation Allowance – this allowance will replace LSSA and LSSB from 1st April 2007 also received a 3.3% increase. (LSA has 14 qualifying bands which will now pay soldiers from £6.22 to £26.26 per day, depending on the amount of qualifying time they have accrued).
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Spotlight on Army housing
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The Army Families Federation is keen to highlight this issue and would like the Government to commit to a properly funded upgrade programme to ensure that Service accommodation is brought up to a decent standard. |
AFF has been working tirelessly to try and improve the standard of accommodation for Army families. On average, housing issues make up 25% of all the contacts AFF receives from Army families; 40% of these are about repairs and maintenance. At the AFF International Conference held in London in June 2006 the morning debate was entirely given over to housing issues - click here to download a transcript of the morning debate or here to download the Q and A report.
Senior Army personnel are now speaking out about this issue, for the latest news click on the following links:
The AFF has also been speaking out on your behalf, click on the links below to read recent articles we have contributed to:
What can Army families do to help?
If you would like to help, contact the AFF to let us know what you think about this issue at housing@aff.org.uk
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Are you trooping through Gateway House?
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The Gateway House (GWH) has re-opened at RAF Brize Norton and provides the following accommodation:
a. 165 twin rooms
b. 6 VIP rooms
c. 6 semi VIP rooms
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ArmyNet - The Website for Soldiers and Their Families
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 ArmyNet is a restricted access website designed exclusively for soldiers and their families, and is a one-stop shop for Army information, including such things as background and welfare information on operations such as Op Telic. The site is accessible to soldiers and their families from any Internet-enabled PC worldwide.
ArmyNet is run in a similar way to the high street banks’ online secure banking services: each user applies for an account and is then given a unique user ID and password. Once inside the website, users can access information based on their user profile – from their Army pay statement, operational welfare instructions, and downloadable Army forms, to the latest media and soap action! All serving soldiers can register and then choose to sponsor a guest or family member.
Every user is given a unique armymail.mod.uk email account for the duration of their Army career and mail can be automatically forwarded to the user’s normal email account – such as Hotmail. This means that important information can reach registered ArmyNet users even when they are on leave, or away from home. Every Armymail account is protected from viruses, so that computers in operational areas can be used safely even when commercial email services are removed.
Soldiers can access ArmyNet by logging on to www.armynet.mod.uk and registering as a user. Family members (spouses, partners or other dependants) can also become registered users of ArmyNet once they have been sponsored by their soldier. If a family member accesses the ArmyNet home page and asks to register, an email will be sent to her/his soldier and once the soldier agrees, they will receive a user ID.
To register with ArmyNet:
- Type in www.armynet.mod.uk
- If you receive a Security Alert message click YES to proceed
- To apply for an ArmyNet account follow the instructions for ‘sign-up’
- Provide the requested information, which will include your National Insurance number
- If the database does not contain your details, contact your RAO to confirm they are correct and correspond to those on the Army Pay Database; or contact admin@armymail.mod.uk
- Once registered, use the log-in screen to access ArmyNet
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Page last updated 19 November 2007
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