SUPPORT

The Army Welfare Service
The AWS provides Personal Support with matters such as: Domestic Abuse, Child & Adult Safeguarding, Bereavement, Relationship Difficulties, Stress & Anxiety Management, Emotional Wellbeing, and Signposting. For all Personal Support enquiries and referrals please contact the Intake and Assessment Team (the AWS welfare single point of contact) on:
RC-AWS-IAT-0Mailbox@mod.gov.uk  or 01904 882053 (civ) / 94777 3053 (mil).

Royal Air Force Families Federation
The RAF Families Federation provide practical support and advice and is an independent voice for all personnel (single, married or in a partnership) and all of your families. 
They work to improve quality of life, resolving problems that arise from having a mobile lifestyle, ensuring that you and your family are treated fairly and do not face disadvantage because of the unique nature of service life.

Naval Families Federation
The Naval Families Federation is a totally confidential service who understand the challenges of Navy life. Whether you need help with Schools, finances, a posting, relationships, health or your future. Their vision is for all Naval Service families to have their views heard, feel valued and be treated with fairness and respect.

Army Families Federation
AFF is the independent voice of Army families and works hard to improve the quality of life for Army families around the world.

Royal Navy
If you need to speak with someone and you are not sure who this should be please contact the NS FPS Portal who will assess your requirements and provide support around you individual needs. You can get in contact by email or using the telephone number below.
Phone 0044 (0)23 9272 8777      Freephone 0044 (0)800 145 6088

SSAFA – SSAFA The Armed Forces Charity
Our support covers both regulars and reserves in the Royal Navy, the Royal Marines, the British Army and the Royal Air Force and their families, including anyone who has completed National Service. They are all entitled to lifelong support from SSAFA, no matter how long they have served.
How we help – SSAFA helps the armed forces community in a number of ways and our focus is on providing direct support to individuals in need of physical or emotional care.

Royal Air Force
The Royal Airforce Community Support Team can provide advice to partners and families of the RAF serving communities.

Defence Bullying, Harassment & Discrimination (BHD) Helpline
Defence takes Bullying, Harassment, Discrimination (BHD) seriously and has a zero tolerance to this behaviour.  BHD does not reflect our standards and values as an organisation and has no place in Defence.
The BHD helpline provides emotional support, guidance, and practical advice with trained BHD advisers available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

Forces Connect App can be found on Google play and Apple store (Search for Forces Connect)

The Royal British Legion

Walking with the wounded – supports injured veterans who have served in the Armed Forces and their families, empowering them to regain their independence

Combat Stress for Veterans – The UK’s leading charity for veterans’ mental health

The Veterans Charity – Immediate needs support for Veterans

Headfit – an be accessed 24/7 and provides self-help assistance that can enhance mood, drive and confidence. The tool aims to help defence people manage anxiety and stress caused by the coronavirus pandemic alongside the stresses of everyday life

Combat Stress Mental Health Helpline – 24/7 – 365 Days a year
Tel: 0800 138 1619 Text: 07537404719
Email: helpline@combatstress.org,uk

Samaritans is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year
Email: jo@samaritans.org  (response time 24 hours)
Samaritans Self Help App: https://selfhelp.samaritans.org/

Arora New Dawn is a registered charity giving safety, support, advocacy, and empowerment to survivors of domestic abuse, sexual violence and stalking.
Tel: 02394 216 816
Email: armedforces@aurorand.org.uk

National Debtline provide free and independent debt advice online and over the phone, Mon – Fri 0900 -2000, Sat 0930 – 1300.
Tel: 0808 808 4000
Webchat: https://www.nationaldebtline.org/contact-us/

Mind – the Mental Health Charity provide a wealth of information to support individuals who are concerned about their Mental Health with a helpline open Mon – Fri 0900 – 1800 (not open Bank holidays)
Tel: 0300 123 3393
Webchat: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/helplines/

 Togetherall offers online support for those in Psychological distress 
www.togetherall.com

Drinkaware offers an online chat facility 
https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/advice/support-services/alcohol-support-services

Money Force offers financial and employment support: https://www.britishlegion.org.uk/get-support/financial-and-employment-support

Services Cotswold Centre

The Service Cotswold Centre is a tri-service facility available to Service personnel or MOD Civil Servants and their families needing short term housing for welfare purposes, between assignments, on discharge, leave or just for a short break in the country.  It is also available for quarantine or self-isolation periods due to COVID.  The booking form and Self-Isolation information are below.

Information can be found at Services Cotswold Centre – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

ARMY HiVE

RAF HiVE

Royal Navy – Family and People Support

Tri-Services

Providing a statutory social work service on behalf of the Ministry of Defence for the military community based overseas.

A brief introduction to the services we provide and the people we help.

The British Forces Social Work Service (BFSWS), delivered by Core Assets, provides a service in accordance with the Children Act 1989, specifically Section 17 (children and families in need), Section 47 (protection of children), Section 20 (voluntary accommodation of children), and the Children Act 2004.

As such our practice is underpinned by UK legislation. It is our statutory duty, as lead agency in safeguarding children, to investigate child protection referrals and to provide services for children and families in need.

The bulk of BFSWS responsibilities lie in North West-Europe, where a large number of UK military personnel and their families are based. However, the service could also be called upon to provide a social worker for statutory issues to military personnel in isolated detachments around the world.

BFSWS provides services for adults with ill health and disabilities, carries out assessments where required and provides services for vulnerable adults as part of a multi-agency response.

Referrals to our service come from a variety of sources, such as health workers, Unit Welfare Officers, the Army Welfare Service, teachers, police and self-referrals. We also receive referrals from children and adult services in the UK and are often asked to do pieces of work on their behalf.

To make a referral to BFSWS

Phone: Civ: 0044 808 168 3111

Out of Hours Service for emergencies also available on these numbers.

HOW TO CONTACT BFSWS

By calling Civilian: 0044 808 168 3111 you will be connected to the BFSWS’s Central Referral Team (CRT). Trained administrative staff, overseen by the CRT Team Manager, take the referral details.

Agencies or members of the military community may want advice or information without making a referral – this can be dealt with in CRT as a general enquiry.

Outside of normal working hours, in cases of  emergency,  a Duty Senior Social  Work Practitioner supported by a duty Team Manager can be contacted on the same numbers as those for the office hours.

WHO ARE THE BFSWS PERSONNEL?

BFSWS is staffed by professionally qualified and UK registered social workers employed as Senior Social Work Practitioners (SSWP). We are supported by administrative staff and are located cover all of BFG, EJSU area and BATUS and BATUK.

Although the number of cases requiring social work input is no higher in the military community than in the civilian world, military families are under different pressures. Many families with young children are away from home for the first time, living in a foreign country, away from close friends and family. For extended periods of time, they may become single parent families while their partner is posted away on deployment.

BFSWS is keen to offer a preventative service to prevent problems from escalating and ensure the family is helped or signposted to the relevant agencies at an early point. BFSWS works in partnership with those who seek its assistance.

(This information was sourced from https://bfgnet.de/support-organisations/british-forces-social-work-service.html)

Bereavement UK – Bereavement Support

Cruse Bereavement – Bereavement Support