‘Closing date extended to 21 July’, NEW VACANCIES: GFIE-494 DWP Administrative - Bristol, Camberley, Gloucester, Maidenhead, Staines, Swindon - Closing Date for applications: 12 July 2026

The following vacancies are now open for applications under the GFiE Scheme (8 vacancies in total):

GFIE-494 – DWP Administrative Officer positions in Bristol, Camberley, Gloucester, Maidenhead, Staines, and Swindon

GFiE roles are available specifically to people who served in the Armed Forces, or be in your resettlement period and due to leave the Armed Forces within a reasonable time frame or a Military Spouse/Partner (your current partner must still be serving or was discharged within the last 12 months).

To apply, please submit a completed EoI Form (also see Guidance Notes) and an up to date CV to GFIE@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

For more information on the GFiE scheme please go to: A complete guide to GFiE – Veterans, Military Partners/Spouses and Service Leavers – Life Chances – Going Forward into Employment (GFiE) (blog.gov.uk)

Crime, conspiracy and gripping drama — don’t miss a moment on BFBS TV — 18-24/07/2026 - Week

Your weekly guide to the must-see TV across all the channels provided by BFBS. Full listings can be found on our website

Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) bulk recruitment: 91 Executive Officer roles across Wales and The Marches – closing date 29 Jul

Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) have a total of 91 Executive Officer (EO) Work Coach vacancies across Wales and The Marches. These may be of interest to Service leavers, veterans and Service community members looking at Civil Service roles.

Civil Service Jobs links with further information on the roles available, and application details:

Universal Credit Job Centre - Work Coach – Wales and the Marches (Ref: 769)

The closing date is 29 July.

Give Us Time: Summer/Autumn update 2026 & last-minute France break

Give Us Time have published their latest welfare update, covering the remainder of the summer and autumn breaks.

They also have a last-minute break to France available 22 - 29 August. The gite sleeps up to 4 people, but is not pet friendly unfortunately.

Families will be required to cover the costs of their travel, food, entertainment etc, as well as taking their own bedding for the stay. Full details of the property are in the attached brochure.

As always

- breaks are booked on a first come first served basis
- families must be signed up on the Give Us Time website to make a booking

Find out more at www.giveustime.org.uk

Going Forward into Employment (GFiE): DWP Case Worker - Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit, Barnsley. Closing date 31 Jul

The following vacancy is now open for applications under the GFiE Scheme:

GFIE-492 DWP Case Worker - Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit - Barnsley

Job description

GFiE roles are available specifically to people who served in the Armed Forces, or be in your resettlement period and due to leave the Armed Forces within a reasonable time frame or a Military Spouse/Partner (your current partner must still be serving or was discharged within the last 12 months).

To apply, please submit a completed EoI Form (also see Guidance Notes) and an up to date CV to GFIE@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

For more information on the GFiE scheme please go to: A complete guide to GFiE – Veterans, Military Partners/Spouses and Service Leavers – Life Chances – Going Forward into Employment (GFiE) (blog.gov.uk)

Building Heroes Programmes - Register Now for Autumn 2026.

Building Heroes will be welcoming learners back onto our funded training programmes from mid-September, with courses starting again across our national academy network.

Our programmes are designed specifically to support members of the Armed Forces community to gain practical skills, recognised qualifications and valuable insight into construction and built environment careers.

Depending on location and availability, our programmes include:

• Construction Multi Skills
• Green Skills and Retrofit
• Groundworks and Streetworks

We will also be launching new programmes in the new year, including Engineering and Welding.

Defence children Services: Supporting Armed Forces children’s transitions between education systems - Educators’ toolkit.

This transition resource was developed collaboratively by education practitioners and education policy professionals from across Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and England. This involved officials from Government Departments, local authority officers, schools and Service charities from across the UK. It is designed to complement and strengthen existing practice, helping educators support effective transitions in educational settings.

Service parents with children who are moving schools across devolved nations may wish to highlight this guidance to the education professionals that they are liaising with.

To read the guidance in full online, please go to: Transition

There is also an option to download the whole booklet at this link: https://dcs.school/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/2026051504_BetweenEducationsystems_Transitionstoolkit_FINAL.pdf

Future Forces Days at RAF Halton: 4th and 5th August, for young people aged 10-16 yrs

RAF Halton’s Training Squadron have organised a FREE event on the Tuesday 4th and Wednesday 5th August for young people aged 10-16 yrs. Participants will take part in trade-related activities, games and challenges, giving them an insight into careers in the RAF. It will be a fun and engaging opportunity to meet new friends and an opportunity to try something different.

If anyone would like a space their appropriate parent/guardian should email futureforcesday@gmail.com to register their interest. Please note there are only 80 spaces available, which will be allocated on a first-come first-served basis.

Once a place has been confirmed, a confirmation email will be sent with further information including;
The event address
Consent/permission form
A kit list of what to bring
Arrival and collection details

Participants should be available both days and be dropped off and collected each day.

Mission Motorsport July Newsletter

Click poster to enlarge.

To read this edition of the Mission Motorsport newsletter, please go to: News — MISSION MOTORSPORT

To find out more about Mission Motorsport, please click here: MISSION MOTORSPORT

MOD Veterans Services: An overview of the support available to Service personnel, veterans and their family members.

To find out more about the MOD Veterans Services support available to Service personnel, Service leavers, veterans - and their family members - please go to: Get help from Veterans Services - GOV.UK

Also, a reminder that there is now an online Veterans Services referral form in place, which can be used by the Chain of Command/internal MOD organisations, external stakeholders and for self-referrals: Make a referral to Veterans Services - GOV.UK

Civilian Housing Options Briefings – 2026 Dates

To register for a Briefing, and provide your details please visit:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/information-and-guidance-on-civilian-housing

For more information on MoD Veterans Services support for Service Leavers and their families please visit: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/help-and-support-for-service-leavers-and-their-families

Cessation of the Service Police Confidential Crime Line

The Service Police Confidential Crimeline (0800 085 0658) has been permanently disconnected and will not be replaced. As a part of Defence switch to digital communications all analogue telephone lines in the host location, including the Confidential Crimeline, have been disconnected. HQ PM(A) have therefore decided to retire the Service Police Confidential Crimeline.
Crimes can still be reported through any of the following telephone helplines:

Service Family Accommodation (SFA) Communications Update - 08 July 2026

Welcome to Housing Matters Podcast

DIO are excited to launch Housing Matters, our new podcast created for military families. This podcast lifts the lid on military housing and the issues that matter most to Service Personnel and their families.

Co-presenters Defence Families Champion, Trish Jakeman, and DIO Operations Manager South, Sebastian O’Hara, will be joined by special guests each week sharing their unique perspectives, experiences and expertise on all things military housing.

In episode one, we take a closer look at what the Defence Housing Strategy really means for those living in SFA. Our guests are DIO Chief Operating Officer, David Brewer, who played a key role in the development of the Strategy, and Chris Keen, a military spouse who has lived in 11 different SFA properties. The discussion goes beyond the headlines to explore the investment, ambition and real-world impact behind the Strategy.

You can watch episode one on Defence Homes.

The five-part Housing Matters series will continue with a new episode released fortnightly on a Wednesday. Upcoming episodes include an honest conversation about damp and mould with our suppliers, a deeper look at the unique challenges military families face and how their housing works, the importance of building strong communities on patch and the new freedoms military families have to personalise their military house to feel like a home.

So grab a cup of tea, press play and join us each week for Housing Matters.

New employment and careers digital support for citizens 

 

The Department for Work and Pensions’ employment and careers digital support for citizens has now gone live. The tools aim to support people to explore careers options, search for work and prepare for job applications, and can be found on GOV.UK.  

These include a new Find a Job service, a CV Builder, an Action Planning Tool and an AI Work Assistant, supporting people at different stages of their employment journey. The tools offer a more joined up job search experience and provide personalised support.  

They are designed to complement the valuable support provided by partner organisations and advisers. 

Motorfinity - July Offers

Motorfinity | New Car Discounts for Blue Light & Military

BFBS Forces News access to First Sea Lord General Sir Gwyn Jenkins

BFBS (British Forces Broadcasting Service) will release a special Forces News interview with First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff, General Sir Gwyn Jenkins, on 8 July 2026.

In a frank and in-depth interview with BFBS’ Tim Cooper, General Sir Gwyn hosted a rare tour on board HMS Daring, as he discussed his vision for the future of the Royal Navy, including plans for a hybrid navy, recruitment and retention, morale, warfighting readiness, submarine readiness, the work of the Joint Expeditionary Force, and more.

NAAFI Fund 2026: Opens Today (1 July)

The NAAFI Fund portal is open for applications again!

Since their launch in 2020, they have supported 541 projects totalling £4,844,227.

📅 Mark Your CalendarsTwo-month window: Applications open on Wednesday 1st July and close on Friday 4th September, meaning you have the whole summer to get your project ideas in.
One-Stage Application: No complicated stages, just one straightforward application to complete.

🚀 Get Ready to Apply

You can find the link to apply on the Giving Back page: NAAFI | The NAAFI Fund, there is also some application guidance and FAQ’s to help with your submission, if you get stuck. If you have any questions, please send to funding@naafi.co.uk.

The Ripple Pond Newsletter Summer 2026: Together, We're Shaping Better Support for Families

To read the newsletter in full, please go to:
THINKING FAMILY Summer Edition

To find out more, please visit:
Thinking Family Resources | The Ripple Pond

Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) bulk recruitment: 279 DWP Executive Officer roles UK-wide – closing date 15 Jul

Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) have a total of 279 Executive Officer (EO) Work Coach vacancies across the UK. These may be of interest to Service leavers, veterans and Service community members looking at Civil Service roles.

Civil Service Jobs links with further information on the roles available, and application details:

Universal Credit Review - Case Worker - Executive Officer (National) (Ref: 768) - Civil Service Jobs - GOV.UK 200 roles available, UK-wide

Universal Credit Job Centre - EO Work Coach - Manchester and Cheshire (Ref: 767) - Civil Service Jobs - GOV.UK 79 roles available, North West England.

Closing dates for both of the above is 15 July 26.

Serve & Protect Credit Union: 4% Fixed-Rate Saver - Available in July 2026

Serve and Protect Credit Union are pleased to announce a their latest Fixed-Rate Savings Account.

It’s free to join the credit union and members can open a fixed-rate savings account and lock in a guaranteed rate of 4% AER.

Key details:

✅ 4% AER fixed for 12 months

✅ Balances between £1,000-£10,000

✅No fees or charges

✅Available between 1st to 29th July 2026

If you’d like to learn more about eligibility, terms, or how the account works, please visit: Fixed Rate Savings Account | Serve and Protect Credit Union

For any questions, please contact Serve and Protect Credit Union