Checklist for this page

SSAFA Forces Help holidays
The Career Transition Partnership (CTP)
Caution before signing a telephone contract in Germany
Voting...how to help improve the system
Boarding school children and orthodontic treatment
School Children's Visits (SCV)
SSAFA Forces Help Carer Support Scheme in BFG
Have you recently de-registered your car from BFG?
Could you be an AFF Volunteer?

Go to 'Moving to Germany' page

Are you a Foreign & Commonwealth family living in or moving to Germany?  Visit the F & C, Germany page for lots of useful information. 

 SSAFA Forces Help holidays

SSAFA Forces Help is organising a holiday for children with an additional need and/or a disibility and for siblings of children with an additional need or disability or young carers at Centerparcs, Bispinger Heide (near Hohne) - click here for details.

Visit the SSAFA Forces Help website for details about the holidays scheduled for summer 2010.

  The Career Transition Partnership (CTP)

When you leave the military do you know what you are going to do, where you are going to work or live? The Career Transition Partnership (CTP) is there to offer advice, guidance, training courses and workshops to help you find your next career.

They have ten Regional Resettlement Centres (RRC) in various military establishments, one in Herford, Germany. Each Centre has Career Consultants, Trainers, Administrators and an Information Resource Co-ordinator.

The CTP also has an online job finding service which is dedicated to service leavers and lists many employment opportunities around the world.

They run Industry Briefs where you can talk to employers and training providers and we can provide you with information about the MOD run finance and housing briefs.

Contact: Herford Mil. 948 82 3388 or 0049 5221 995 3388 or visit their website www.ctp.org.uk and enter through the service leavers’ portal.

See also 'Resettlement is for Families Too' - an information sheet.

The CTP are holding a Resettlement & Employment Fair on Tuesday 16 March 2010 at 10:00 in Herford. Click here for details. Spouses are also welcome to attend.

Caution before signing a telephone contract in Germany

AFF Germany is seeing a rise in the number of personnel who on posting are experiencing difficulty terminating their telecom contracts in Germany. There are two problems - firstly those moving before the two year date is up on their telecom contract and secondly when the two year point has been reached but the contract has been rolled over for another year or two years - without the knowledge of the customer. German phone companies operate very differently from the UK and customers need to be far more savvy. For more information click here.

Voting...how to help improve the system

AFF is currently collecting data to demonstrate how and why Service Families experience trouble voting. If you have tried to vote whilst posted overseas or on operations we are interested in your views. Please email admin@affgermany.org.uk

The information below gives details on how to contact your electoral office and how to contact your MP.

To find the contact details of the Electoral Office where you are registered /would like to register to vote:

England , Wales, Scotland

• Go to www.aboutmyvote.co.uk  
• This will open on the ‘homepage’.
• Go to; ‘Your local area’.
• Enter the post code where you are registered/would like to register to vote. Click ‘Go’.
• Under Your local area will be the name of your Council and in the box below will be the contact details for your Electoral Office, address and telephone numbers.
  

In Scotland the Electoral Office may be at a separate office to the local council.

It can be very helpful to telephone the Electoral Office. Ask to speak to the Electoral Manager. They should be able to help with any queries about voter registration. If you are not satisfied with the reply then let us know admin@affgermany.org.uk  

For Northern Ireland go to www.eoni.org.uk for information.

How to contact your MP:

Many MP’s seem unaware of the problems experienced by registered voters in the British Armed Forces, and their dependents, when trying to vote from abroad. Many MP’s are unaware that when we serve overseas we have the choice of voting either by proxy, or by an unreliable postal ballot. To help improve the electoral system it would be helpful if those who have experienced problems voting in the past would contact their MP to bring this matter to their attention.

To find out whom your MP is:

• Go to: www.parliament.uk
• This will open on the homepage
• Click on 'Find Your MP'
• Type in the post code of where you are registered to vote in UK
• On the page with ‘Find Your MP’ go to email. You can then email your MP direct from this site.
• Alternatively there are contact details for writing or telephoning.

When writing to your MP’s you should receive an acknowledgement / reply to your correspondence. We would advise that you keep a record of the correspondence you have sent. If you receive no reply then please resubmit the correspondence with a cover note and continue to do so until you receive a reply.

It would be interesting for us to know what response you receive. It may help us take issue forward.  Please email us at admin@affgermany.org.uk

Boarding school children and orthodontic treatment

My son/daughter is at boarding school in the UK and needs orthodontic treatment. Is orthodontic treatment available for my child at boarding school and if so how do we access it?

Click here for a detailed answer to this question.

School Children's Visits (SCV)

Changes to the SCV mean that the Bielefeld Travel Centre (BTC) will now book flights on a case by case basis in order to best meet the needs of the family; the 75 mile radius rule has been deemed as no longer appropriate. The AB and BMI (LHR-HAJ) contracts will continue to be used where they provide the most pragmatic and cost effective route. These new policy changes to SCV will allow the following:

• The most pragmatic, convenient solution for parents, whilst achieving Value for Money (VfM) for Defence.
• Avoids the use of ‘hub and spoke’ travel unless clearly necessary.
• Gives the required level of care for Unaccompanied Minors (UNMINs) or, where the service is not offered, provides the flexibility for a parent [or guardian] to accompany the child on the same flight at the parent’s expense, thereby allowing the use of budget airlines.

Click here for further details.

SSAFA Forces Help Carer Support Scheme in BFG

Are you in living in Germany and have at least one member of the family with an additional need and/or disability? Would you like someone to be able to offer your family low-level practical help, respite care and assistance? Read more >>

Have you recently de-registered your car from BFG?

The new regulation about returning your BFG tax disc before you leave Germany came into effect in December 2006.
If you have recently returned to the UK from BFG, and have been stopped or fined for not having a tax disc on display, AFF Germany would like to hear from you.
Please call AFF (G) on 0049 5221 995 3180 or e-mail us at germany@aff.org.uk
If you are about to de-register your car or would like to know more about de-registering you should contact your BFG Licensing Clerk.

Could you be an AFF Volunteer?

Volunteers are an extremely important part of the work AFF does, helping us to understand the needs of Army families, and inform families about AFF and its role.

AFF(G) is looking for Volunteers in every Garrison, taking the views of families to the local AFF Co-ordinator and helping to keep Army families informed of any developments which might affect them.

AFF offers volunteers:

The opportunity to contribute positively to change
Opportunities for confidence building
A range of workplace experiences
A range of training opportunities
Out-of-pocket expenses
If you are interested in Volunteering for AFF(G), or would like to know more about what's involved, please call AFF(G) Branch Office on 05221 995 3180 or your local Co-ordinator.