If you have offered to be a host and have had a match approved we understand that you will have a lot of questions.
Plymouth City Council will be contacting you as soon as possible to go through the next stage of the process. This includes the process for fulfilling our duty to assess suitability of accommodation and for carry out DBS checks if they are required.
This is a new scheme and the Government is still working through some of the detail. We may not be able to answer all the questions you may have immediately but we will endeavour to provide all the information you need when we have it.
Please note that the City Council has no influence over visa applications for Ukrainian guests as this is a separate process carried out by UK Visas and Immigration.
Resources
We are working with local partners to develop a one-stop shop for hosts. This will be able to provide information and advice, and signpost you to other resources.
In the meantime, there are resources available online:
- Advice for Sponsors from the Department for Levelling Up, Homes and Communities
- Resources - Refugees At Home
If you have any questions, you can email: ukraineresponses@plymouth.gov.uk
If you are a sponsor, when you have been given a date that your Ukrainian guest/s will arrive, please can you contact us and let us know.
Anyone in the UK, of any nationality and any immigration status providing they have at least six months leave to remain in the UK, with a spare room, or separate self-contained accommodation that is unoccupied can come forward to help.
Accommodation must be available for at least six months, be fit for people to live in, and suitable for the number of people to be accommodated.
Named individuals can offer residential rooms or unoccupied self-contained residential units to a specific person or people, and charities.
We are starting the first phase of the scheme with named individual contacts, in the future government will work to help organisations to also sponsor individuals.
Please consider these things before applying to sponsor a refugee.
We have a number of key roles:
- to undertake property and safeguarding checks
- to put in place support arrangements for refugees and their hosts
- provision of education
- homelessness assistance
- Provision of social care to children and adults
- interim payments for refugees arriving under the Homes for Ukraine scheme
- community integration.
Further information about this support will be updated on this website.
In Phase One of the scheme, it will be for UK residents to sponsor to match with a particular named person or a named family. Everyone who applies to this scheme will be subject to a range of checks, including those in the sponsoring household and those coming to the UK.
The government has asked local authorities to assess whether space offered by sponsors is suitable for use in the Homes for Ukraine scheme. A Council officer will visit the property and check that taking in a refugee will not lead to overcrowding and that the rooms are in a reasonable condition.
The checks will involve a DBS check, and enhanced check if children or vulnerable adults are among your guests. Details of what is involved are available on GOV.UK. We will arrange and meet the cost of the checks.
The Government is making available an optional £350 per month payment for up to 12 months towards costs you may incur as a host. Before you can claim this we will need to undertake a number of checks.
We are still awaiting detailed guidance from government but it is likely to involve a home visit before we can commence payment. Payment will be a month in arrears once the checks has been successfully completed.
We are working closely with specialist local refugee service providers to ensure that support is in place for when people arrive. This will mean that when a refugee first arrives in Plymouth they will be assigned a caseworker. This person will help the refugee complete key tasks such as registering with a local GP, enrolling children in schools, applying for a national insurance number and any benefits they are entitled to. Included in this will be:
- Education: The caseworker will also be able to refer arrivals to other Council services such as services which provide access to English as a Second Language classes in conjunction with the voluntary sector, and organisations which can help people find employment.
- Safeguarding: Refugees are likely to be vulnerable and may be traumatised by their experiences, and potential hosts should be aware of this when signing up to the scheme. All adults in host households will be required to have a basic DBS check, and if there is a child or vulnerable adult in the arriving Ukrainian family an enhanced DBS check will be required. If a host has a concern about wellbeing of either the refugee family or themselves, they should contact our safeguarding teams.
More information about the support available will be updated in the coming days.
As of 23 February, 35% of Ukraine's population had been fully vaccinated (at least two doses) and a further 1% had been partially vaccinated. Refugees will be able to access all NHS services, including vaccinations, and will be supported to do so including discussing any concerns they may have.
Hosts should however be aware that individuals they provide accommodation for may not be vaccinated and some may be hesitant to do so. Details of local vaccine sites.