Update for those supporting refugees from Ukraine – 1 April 2022

Dear Parish Councils and Parish Meetings

Thank you for opting in to receiving ongoing updates from us about supporting guests arriving from Ukraine and hosts who have offered accommodation. We will send regular updates and will aim to group these into a once-weekly or once-fortnightly email to avoid sending emails to you too frequently. If for any reason you would like to opt out of these ‘Support for Ukraine’ emails, please just email us to let us know.

We have created a short survey in the hope of better understanding what different community volunteers / groups / organisations are currently doing or are planning to do as part of the district’s support for hosts and guests. We would be grateful if you could complete our survey here.

A reminder that you can see all of the information we have collated so far on our Support for Ukraine webpage. The information below only covers new information that we have received / clarified over the past week since our last update.

If you have any questions about support for guests please email duty.communities@scambs.gov.uk

Support in Ukrainian

If you are in touch with someone who doesn’t speak any English, you may wish to signpost them to sources of support which are also available in Ukrainian.

Cambridge4Ukraine

Cambridge4Ukraine is a volunteer initiative set up by Ukrainians in Cambridge, which is helping to match sponsors with those fleeing Ukraine as well as providing support to arrivals from Ukraine.

Cambridge4Ukraine – волонтерська ініціатива, заснована українською спільнотою в Кембриджі.

Council translation and interpreting

There is information on this page which should be useful, but if you need any support, you can email duty.communities@scambs.gov.uk or call 01954 713 070.

To translate the rest of the information on this page into Ukrainian, you should be able to use Google Translate:

In your browser, go to Google Translate.
At the top, click Websites.
We recommend setting the original language to ‘Detect language’.
In the ‘Website’, enter a URL.
Click Go.

На цій сторінці ви знайдете корисну інформацію, але якщо вам потрібна будь-яка підтримка, пишіть на мейл duty.communities@scambs.gov.uk або телефонуйте 01954 713 070.

Щоб перекласти іншу інформацію на цій сторінці українською мовою, ви можете використати сайт Google Translate:

У вашому браузері, зайдіть на сайт Google Translate
Вгорі сторінки, натисніть на ‘Websites’.
Ми рекомендуємо залишити мову оригіналу, натиснувши на опцію ‘Detect language’.
У полі ‘Website’, введіть адресу сайту (URL)
Натисніть ‘Go’.

Government guidance

The Government has created a Welcome Pack for Ukrainians arriving in the UK, which covers what they may need to know in their first few days, getting used to life in the UK including how to find a home, access essential public services, healthcare, find work and childcare and education services. The Government advises this should be available in additional languages soon.

Payments for hosts and guests

We would encourage hosts to suggest to guests that they set up a bank account as soon as possible. The quickest way for us to pay the £200 payment will be into a UK bank account, and this money is intended to help guests cover initial costs such as for food or other essentials.

To open a bank account in the UK, you usually need to show proof of ID such as passport, biometric residency permit, driver’s licence or recognised identity card. You also need proof of permanent address. The Government is working with major banks to find a solution to enable arrivals to open accounts without the usual permanent address requirement. A number of UK banks already have a system for opening accounts where you do not have a permanent UK address. Before a guest proceeds to apply to open a bank account, we recommend asking their chosen bank if they have this facility. Once we have a list of recommended banks we will share this with you.

Frequently Asked Questions for hosts and guests

I registered as a host a while ago – what is taking so long for a family to arrive?

The Government runs the Homes for Ukraine registration, visa and matching processes. We understand that you may have been waiting a while, and that the Government is working as fast as they can to reach the many people who have signed up as a sponsor through the Homes for Ukraine Scheme. Only once hosts and guests have been ‘matched’ is the District Council provided with the information to contact hosts.

How and when will DBS checks and accommodation checks on hosts be undertaken?
Now that we have started receiving data and have an idea of the scale of likely arrivals, we will be contacting hosts (who have been matched with guests) regarding the DBS and accommodation checks from early next week. Please note that the process to complete a DBS check via the Disclosure and Barring Service can take four to six weeks to complete. However, the Government has put measures in place to try and speed this up for this scheme. In many instances, guests will arrive prior to the DBS check being completed. Guests may also arrive prior to the accommodation checks being completed (we are aware that some guests may have arrived before we received host data), however we will endeavour to commence both DBS checks and accommodation checks as quickly as possible once hosts and guests are matched (before they are matched, we do not have access to host data). The checks should not be causing a delay to guests arriving, and we are looking at what measures can be put in place to safeguard guests prior to DBS checks being completed. Please also note that hosts are not expected to cover the cost of the DBS checks.

Is there financial support available to guests?
Yes. In addition to the information on our webpage about access to Benefits, help with housing costs, and foodbank locations, we have this week added information about the Cambridgeshire Local Assistance Scheme (Cambridgeshire County Council) which could support guests with access to low cost reused and refurbished household items, clothing and food vouchers. Please contact clas@cambridgecab.org.uk for further information.

Is there legal support available to Ukrainian nationals?

The Ukraine Advice Project UK was set up by a group of immigration lawyers to provide pro bono advice to Ukraine nationals following the Russian invasion. The project has been inundated with enquiries since it opened, with local firm Stone King’s Immigration Team joining lawyers around the country in offering expert legal advice. To request advice, please email ukraine@freemovement.org.uk with some details of your circumstances and what advice you need.

As a host, do I need to tell my mortgage provider / home insurance provider that I am providing accommodation through these schemes?
You’ll need to check with your mortgage provider, and insurance company, about whether they’ve got any policies which you need to factor in. Insurers have agreed that for homeowners accommodating Ukrainian Nationals in their home there is no need to contact your insurer on the basis that they are accommodated as non-paying guests.

Will my Council Tax discount be affected?
Council tax discounts will not be affected if you sponsor and host a Ukrainian household in your home. The Government is offering a £350 a month ‘thank you’ payment to all sponsors – this will not affect any council tax discounts.

How can guests travel to host accommodation?

In addition to the information shared last week related to National Rail, it has now been confirmed that guests will be eligible for a single onward journey via national rail, light rail, bus and coach, free of charge to anywhere in England (or Scotland or Wales). Guests will only need to show their Ukrainian passport and boarding pass or ticket showing arrival into the country within the last 48 hours. For more information see the Ukrainian Displaced Persons Travel Scheme.

I don’t know the person I’m sponsoring – we met on Facebook – should I give them my passport details?
Whether to share your personal information is always your decision, but we would urge you to consider this carefully before doing so. If you have concerns about sharing personal details, you may prefer to fill out the visa application form on behalf of the individuals you are sponsoring. To do this, you will need to ask them for their information.

My guest is an entrepreneur / business owner. What guidance is there about whether they can continue in this line of work in the UK?

The Federation of Small Business has advised that they are writing to the Foreign Secretary to offer assistance to entrepreneurs and business owners who leave Ukraine to settle and set up small businesses in the UK; we will provide a link to further information for people in this situation when this is available.

How can hosts help their guests to get to know the local area?

Each of the villages (or two towns) in South Cambridgeshire will have something unique to offer, and one of the best places to find information about what is going in on your new village or town is to look up your parish or town council. If you would like to find more ideas for places to visit, parks or walking routes to explore, events to attend, or somewhere to go for a meal, please take a look at our Visit South Cambs website.

What process will be put in place in case of a breakdown in relations between a sponsor and a guest/family to ensure housing can be provided?

Guests who do not have accommodation or who are at risk of homelessness should contact our Housing Advice service as early as possible for support.

What support is in place for new arrivals looking for work?

Ukrainian refugees are able to work in the UK for up to three years. If you have a guest or a guest is arriving imminently who is keen to find work, please email openforbusiness@scambs.gov.uk. Our Business Support Team is collating information about local job opportunities, including for people who don’t speak English or have limited English, and they will be happy to try to match guests with work placements in the coming weeks and months.

The Department for Work and Pensions has advised that they already have candidates contacting them for work via local Job Centres. Both the Department for Work and Pensions and Citizens Advice have said they are happy to help with form filling for processes such as setting up a bank account, understanding entitlements/benefits and so on. The Department for Work and Pensions has also appointed ‘vulnerable coaches’ to support applicants.

How should guests organise school places for children?

Those children of families we have welcomed to the UK under the Ukraine Family Scheme or the Local Sponsorship Scheme for Ukraine are entitled to a school place. If you live in England you are required to ensure that any of your children aged five but under 16 receive a full-time education. Children will normally begin to attend school, full-time, in the September after their fourth birthday but you have the option of taking up a place part-time until the start of the term immediately after the child turns five. Alternatively you can keep your child at home or in nursery while they are four and apply for your child to start school from the start of the term following their fifth birthday – although your choice of school may be more limited. It is likely, at least in your first year in England, that you will need to apply for ‘in-year’ admissions.

The County Council is the local authority responsible for education. There is some information on the County Council’s website for families moving to Cambridgeshire from abroad and making ‘in-year’ admissions. If you are welcoming a family with children in the immediate future and need support to find a school place, please let us know by emailing duty.communities@scambs.gov.uk so that we can coordinate with colleagues at the County Council.

Community case studies – an update from Open Arms in Shelfords/Stapleford (OASISS)

We have already seen in a number of our communities a phenomenal response to the emerging refugee crisis and wanted to share one such case study. If your community is likely to coordinate a similar response, please let us know what support you think you are likely to need from us. We are here to help.

Last week we shared an example from Open Arms in Shelfords/Stapleford (OASISS) which focused on the information they were gathering from the local community in terms of what accommodation had been offered, to build a picture of the likely need for support in their villages.

Following a fantastic response from the community in relation to accommodation, the coordinators are now looking at what other support may be needed. We thought this might be useful for other groups planning wraparound support for new arrivals.

What we need now: a website, legal and financial skills and admin skills

The huge response has generated an enormous number of emails and we need to share the load with a larger team. Please could we encourage people who have been unable to offer to house people but have time and administrative and organisation skills to contact us.
A website will soon be very necessary and will help with communication – if there is someone out there who has the skills to develop a website. Time is of the essence.
We will need help with financial and legal issues. People are generously offering funds, but we have no bank account, though we are investigating short term solutions. Others may be comfortable in guiding folk through the visa process. Please do let us know.

For the future: Many of you have offered to help with activities and social support, as well as with practical help such as finding bicycles or even teaching English. We will be approaching you all for broader offers of help in the future, so please think about ways in which you or the organisations with which you are involved could help.

Areas we continue to seek clarity on

Please note that we are continuing to seek answers to the following questions. We will aim to update you on these queries via a future update, as soon as we are able to.

Can a business sponsor Ukrainian refugees through the Homes for Ukraine system?
Is there any funding for community groups working to support refugees?
How can guests access English Language tuition?
If a household currently subject to the spare room subsidy offers their spare room, will they no longer be subject to this?
Will my social housing tenancy be affected?
I would like to offer accommodation, for instance from holiday accommodation to a home for refugees – do I have to apply for a ‘Change of use’ to the planning service?

Gareth

Gareth Bell | Communications and Communities Service Manager

South Cambridgeshire District Council