Gloucestershire Homes for Ukraine sponsor guide
Download the Gloucestershire Homes for Ukraine Sponsor Guide or read through the information tabs below.
We have also produced a Welcome to Gloucestershire information pack for Ukrainian guests.
Thank you for offering your home to someone in need. The generosity of people across the county in providing safety and refuge to those fleeing Russia’s war in Ukraine reflects the very best of our county.
We are working with the district councils; the NHS Clinical Commissioning Group; Gloucestershire Action for Refugees and Asylum Seekers (GARAS) and other partners to support sponsors and guests through the Gloucestershire Housing Partnership.
This guidance is being issued by the Gloucestershire Housing Partnership for those who have registered as sponsors in the Homes for Ukraine Scheme in Gloucestershire.
We are still receiving updates and information from central government regarding the scheme; requirements for sponsors; and how local authorities are expected to help.
As more information becomes available, we will continue to update this guide. It should be read alongside the national guidance for sponsors.
Please read this Advice for Host Families pack produced by Barnardos and their partners. It contains more information about Ukraine culture differences and how to support someone suffering from traumatic experiences.
- I have registered as a sponsor but do not know any Ukrainian applicants
- Can I sponsor a young person or child from the Ukraine to live with me?
- I am a sponsor and have a match. What happens next?
- Should I tell the local council my guest is on their way/has arrived?
- I have a match and have put it on the system, but no one has contacted me
- What standards will my property be checked against?
- How will I know the person undertaking a Property Check is from the council?
- What happens if problems are found?
- Providing privacy and security to your guest
- When will I receive my “Thank You” payment?
- What will happen during an Initial Welcome Visit?
- Who needs to be present for an Initial Welcome Visit?
- Will the person visiting speak the same language as my guest?
- What financial support is my Guest entitled to?
- How will my guest be helped to settle into life in the UK, and what can I do?
- How can I help my guest find a place in a local school?
- How to access medical care and what to do
- Press, media and social media
- Introducing your guest to your friends and neighbours, including on social media
- Why is the person visiting my home from a charity and not the council?
- What English-language training is available?
- Opening a bank account
- What should I do if I have concerns about a child or adult’s wellbeing?
- Help with immigration issues, including Biometric Residence Permits
- Newsletters to sponsors
- Housing options
It is best practice is to ensure that refugees accommodated in homes have access to a lockable, private space. All refugees have experienced trauma, including the often-violent loss of their own home and accommodation. For many this experience may come alongside additional traumatic experiences, including violence and abuse. It may be difficult for people to discuss or explain what has happened to them.
As a sponsor, you can do small things to help them to recover from these experiences by providing them with privacy and security within your home. For sponsors who are comfortable, we are exploring whether the Partnership is able to support the installation of locks on your guests’ bedrooms. If you would prefer not to have a lock installed inside your home, we will offer your guest a “Door Jammer” which is a removable device enabling them to secure their bedroom from the rest of the home without causing any damage or changing fittings and fixtures.
We recognise this may feel like a difficult response to your generosity in welcoming guests into your home, and your particular guests may not choose to use them. Please understand that this is not about suggesting that you pose a threat to your guests or that they believe that you do. Providing reassurance and security in this way is a way of recognising the difficult circumstances in which guests have come to the UK and taking small steps to help them feel safe and in control, to help them recover from previous traumatic experiences.