Ukraine conflict

Firstly we acknowledge your frustration if you signed up to help through the national Homes for Ukraine scheme but are yet to be matched with a guest.

Currently the Council does not have a role in matching sponsors with guests, this is a role currently undertaken by charitable organisations like Reset.

Councils can only match sponsors and guests when a re-match is required for any reason (for example if the original sponsor does not pass the required checks or there is a breakdown in the relationship between the guest and sponsor).

Then the Council will try to re-match the guest with another sponsor that we know of in the borough who has passed their checks and is willing to offer a home to the guest for a minimum of six months.

Our role is to confirm that the accommodation is suitable and Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks are carried out on all adults in the sponsor household. If there are children and/or vulnerable adults arriving, an enhanced DBS check with barred lists check will be required for all adults in the sponsor household.

We acknowledge that this may be a frustrating process but these checks are essential so that we do not compromise the safety of refugees seeking sanctuary in our borough.

A welfare visit will also be carried out by the Council once your guest has moved in with you to make sure you and they are happy and to assess if any further support is necessary.

For more information on the checks visit the Sponsoring a Ukrainian refugee section of this Q&A.

Firstly, make sure you register as a prospective host with the Homes for Ukraine scheme, if you have not already, or make sure your details are up to date.

All of the information we will need to carry out the re-matching process comes from this.

Without breaching confidentiality, you will be provided with as much information as possible about the circumstances to allow you to make an informed decision as to whether you will be able to meet the needs of the person or family coming into your home.

This would not necessarily prevent you from becoming a host.

The checks that you have to pass are the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks and the accommodation checks to ensure that the accommodation is suitable.

A number of factors will be taken into consideration with the guest around existing connections they may have made in their original location. This could include proximity to school or work, for example.

The team from ForFutures, an organisation working with the Council to help reduce homelessness, will work with guests on their long-term plans and help them to secure accommodation that is right for them.