Shropshire Council and partners ready to help as many Ukrainian refugees as possible

Update as of Monday 4 April 2022

Shropshire Council and our partners have quickly mobilised to respond to the Government’s Ukraine resettlement programme.

The council is working closely with Shropshire Supports Refugees, health teams and other key partners, and are now working with host families who have offered accommodation to those entering Shropshire.

Homes for Ukraine

Current figures on the Government’s Foundry system (the official system that hosts the matches of refugees with host families) show that 147 have been matched in Shropshire so far.  In addition, the council is aware that there are many hosts who have accepted refugees outside the scheme, and are asking those who have to contact the council so they can make the necessary checks and provide advice and support.

Teams are now working with those host families who have matched with Ukraine refugees to support with:

• Ensuring host families have a DBS check
• Property checks
• Finance and welfare support
• Access to health services and education
• Access to transport, community services and support.

Simon Jones, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for adult social care and public health. said:-

“As a council we have been delegated responsibility for the vast majority of the Ukraine Refugee Resettlement scheme.

“Although we are experienced in the resettlement of refugees, the number of people we are looking at coming into Shropshire is much larger than anything we have done previously.  But we are ready to help as many refugees as we possibly can.

“We have set up a working group where the key agencies and teams have met to discuss the scheme as a whole and determine who are responsible for the key tasks.

“The council, along with Shropshire Supports Refugees, are looking at how we can bring the Ukrainian families together to support each other, and we have seen conversations going on amongst hosts who live close together trying to link with families who are friends so they can remain close. As part of our working group, we have set up a separate ‘communities’ group who are looking at how we develop hubs and support throughout the county, both for the Ukrainian households but also their host families.

“This is a humanitarian crisis on a scale that many of us have not seen before in our lives. Our job, along with our partners in national and local government, the NHS, and the voluntary sector, is to ensure those who arrive in Shropshire have all the support they need, both as soon as they arrive and for as long as they are in this county. We will work together to make sure this is the case.”

Safeguarding

We are aware that 90% of the Ukrainians coming into the UK are elderly, or females with children.

Safeguarding issues are a significant concern, and are being taken seriously by both our children’s safeguarding and adult safeguarding teams. We must ensure that everyone coming to Shropshire is safe.  Although there are large numbers of people who want to help, there are people who will sadly take advantage of this situation.

Simon Jones continued:-

“We are focused on safeguarding both the Ukrainian families coming to the UK and also our host families.

“We are aware the checks needed are in place to ensure we have somewhere safe and suitable for people to stay. We also know that many of the families coming over will be traumatised by the horrors they have witnessed, and we need to be sure we have the correct support available both for the Ukrainian families but also the host families agreeing to have people live in their homes.

“It is our responsibility as a council to ensure we safeguard anyone coming to settle in Shropshire and, as difficult as it is to accept, we have to be mindful that there are people and groups who would take advantage of Ukrainian people desperate to have somewhere to stay. We therefore need to ensure relevant checks are done correctly and appropriately.”

New Homes for Ukraine website for Shropshire

The council have also launched a dedicated website: Homes for Ukraine | Shropshire Council for both host families and refugees, which includes advice and information on all the support available, in English, Ukrainian and Russian, to help Ukrainians resettle in Shropshire.

The website will be updated as and when we receive further guidelines from the Government, and as the local scheme develops.