Dear Hosts/Sponsors and Potential Hosts/sponsors

Firstly, can we wish you a Happy New Year, and thank you again for your ongoing support in hosting and sponsoring Ukrainian Guests. Your contribution to this humanitarian programme is greatly appreciated.

Over the last few weeks we have recruited new temporary staff to meet the demands of the Ukraine Programme, and also support the other Resettlement Schemes for Syrian Refugees and Afghan Citizens. In the next few newsletters, we’ll introduce these staff to you so you are familiar with the people involved.

Increasing Host Recruitment and Matching

Many of you will know that there are still many Ukraine Displaced People who wish to come to Scotland. While the Super Sponsor Scheme is not approving any new visas at the moment, and we do not know how long it will be before approvals are resumed, please be assured that anyone who already has permission to travel to come to Scotland will be warmly welcomed. The decommissioning of the Glasgow passenger ship is underway, with the Edinburgh ship expected to follow in a few months’ time.

This means that the Scottish Government is still looking for hosts and a recruitment campaign was launched a few weeks ago Hosts for displaced people from Ukraine – gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

We are aware that there are a number of Hosts in our region who have not yet been matched with a Guest – you will not need to reapply as we have your application and a Guest will be with you as soon as we find a suitable match for you.

Please be assured that matching conversations between Hosts and Guests are taking place daily and we hope to increase our matches in the coming weeks.

There are a number of challenges to getting the right matches. Our Ukraine Guests tell us:

• They would like to live in a house on their own and are anxious about moving in with a Host
• Some feel they have come from a big city so are very cautious about living in the country
• Where Guests have secured employment, they wish to live near to where they work rather than start again somewhere new
• Families with children at school wish to minimise the disruption for children and wish to live near to where their children already go to school

All these reasons are very valid, but the Resettlement Community Engagement Team are constantly promoting the positives of living and working in Dumfries and Galloway both within our towns and in more rural locations to Guests.

And example of this is our participation in ‘Warm Scottish Gatherings’ – the name given to a range of national events for Ukrainian Guests and/or Scottish hosts (hosts) under the Scottish Super Sponsor Scheme, aimed at promoting resettlement including by improving the matching process. These events may follow different formats including awareness-raising events for Guests, information events for hosts and self-matching events between potential guests and hosts.

On Tuesday 22 November, representatives from our Resettlement Project along with some Ukrainian guests attended an event in Edinburgh. This was a great opportunity to promote the support being offered in Dumfries and Galloway and highlight the opportunities for more guests to be matched to hosts in our region. 

We have had interest since the event from Guests seeking matching to hosts in our region, and we hope to have more in the near future. If you or your Guest know of any Ukrainians interested in coming to our region, please get in touch and we can arrange to speak to them about coming here.

Different locations suit different people, and it is just trying to find the right place for the right people with the right host and the right Guest.

We ask for your understanding and patience at this time.

New funding arrangements announced by UK Government

At the end of last year, the UK Government announced that Host payments for Homes for Ukraine will increase for long term hosts and that an extension to the hosting time period is now supported along with new funding for housing options.

New over £650 million support package for Ukrainians sees increased ‘thank you’ payments for longer-term hosts - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

There’s ongoing discussion at Scottish Government level about the detailed arrangements for Scotland and the Super Sponsor Scheme, and as soon as further details are clear, we’ll share that with you. 

Focus on the Resettlement Social Work Team

As the number of Ukraine Scheme Hosts with Guests increases, we are also stepping up our support to you, to ensure that you have guidance and good practice tips, a place to ask questions and deal with any problems, and opportunities to come together with other Hosts.

These opportunities and events are being led by the MOOL (Massive Outpouring of Love – D&G Refugee Action) and the staff in Social Work Services in the Resettlement Team.

The Social Work officers that you will come across in the Resettlement Team are:

• Sheila Clingan – Locality Manager
• Jan Hastie – Senior Social Worker
• Bev Bone – Social Worker
• Shania Walls – Social Work Assistant
• Kirstie Kennedy – Social Work Assistant

The team are also supported by Carol Armstrong, Savanah Carrington and Lori Downing who are all student social workers in the team.

This team are responsible for the following:

• Making sure all accommodation and Disclosure checks are undertaken on Homes for Ukraine and Super Sponsor Hosts
• Offer a Host Support Service to all hosts who are or who are about to host Ukraine Displaced People. This will include telephone support, home visits, support groups and much more
• Offer advice, guidance, and assistance to hosts when things are not going the way you hoped
• Provide advice and guidance when there are worries or concerns in relation to safeguarding for hosts and Ukraine displaced people and their families
• Undertake assessments and ongoing monitoring for all unaccompanied children who arrive in Dumfries and Galloway without their parents to live with a host

Many of you will already have been contacted by one of our team, but if not please be assured we shall be in touch very soon.

This Team has a dedicated email address so you can get in touch with them direct about these issues – SocialWorkUkrainianSupport@dumgal.gov.uk

Shania Walls and Kirstie Kennedy Social Work assistants with the Social Work Ukrainian Support Team have both been accepted on to the Open University course KI02 to progress their studies to become qualified Social Workers.

Congratulations all round on an exciting journey!

Host responsibility

Essential Notification of Changes to Guest Arrangements

It is essential that Hosts advise the Resettlement Team if their Guests are no longer staying with them – this is an important responsibility as it is related to the monthly payments. Any delay will mean that Hosts continue to be paid the Thank you payment of £350 each calendar month and the Council will then need to instigate proceedings to recoup the overpayment.

Please therefore contact the Resettlement Social Work Team as soon as possible with the date the Guest(s) left; and a forwarding address or email address for Guests would be helpful. The contact address is: SocialWorkUkrainianSupport@dumgal.gov.uk

Host Support Groups

As you may know we already have some Host Support groups across Dumfries and Galloway and they will increase over the coming weeks and months. So, watch this space and we shall keep you up to date about our groups where they are and when they will be on in your area so you can come along.

In the meantime you can contact us on the email address of SocialWorkUkrainianSupport@dumgal.gov.uk or if your enquiry is more urgent, please call on 01387 273625.

Host Feedback – We want to hear from you!

Your reflections on being a Host in Dumfries and Galloway is essential so that we can build or amend out support and communications arrangements. So please tell us what is going well, what the best part of being a Host is, and also what the challenges are and how can we help you. All views will remain anonymous – please send any contributions to SocialWorkUkrainianSupport@dumgal.gov.uk and/or let us know if a conversation would be better for you

Cost of Living Information Update

Cost of living increases affect everyone, regardless of age, ethnicity, gender, geography or status. Everyone within Dumfries and Galloway will be impacted, with the real possibility of serious distress and suffering across our population.

The primary concern is those who are most vulnerable and in need, but it is important that everyone understands the effects of the cost-of-living increases on them individually, and that there is support and help available for all.

To help support our residents and ensure they can easily access the cost-of-living support they need, we have worked with partners in the Poverty and Inequalities Partnership to design and develop a brand-new website that will act as a central repository of local, national and UK-wide resources on a range of subjects including:

• Support for Income
• Help for Households
• Help Finding Work
• Families and Young People
• Older and Disabled People
• Health and Wellbeing

The new website was launched on Tuesday 22 November 2022. Look out for information not only on our social media channels but also on those of our partners.

Forthcoming Events

Ceilidh for Ukraine European Movement in Scotland, with Sunflower Scotland, presents Ceilidh For Ukraine. On Saturday 18 February 2023 at Kirkcudbright Parish Hall you can enjoy an evening rich in Scottish culture, with entertainment provided by The Shore Road Ceilidh Band. Doors open at 7.30pm, with dancing starting from 8pm. Attedeeds are welcome to bring their own bottle. Tickets are £10 each, under 12s are free, or a family ticket is available for £25. Call 07873 385723 or 07795 823085 for ticket information.

Information Round Up

Stockings for All

Thanks to £1700 of generous donations from the Burns Howff Club and £100 from Masonic Lodge Dumfries Kilwinning No 53, every Ukrainian Guest staying in our 6 Welcome Hub Accommodations in Dumfries and Galloway over Christmas received a stocking on Christmas Day.

Two-hundred-and-twenty Christmas stockings were kindly prepared by MOOL (Massive Outpouring of Love – Dumfries and Galloway Refugee Action) and delivered in time for Christmas. The stockings were packed full of gift-wrapped personal items tailored to each guest’s age and gender accompanied by a hand-written note from one of MOOL’s volunteers.

On Christmas Eve, night porters in each of the Welcome Hubs, spent time carefully hanging each stocking on guests' doors as a surprise for Christmas morning – for many the first away from home.

To raise the money, the Howff Club held a fundraising event where 80 members and friends enjoyed an evening of fish suppers and entertainment provided by community members including local piper Callum Watson and accordionist Lee McQueen.

Howff Club President, Peter Hutchison, commented: “This event was a wonderful gathering of kindred spirits with a heart for the people of Ukraine. We are delighted to be able to make this small financial gesture to the local community of Ukrainian Guests in Dumfries and Galloway in the spirit of Burns.”

Lodge Dumfries Kilwinning added: “It was great to be able to assist in ensuring that all Ukranian Guests received a Christmas stocking.”

Representatives from the Burns Howff Club, MOOL and the Welcome Hubs met at the Ukrainian Café in the Crichton grounds in Dumfries to celebrate the stockings’ success and the contribution this made to make many Ukrainian Guests first Christmas in Scotland one to remember.

Partners from across Dumfries and Galloway continue to run programmes and initiatives to support Ukrainian Guests resettle in Scotland. For more information on what support is available please visit https://www.dumgal.gov.uk/article/24680/Support-for-Ukraine. To get in touch with MOOL or find out more about its work, visit its Facebook Page or email hello@mool.scot

Celebrating Christmas Ukrainian Style

On 7 January, there was a ‘Ukrainian Christmas’ event at the Dumfries and Galloway Multicultural Association – an event that was enjoyed by everyone. There was music and singing and Ukrainian delicacies. 

Bev Bone, from the Resettlement Team said: "It was a privilege to be part of the event . It seemed warmth, sharing and celebration were at its heart with music, singing, food and contributions from speakers proving both uplifting and moving, especially the account of how Christmas is celebrated in Ukraine. Adults and children coming together and sharing Scottish and Ukrainian traditions created an atmosphere that had meaning and reflected the thought, effort and endeavour put in of all who played a part in contributing to this special event."

Holocaust Memorial Day 2023

27 January is the date of the national Holocaust Memorial Day, selected because it marks the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi death camp in the second World War, The Day also remembers genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Dafur and all those affected by war and persecution.

Each year people from across the UK take part in a national moment for Holocaust Memorial Day, so at 4pm on Friday 27 January people across our nation lit candles and put them safely in their windows. This year the theme was ‘Ordinary People’ about how easy it is to turn away and let intolerance grow; but also how small acts of kindness and support by ordinary people can make a big different to people’s lives.

Here in our region, Convener Stephen Thompson and Depute Convener Linda Dorward, of Dumfries and Galloway Council showed their support and the Dumfries & Galloway Interfaith Group held a short service at the ‘Kindertransport’ tree in Lochside Park, Castle Douglas. The Council Headquarters was lit up in purple to show solidarity and bear witness for those who have endured genocide, to honour the survivors and all those whose lives have been changed beyond recognition because of intolerance and violence.

Sad News

Many of our Hosts and Guests will know of Venus Carew through her work with the Multicultural Association, Interfaith Group, MOOL, Befrienders Association, her involvement in education at the College in Dumfries and the Peacemakers Club for young children. Venus embodied all that is good and caring in human nature and she certainly lived out the teaching of her Baha’i faith ‘let your heart burn with loving kindness for all who may cross your path’. Venus has been involved with the Resettlement Project since its inception is November 2015, being an important voice about understanding different cultures and faiths and preparing our schools and, officers and volunteers for their roles. The world is a better place for having had Venus in it, and she will be greatly missed.

Here’s Venus receiving her Volunteer certificate from the Council’s Director Communities Derek Crichton in appreciation of her work with the Resettlement Project.

The Resettlement Team will be represented at her funeral on 9 February 2023, which will be live streamed. If anyone would like to donate to the charities that Venus supported, please do so below, and you may also wish to contribute to the online board set up for messages and photographs of Venus, which will be of great support to her family and friends during this difficult time and in the future.

Help and Support

There is a wealth of information available offering guidance and support on our website, and through our partners.

We want to hear from you!

Reflections on being a Host in Dumfries and Galloway – we would really like to hear from you about what is going well, what the best part of being a Host is, and also what the challenges are and how can we help you. All views will remain anonymous – please send any contributions to the Resettlementproject@dumgal.gov.uk

If there is any information you think may be useful, but is missing from our Support for Ukraine webpages, please let us know at: Resettlementproject@dumgal.gov.uk