 Dear Private Hosts in Dumfries and Galloway
Firstly, our sincere thanks to you for opening your hearts and your homes to Ukrainian Guests as we respond to this international humanitarian crisis. The participation in the Homes for Ukraine and Super Sponsor Schemes by almost 300 households across our region demonstrates that Dumfries and Galloway is a welcoming and supportive community.
Secondly, there is a wealth of information on the Council’s website Support for Ukraine - click here and we encourage you to keep an eye on it, as things are updated regularly. The website has a ‘speak/translate’ option at the top of the page, which means the information is available to anyone in the language of choice.
This newsletter is going to be a weekly communication to Hosts, providing you with information and links to assist you in fulfilling the commitment you have made to your Guests.
We will also be sending a newsletter to the Guests themselves, and it would therefore be helpful if you could encourage them to send their contact details to the resettlementproject@dumgal.gov.uk so we can include them in these mailings. Please let us know of any articles that you and/or your Guests would find useful at the same email address.
Finally, we are going to have a programme of online Briefings to give you the opportunity to hear from the Resettlement Project Board about the project and provide answers to questions that you may have.
Our first two opportunities (they will have the same programme, this just to give you options about your attendance) will take place using Microsoft Teams on Wednesday 3 August at 7pm – 8pm or Tuesday 9 August at 3pm-4pm.
There will be a brief presentation on the national position, an outline of the support available to Hosts and Guests in our region; and responses to questions from you, our Hosts. To register for the event - so we can send you a ‘Teams’ invitation - please email resettlementproject@dumgal.gov.uk;. and please also send us your questions. The meeting will be recorded and a link included in the next Newsletter.
We look forward to hearing from you and working alongside you over the coming months. Thank you again for your involvement – it is greatly appreciated.
Resettlement Project in Dumfries and Galloway
The Dumfries and Galloway Resettlement Project is part of the Community Planning Partnership (CPP). Councillors Stephen Thompson and Linda Dorward are co-chairs of the CPP Board with Nick Morris as the Vice Chair. The Resettlement Project Board is responsible for a range of Resettlement Schemes including Syrian refugees, Hong Kongers, Afghan citizens, hosts and Ukrainian Guests. It comprises officers from the Council, Health Board, Police Scotland, a range of third sector organisations, Department of Work and Pensions, Housing Associations and the Scottish Refugee Council and we all work together to plan and deliver support to hosts and Guests. Funding for the project comes from UK and Scottish Governments as well as officer and volunteer time from these organisations involved. The Project Team works closely with the Scottish Government and the national local government organisation COSLA who set the framework for the arrangements and match Guests to the Hosts in the SuperSponsor Scheme. More information on the Board can be found here CommunityPlanning - Working Groups (dumgal.gov.uk)
Host checks and support
A small team of Social Workers and Environmental Health Officers are undertaking the Disclosure Scotland and housing checks on all the Hosts who have offered accommodation through the Homes for Ukraine Scheme and the Super Sponsor Scheme.
All adults aged sixteen years and over living within the Host home must complete the Disclosure Scotland checks.
The Housing check considers the appropriateness of your property, looks at your local area, transport links, employment opportunities, schools, hospitals, and access to shops. If your property is isolated we’ll consider how your Guests can be supported to access such facilities.
When all checks are completed, the information is then used to inform the national team who then match your property to Ukrainian Guest(s) who are currently living in a ‘Welcome Hub’ Hotel - this could be in Dumfries and Galloway or somewhere else in Scotland. This matching process has already begun, so if you have not yet been contacted, be assured this is likely to happen in the days and weeks ahead.
Once your Guest(s) are here, each Guest receives a cash payment of £200, to support them until their Benefits come through; and Hosts register for their backdated £350 per month payment.
The payments to all our Hosts and Guests are up to date – your patience and co-operation as we got you all registered and got the Bank transfer arrangements in place has been appreciated.
In addition to making the payments, we’ll be contacting you regularly to check how things are going, offering you telephone support and signposting where required. In particular, there may be some challenges in your home in relation to your hosting arrangements and we’ll offer both a listening ear when things are not going so well, and professional assistance to maintain the hosting arrangement, if at all possible. We’ll provide further information on this in future Newsletters.
Our team looks forward to supporting Hosts throughout their journey - please get in touch through the ResettlementProject@dumgal.gov.uk email address if you need any support and assistance.
Host networking and sharing experiences
The Resettlement Project includes local expert third sector organisations MOOL (Massive Outpouring of Love – D&G Refugee Action - click here), Dumfries and Galloway Multicultural Association (click here) and the Dumfries and Galloway Inter Faith Group who will support Hosts and their Guests. These organisations welcome volunteers and donations to help them with their work so you might want to get actively involved .
These partners are arranging local networking groups and we’ll also have online meetings, to enable you to share experiences with each other and learn together.
We plan to have a review process, to give Hosts and Guests the opportunity to share feedback on their experiences and improve our arrangements.
Activities
Over the coming months, it’s important that we support our Guests to integrate within the wider community and promote their independence. So, this newsletter will feature opportunities and signposting to activities taking place across the region.
The Resettlement Project will also be supporting some regionwide, and some local events and facilities, including celebrations on Ukrainian Independence Day on
24 August 2022 – a date for your diary!
In the meantime you can find some Summer Programme activities available in your area below.
Contact Susan Brown, Lifelong Learning Officer on email susan.brown@dumgal.gov.uk or telephone 07920 528 209
For young people aged 5-14 there’s Summer Fun
And remember that there’s free Library Service resources across Dumfries and Galloway. Click here to find out more
Language
Information about English Language classes is on the Council website – this is a foundation for successful resettlement, so please encourage and support your Guests to register and attend classes – details are on the website English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) - Dumfries and Galloway Council (dumgal.gov.uk)
If you would like to learn some common Ukrainian words and greetings to support your families and make Guests feel welcome, there’s a free series of six online lessons (using Zoom) with Tutor Iryna Fihol starting on Tuesday 2 August 2022 at 6.30pm-8.30pm; and then 9, 16, 23 and 30 August and 6 September. If you are interested, please contact Rachel.edgar@dumgal.gov.uk or phone 07769 361 661 to book your place on the course and she’ll send you a registration form. Places are limited but we will look to run more if there is sufficient interest.
Employment
We’re supporting partners’ plans for ‘Jobs Fayres’ where various local employers can come together to showcase opportunities. There’s a recruitment event taking place at Stranraer College Campus on 31 August – details in a future newsletter.
Transport
We are delighted to tell you the Resettlement Board have agreed to offer an additional payment to Guests, equivalent to the cost of a 4-week ‘Mega rider’ Bus Ticket, to assist you and your Guests with travel around the region.
Please share this information with your Guest. The payment will be made through Paypoint so we need confirmation of their mobile telephone number and email address – please send this to the resettlementproject@dumgal.gov.uk mailbox and the money will be transferred.
Future Newsletter features…
- School enrolment
- Helping with finances – Free School Meals and Uniforms, accessing Crisis Grants
- Good practice tips for harmonious living
- Supporting unaccompanied Ukrainian children
- Faith and worship
- Employment rights and opportunities
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