In Devon, the Pickwell Foundation has developed and published useful information on their ‘Northern Devon With Ukraine’ site, including guidance on becoming a sponsor, building a support group, and many other useful topics.
City of Sanctuary has a range of guidance and advice for people considering being a host or sponsor, including their list of things hosts should consider before signing up, webinars, and signposting to other resources. You may find it useful to watch a recording of their webinar ‘Homes for Ukraine Scheme: An Introduction to Hosting’ that was recorded on 7 April.
The following resources may help you as a sponsor to better understand the experience your guests may have endured, and enable you to support their well-being and mental health.
Solace has two free e-learning courses aimed at those who want to improve their support for the emotional well-being of asylum seekers and refugees. These courses have been developed with the intention of increasing access for refugees and asylum seekers to compassionate and impactful wellbeing support across the UK. You need to sign up for a free account to access them.
Understanding refugee and asylum seeker mental health will provide you with an understanding of the issues affecting the mental health and wellbeing of asylum seekers. Solace encourages anyone who may come into contact with people seeking sanctuary to undertake this training so that you can provide effective help.
Effective therapeutic support for asylum seekers is aimed at mental health practitioners. It builds on the previous course and provides you with knowledge of the therapeutic issues refugees may bring, and how your practice as a mental health practitioner can be adapted to make it appropriate for the very particular needs of this community.
Thrive LDN has a page of guidance, training and signposting to other resources, to support the mental health and well-being of displaced Ukrainians. This includes a short guide, ‘helping with displaced Ukrainians’ concerns or worries‘ (PDF). Designed to help those supporting people affected by the Ukraine crisis, the guidance has been produced to help families create a safe and welcoming environment for displaced Ukrainian people and avoid the potential for further harm. Please note the guidance also contains further information on assisting displaced Ukrainians to access professional support, including NHS mental health and wider community support services, but a couple of the resources are specifically for London residents.
Good Thinking has produced several resources designed to help people cope with trauma, including a ‘Coping with Trauma’ workbook and accompanying short film series.
For professionals working in the field of mental health, the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC), of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has developed resources in English, Ukrainian and Russian to support ‘Mental Health and Psychosocial Support, Humanitarian Response in Ukraine and Neighbouring Countries’.
Are you caring for someone else’s child while their parents return to the Ukraine? If the young person is under the age of 16, is not a close relative and is staying with you for 28 days or more, this could count as private fostering and we must be made aware. Our Private Fostering Team can offer advice and support. Find out more information, including how to contact our Private Fostering Team, on our website.