The sponsor process in Devon

Introduction

This page provides an overview of the process as we currently understand it, including what happens after you have registered and other important information.

Before you start

We are required by the government to carry out a series of checks on sponsors / hosts, and associated members of their households, and to prioritise the safety of guests arriving from Ukraine. We recognise that there is an urgent requirement to support people in Ukraine, but the Homes for Ukraine scheme does not replace and cannot conflict with our overarching statutory duties relating to safeguarding and keeping people safe.

There are several checks that we and our partners are required to carry out, on all adult members (over 16 years) of the household, which could disqualify you from the Homes for Ukraine scheme. These include:

· the criminal records of all adults in the sponsor’s household

· property and safety inspection

· background checks of all adults in the sponsor’s household on the Devon County Council social care systems

You may also be ineligible if:

· intelligence is provided by Devon and Cornwall Police that suggests the placement may not be safe

· you provide foster care or are applying to be a foster carer

Failed checks

With safety being our overriding priority, if a sponsor (or a member of their household) fails on any check we are obliged to take action. If guests are yet to travel, the match will be cancelled with the Homes for Ukraine scheme. If guests have arrived, we will review the situation.

Register your interest

To become a recognised sponsor / host, and to qualify for any payments and support, you must register on the Homes for Ukraine website, managed and run by the UK government. Homes for Ukraine: record your interest – GOV.UK

You must be prepared:

· to be security checked

· for all members of your household over 16 to be checked and to have their criminal record checked by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) · for your accommodation to meet basic minimum criteria Basic accommodation needs: Homes for Ukraine – GOV.UK

· to be able to host for a minimum of six months

The UK government has published Eligibility, safeguarding, DBS and accommodation checks: Homes for Ukraine – GOV.UK

You should check with your mortgage and home insurance providers that you will not be breaking their terms and conditions. The Association of British Insurers have said:

If you are a homeowner in the UK and want to temporarily house refugees who have been displaced from the conflict in Ukraine as non-paying guests in your home, you do not need to inform your insurer and your cover will remain the same. This applies for the first 12 months of any refugees living with you, including when your policy is due for renewal. After 12 months, if any refugees are still living with you, then you should tell your insurer when you next renew your policy.

If you rent, you must have permission from the property owner/landlord, and they in turn will need to ensure that by providing permission it does not break the terms of their insurance.

Additionally, you should give careful thought to your ability:

· to provide a safe environment

· to cope with young people and children, if offering to host families

· to host people who have suffered hardship and trauma

You should also consider if the location of your accommodation is suitable in terms of easy access to services, for example, public transport, schools and shops.

Find someone to sponsor

The following guide has been produced Find a sponsor using recognised providers: Homes for Ukraine – GOV.UK

Applying for a visa

The following guide has been produced Apply for a visa under the Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme – GOV.UK

If you need help, contact UK Visas and Immigration.

Telephone: +44 808 164 8810

Calls are free of charge.

If you cannot contact UK 0808 numbers, you can use this number: +44 (0)175 390 7510. You may have to pay – check with your phone provider if you’re not sure.

Travel in the UK

When a guest arrives in the UK they can travel to your accommodation one-way for free using the national rail network, light rail, buses, and coaches anywhere in the UK (except for Northern Ireland, who have their own arrangements).

To travel for free, they will need to:

· show their Ukrainian passport

· show their travel ticket with the arrival date and time

· travel in the first 48 hours of arriving in the UK

Guests can also travel for free on buses, trams, and the tube in London.

Free travel cannot be used for a return journey, you can only travel in one direction. Plan a journey and read more on the national rail website. Find out more about public transport in the UK.

Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks

Once you are matched with a Ukraine citizen or family, and the visa application is completed, the Home Office passes your information to Devon County Council.

As a first step, Devon County Council is required to do a check with the Disclosure and Barring Service of all adults over 16 in your household.

We have an overriding duty to ensure that people and families arriving from Ukraine are safe. This process may in some cases happen after your guests from Ukraine have arrived.

You will receive an email inviting you to complete a DBS application online. There are three main stages:

1. Complete your DBS application – you will require your National Insurance number, previous 5-year address history and full name history including middle names.

2. Complete a separate form asking for information about the lead sponsor and any other members of the household over 16 years, to enable us to check identities.

3. Contact will be made with the lead sponsor to arrange a video call to verify their identity.

Other members of the household over 16 will subsequently be emailed to start their DBS check.

There is a range of documents that each person will need to produce to verify their identity. These are listed here Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) – checking guidelines and acceptable documents – Migration and resettlement To save time ahead of the team making contact, please check through and get your chosen documents in one place.

Please be aware that the DBS check, the video call and any follow-up checks on additional members of the household will not happen instantly. If you have filled the form in with contact details a member of the team will be in touch, please be patient.

We have received reassurance from DLUHC that the DBS check process is not a requirement for issuing a visa and the associated permission to travel, and the DBS may well be completed after any Ukraine nationals arrive.

Household and basic checks

The compassion and generosity shown by the people of Devon in supporting those that have had to flee Ukraine has been enormous and we are so proud of the number of people willing to provide a safe place for individuals and families to live.

The safety of all concerned is our top priority and with that in mind, we have published guidance for sponsors on what to expect from a home visit. This will provide you with an idea of the types of safety checks and considerations that will be needed once you begin sharing your home.

All lead sponsors will be contacted by their local district council to arrange the inspection of the property or properties that they have offered. We are working across all councils to do these checks as fast as possible.

Financial support

There is a one-off £200 payment for each guest. This will be paid by your district, city or borough council.

You are also entitled to a £350 per month ‘thank you’ payment from the government. This is optional and we realise that not everyone will want to claim this. If claimed, it will be paid by your district, city or borough council. Payments will start once all the checks have been passed and your guests have arrived.

More information will be published here as soon as it becomes available.

Financial support in East Devon

For sponsors and guests in the East Devon District Council area:

• An application form will be emailed to you once you have been contacted to arrange a property inspection
• If you have not received the form or mislaid it, please email HomesforUkrainePayments@eastdevon.gov.uk
• Once your guests have arrived, complete the application form and provide, for each guest, copies or scans of passport ID and visa (and evidence of bank account if receiving payment direct to a bank account)
• Once the application is received and checked, East Devon will make the payment by cash or by payments into bank accounts if one has been opened
• Cash payments are made in person – most people are collecting from the office in Honiton but delivery can be arranged if that is not possible
• East Devon will move to a Post Office Payout voucher in the near future, to enable cash collection from the nearest Post Office

Financial support in Mid Devon

For sponsors and guests in the Mid Devon District Council area:

• An application form will be emailed to you once you have been contacted to arrange a property inspection
• If you have not received the form or mislaid it, please email refugeehelp@middevon.gov.uk
• Once your guests have arrived, complete the application form and provide, for each guest, either an email address or mobile phone number
• Once the application is received and checked, Mid Devon will make the payment in the form of a Post Office Payout voucher either by email or text
• This can be redeemed at any Post Office
• If there are children in the group a further £200 per child will be included if you have completed that section of the form

Further details can be found on the Mid Devon Council website.

Financial support in North Devon

For sponsors and guests in the North Devon District Council area:

• If your guests have arrived from Ukraine and are now staying with you, please advise North Devon Council by emailing HomesforUkraineND@northdevon.gov.uk or by calling 01271 388870
• Once the application is received and checked, North Devon will make the payment in the form of a Post Office Payout voucher either by email or text
• This can be redeemed at any Post Office

Further details can be found on the North Devon Council website or contact the Council by email or phone 01271 388870.

Financial support in South Hams

For sponsors and guests in the South Hams District Council area:

• Please notify South Hams council once guests have arrived via email supportforukraine@swdevon.gov.uk
• There will be an online form launched soon that will enable guests to apply for the £200 guest payment
• Once the application is received and checked, South Hams will make the payment in the form of a Post Office Payout voucher either by email or text
• This can be redeemed at any Post Office

For further details please visit the South Hams website or email SupportForUkraine@swdevon.gov.uk.

Financial support in Teignbridge

For sponsors and guests in the Teignbridge District Council area:

• Once your guests have arrived, complete and submit the application form available on the Teignbridge District Council website
• You will need to provide, for each guest (including children), copies, photos or scans of passport ID and visa
• Forms should be returned to homesforukrainepayments@teignbridge.gov.uk
• Once the application is received and checked, Teignbridge will issue payment to guests.

Further details can be found on the Teignbridge District Council website.

Financial support in West Devon

For sponsors and guests in the West Devon Borough Council area:

• Please notify West Devon council once guests have arrived via email supportforukraine@swdevon.gov.uk
• here will be an online form launched soon that will enable guests to apply for the £200 guest payment
• Once the application is received and checked, South Hams will make the payment in the form of a Post Office Payout voucher either by email or text
• This can be redeemed at any Post Office

For further details please visit the West Devon Borough Council website or email SupportForUkraine@swdevon.gov.uk.