Supporting Ukraine

This section will advise you on what you need to consider including DBS checks and home checks, visas, payments, council tax, sponsoring a child and support we can offer you. 
Once you have a named contact in Ukraine and have applied: 

• The government will send us your details and your guests' details. 
• We will contact you to arrange checks. 
• We will ask you to notify us once you have more details on when you expect your guests to arrive. 

Once you have been matched with a guest, we will contact you to complete the following: 
 
Property inspections 
 

We are required to carry out a check on the property where Ukrainian guests will be living. We will contact you to arrange a suitable time to do this.  
  
Your accommodation needs to be free from serious health and safety hazards. You should make sure your home is safe for your guests and that it is in a suitable condition.  
  
If it is a room in your home the Private Sector Housing team will complete a Home Safety Check.  

If the accommodation is an empty, or self-contained, property then the Private Sector Housing Team will complete an Accreditation Check which will include requesting a Gas Safety Certificate.   
  
We will share the outcome of the property inspection with the Home Office.  

 
DBS Checks 

We are required to complete DBS checks on anyone who has applied to be a sponsor, as well as anyone over the age of 16 in the household, who has been matched with a potential guest. 

The DBS application must be started as soon as possible following receipt of information about sponsors and guests and we encourage all sponsors to make us aware as soon as possible when their guests are due to arrive. 

In the instance of a rematch, the relevant DBS checks must be completed in advance of move in. 

In terms of eligibility, within the Homes for Ukraine (HFU) scheme, the expectation is that: 

• If a match is made which involves a family group including at least one guest who is a child (i.e., under 18), an Enhanced DBS check will be undertaken on all members of the sponsor household who are aged 16+. However, this does not apply if the child guest is related to the host sponsor, in this instance only a Basic DBS check is required.   

The Enhanced check (including a check of the children’s barred list) is needed due to the level of safeguarding risk within households where the sponsor and/or other individuals aged 16+ may provide care or supervision of a child guest under the scheme on more than 3 occasions in a 30-day period, or overnight, bringing the sponsors and other adults, for the purpose of the Homes for Ukraine scheme, into regulated activity (SVGA 2006, Sch4, Part1). 
  

• If the council decides that an adult guest requires additional support, due to age, illness or disability and it is proposed that an adult (16+) member of the sponsoring household provides them with this support, then the local authority may ask for an Enhanced DBS check (including a check of the adults’ barred list) to be undertaken on any member of the sponsor’s household who is proposed to provide that support. 

•  In all other cases, including where there is a family relationship between the sponsor and the guest(s), a Basic DBS check will be undertaken on all members of the sponsor household who are aged 16+ 

If an Enhanced DBS Check is required, the council will facilitate the application(s) by the sponsor and any other eligible individuals within the household. When the property checks are completed, our officers will also collect DBS information for all adults in the sponsor household to enable that process to begin. This will include viewing ID documents, utility bills etc. to prove residency and identification. This DBS check will be paid for by the council from the funds, it receives from the DLUHC. 

If a Basic DBS Check is required, the council is unable to request a Basic DBS check on your behalf therefore you will need to apply for one for each person over the age of 16 in your household, then advise us when you receive the results. This check can be requested at Request a basic DBS check - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). 

There is a fee of £18 for each DBS check request. You will need to pay this fee upfront and you will be reimbursed by the council when the initial welcome payments are made to your guests, upon receipt of proof of payment. 

A new DBS check must be completed for every potential host, we cannot accept existing DBS certificates. 

Visas 
 
The Home Office is processing visas for all those arriving to the UK. We are not involved in issuing visas.  
  
Payments to hosts and guests 
 
You must tell us when your guest(s) arrive; email us at asylumseekerrefugeeteam@northumberland.gov.uk 
 

Hosts can opt in to receive £350 a month tax free for up to 12 months. This will be one payment made per address, not per individual. We will pay this one month in arrears once the guest has arrived. Following the first 12 months, sponsors are eligible for £500 per month for the following 24 months. This includes when a sponsor or guest has been rematched, even if it is the sponsor's first time hosting.

When contact has been made with the guest, the Resettlement Officer will then request the bank account details required for payment of the £350.00 to the host. This will then be arranged via the Council’s Finance Team.  
 
We will also provide Ukrainian guests with a one-off payment of £200 per person. 
 
Please note that you cannot charge your guest rent. 

As of 1 October 2024, sponsors/hosts of new arrivals are not eligible to receive thank you payments for hosting a close family member who moves into their home in the UK.  This change applies to payment claims taking place from this date, irrespective of visa application dates.
Close family members include:

• a spouse, or civil or unmarried partner;
• a parent;
• a parent-in-law;
• a son or daughter;
• a son- or daughter-in-law;
• a step-son or daughter;
• a sibling; 
• a grandparent; or
• the spouse, civil partner or unmarried partner of any of these people.

Those who are already in the UK and move in with a close family member are classified as having left the Homes for Ukraine scheme, rather than a rematch.
  
Your Council Tax whilst hosting 
 
It will not affect your council tax if you are a sponsor registered under the Homes for Ukraine scheme. This includes council tax discounts for single persons. 
 
There will be a 50% discount for empty or second homes used to house Ukrainians on the scheme. 
  
Hosting a child 
 
If you are hosting children in need of a school place, find out more at School Admissions 
  
Applications: 

• Must be made with the consent of the parent or guardian, but you can help them to complete the form. 

• Can be sent in advance but we will not process them until we have all the documentation. 

School Admissions will need: 

• Copies of their entry visas as soon as they are available. 

• Something from yourself as the host to confirm the family is living with you. 

• A utility bill to confirm your home address. 

School Admissions cannot guarantee that school places will be close to the host’s accommodation. Places will be given based on availability within schools. 
 
 
What to do if you are concerned about something 
 
If you are concerned about the welfare of a vulnerable adult, you can find more information on our Safeguarding adults web pages. 
 
If you are concerned about the welfare of a child or young person, you can find out what to do on the Safeguarding Children in Northumberland website. 
 
Guests no longer arriving 
 
If your guests are no longer arriving and you would like to host another Ukrainian guest or family we recommend you use the Reset Homes for Ukraine matching service. 
  

Four to six months into your sponsorship arrangement 

If you want further advice about how to help your guests establish themselves here in the UK, you can find information on the Gov.uk website which explains what options and support are available to you when you have sponsored guests for 6 months. Homes for Ukraine: sponsor guidance - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) 
 
Further Advice 
If you have any further enquiries, please email asylumseekerrefugeeteam@northumberland.gov.uk