Support for Ukraine

If you want to offer a home to people fleeing Ukraine you can become a sponsor as part of the Homes for Ukraine scheme. Register as an individual or as an organisation at GOV.UK: Register interest Homes for Ukraine (opens new window). You can also email the Homes for Ukraine team at H4U@wiltshire.gov.uk (opens new window) if you would like to register your interest to become a host for Ukrainians already residing in Wiltshire as part of a rematch.

The Government is asking for people to offer accommodation for at least six months, for it to be fit for people to live in and suitable for the number of people to be accommodated. This applies to both the initial sponsorship arrangements and any rematch hosting agreements.

The most important thing is that you are able to provide at least six months of stable accommodation. This can be anything from an empty room to an unoccupied home, as long as it's safe, heated and free from health hazards, and gives your guests adequate access to bathroom and kitchen facilities.

The Government will provide an optional £350 monthly payment to those offering accommodation. This increases to £500 once the guest has been in the UK for 12 months in order to help sponsors who are able to help to continue hosting for longer, up to a maximum duration of 2 years. For more information please see 'Continuing sponsorship' under Housing FAQs.

Those arriving will have met standard security checks against the police national computer database and antiterrorism checks as part of the visa application process.
Sponsors and all adults in the sponsor household will also be subject to standard security checks as part of the visa process.

The government advice explains your local authority will also visit you to check that the accommodation you are offering is appropriate and that everything is in place for your guest(s). The local authority will also conduct a Disclosure and Barring Service check on all adults in your household. This is typically required for people who work closely with children and vulnerable adults - teachers, doctors, social workers, civil servants - and is a simple, standard safety check. You will receive a certificate valid for two years. These checks and the process will be expedited.

For those who are sponsoring a Ukrainian family which includes a child or a vulnerable adult, an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check with Barred Lists check will be conducted.

Once your guest(s) have arrived, a Caseworker from the Homes for Ukraine team will also conduct a welfare visit to make sure that you and your guest are comfortable, settled and happy with the hosting arrangements. They will be able to answer any questions that you or your guest(s) have and will be a contact throughout the resettlement period.

The accommodation check, DBS check and welfare visit must be completed before the monthly host payment is issued.

Just accommodation. However, there is nothing stopping sponsors offering meals should they wish. You will not be expected to cover the costs of food and living expenses (although you may wish to offer this philanthropically).

For clarification, you may choose to eventually charge your guest(s) rent. Once this happens, this will remove guest(s) from the scheme and end the host monthly payment. This is because this will then be classed as a private arrangement/private rental agreement.

DLUHC updated the GOV.UK: Guidance Find a job: Homes for Ukraine (opens new window) on 3 April. This includes information on where to find work, signposting support and how to access skills-based training for employment.

The update includes information on working in a regulated profession in the UK. Some professions in the UK, such as teachers and lawyers, are regulated by law and individuals need to have specific professional qualifications or experience to be able to enter and practise these professions. For these roles, independent regulators decide what qualifications individuals need to have to practise a profession and assess whether applicants are suitably qualified.

To help navigate this process, the UK government has provided guidance on the recognition of professional qualifications and will signpost individuals to relevant regulators, where appropriate. Visit the GOV.UK: Guidance - Check which professions are regulated in the UK (opens new window).

There are other organisations who will be able to offer support on things like access to benefits, registering with a GP, school placements and more. The government is also asking local authorities to provide wrap-around support for guests and is providing new funding for councils to do so.

Each district within Wiltshire has an allocated Caseworker who will be the point of contact during the hosting period. They will be able to answer any questions and support both you and your guest(s).

In the first instance you can register your interest at GOV.UK: Register interest Homes for Ukraine (opens new window).

Charities, businesses and faith and community groups will have a big role to play in connecting individuals with those who wish to sponsor and wish to be sponsored and of course providing an excellent welcome to individuals arriving to the UK.

In future the government will work to help organisations to allow them to directly sponsor individuals, but they are starting with named individual contacts.

More information at GOV.UK: Guidance Homes for Ukraine scheme: frequently asked questions (opens new window).

Visit .

Council tax discounts will not be affected if you sponsor and host a Ukrainian household in your home. The government is offering a monthly 'thank-you' payment to all sponsors - this will not affect any council tax discounts.

If you are paying the full rate of Council Tax for an empty property and you let your property to a Ukrainian guest(s) the Council Tax charge will be reduced by 50%. Please provide the names of the guest(s), the date they moved in and evidence that they have permission to stay in the UK under the scheme.

Council Tax Regulations require us to issue bills in the name of the residents and therefore the guest(s) will be liable to pay the 50% Council Tax bill. In some cases the sponsor may wish to make payment on their behalf but, the bill will remain in the name of the occupier, who could also make a claim for a Council Tax Reduction.

If you share of have let a property to a Ukrainian guest, please provide the address of the property, names of the guest(s) and date that they moved in. Please also provide any documentation you have to support that they have permission to enter or to stay in the United Kingdom granted under the Governments Homes for Ukraine Scheme. This information can be sent to counciltax@wiltshire.gov.uk (opens new window)

If the relationship between you and your guest(s) breaks down irreparably, they will likely require a new host in the form of a rematch. In the first instance, the guest(s) may look for a rematch themselves via different routes within the community such as the local Community support. Your allocated caseworker will then look for a rematch but options available to the immediate area may be limited which may then result in your guest(s) having to move to a neighbouring area. Where possible, the casework team look to select possible rematch places that will result in as little disruption to their resettlement as possible.

The Ukraine WiltsLet scheme exists to support Ukrainian households who are coming to the end of their placements by financially enabling them to be able to move into a private let property. WiltsLet can offer a non-refundable grant of up to one month's rent in advance to the landlord in some circumstances. This is returnable unless there are rent arrears and reasonable steps have been taken to collect them. WiltsLet can also offer a deposit bond (or a cash deposit if the prospective landlord will not accept a bond) of up to five weeks' rent.

We work closely with our colleagues in Housing Solutions who will consider whether the home is likely to be affordable and the guest's ability to fund the deposit and rent in advance themselves. If the guest has sufficient funds for the deposit and rent in advance, a WiltsLet grant will not be available, but the guest will receive advice about the affordability of the prospective tenancy. Once this assessment is complete and if the application is successful, a tenancy agreement in liaison with a landlord agreement will be created before the payment is then processed.

For more information, please speak to your allocated caseworker or email homeless@wiltshire.gov.uk  (opens new window) or H4U@wiltshire.gov.uk (opens new window).

Demand for social rented homes in the Wiltshire Council area is high and turnover low. Whilst guests are entitled to join the Housing Register, it is important for them to be aware that houses and flats at social rents are in high demand and that turnover of social lets is low. The council operates a 'choice-based lettings scheme' and it is very common for a house, bungalow or a 1-bedroom flat to attract over 100 expressions of interest from people in housing need on the council's Housing Register. For more information, please see Homes4Wiltshire (opens new window).

The moving on grant is a non means tested grant available for all Ukrainian guests under Homes for Ukraine to support them with the costs of moving into independent accommodation. The grant is tariffed per size of property and is a one-off grant payment. Households will not be eligible for any further moving grants. Costs are regardless of type of property. 

You can contact your allocated caseworker for more information and for an application form, or alternatively please email H4U@wiltshire.gov.uk (opens new window).

Where there is a risk of homelessness your allocated caseworker will complete a Duty to Refer to our Housing Solutions colleagues. A homeless assessment will then be completed with a housing caseworker. They will need to know whether anyone in the Ukrainian household has medical or other condition, and what type of housing they will need. Housing solutions can also offer support to maintain a tenancy.

If your guest(s) qualify for the main housing duty, the council will provide a suitable short term accommodation until a settled home is found. A settled home could be private rented accommodation that is available for at least 6 months or social or affordable housing. Your guest(s) will have the right of review as to the suitability of any temporary or long term housing offered.

If they do not qualify for the main housing duty, further options will be discussed with involvement from both the housing caseworker and your allocated caseworker.

For more information, please contact homeless@wiltshire.gov.uk  (opens new window) or H4U@wiltshire.gov.uk (opens new window).

In emergencies outside the council's working hours call the Emergency Duty Service on 0300 456 0100.

We would encourage you to talk to your guest(s) 4 months after their arrival in the UK, about the options for their next steps, including continuing sponsorship, finding a new host (rematching), renting private accommodation, and around contacting your allocated caseworker to discuss alternative accommodation options.

Whatever you decide to do at the 6-month point, please let your allocated caseworker know or contact H4U@wiltshire.gov.uk (opens new window) 2 months before. It will make it easier for us to offer support if your guest(s) are moving on or to continue make the thank-you payments if you continue to host.

The government ask everyone who is hosting, particularly those coming up to their fourth month of sponsoring, to continue hosting their guest(s) until they are ready to move on, where that is possible. If you are able to continue sponsoring for longer than 6 months that is brilliant.

If you continue to host, you are eligible to receive thank-you payments up to 2 years of your guest's stay in the UK.

You will receive £350 a month during the first 12 months of your guests' stay. This increases to £500 once your guest(s) have been in the UK for 12 months in order to help sponsors who are able to continue hosting for longer, up to a maximum of 2 years.

However, we understand that not everyone can continue to offer accommodation after 6 months and guests might want to find their own accommodation. Where that is the case, we encourage you to work with your guests to develop a plan for how they will move on.

You can call the NHS Dental Helpline 0333 0063 300 for emergency dental needs. More details on how to find an NHS dentist are available on the NHS: How to find an NHS dentist (opens new window) website.

We will be in touch regarding these. These are picked up and processed Monday to Friday.

They should go to the nearest hospital with an Accident and Emergency department. If it is an extreme emergency you can call 999 or 112 and ask for an ambulance to go to hospital. If they need treatment or advice that is not an emergency, but cannot wait until they next see their GP, you can obtain advice by calling 111. More information can be found on the website GOV.UK: Collection - Homes for Ukraine: Guidance for guests (opens new window).

Please contact either Adult or Children's Services on the following number 0300 456 0100. Further details are available through the Wiltshire Council Child protection (Children) and Your care Your support: Safeguarding (opens new window) (Adults)

If you are concerned a child is at risk of significant harm, contact 0300 4560108, 8.45am to 5pm, Monday to Thursday and 8.45am to 4pm Friday; Out of Hours 0300 456 0100.

If there is immediate danger, phone the police or emergency services on 999.

For less urgent enquiries, email Integratedfrontdoor@wiltshire.gov.uk (opens new window).

If you are worried about your own safety or the safety of another person, call Advice and Contact on 0300 456 0111 for out of hours 0300 456 0100

If there is immediate danger, phone the police or emergency services on 999.

You can report those who you think is defrauding the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

Please make sure that you are reporting to the right government department - there are many kinds of fraudulent activity and each one needs to be reported to the right government department for it to be investigated properly.

Give as much information as you can about the person you are reporting, including:

• their name
• their address
• the type of fraud you think that they are committing

You can make a report anonymously - you do not have to give your name or contact details unless you want to.

Find out more about the types of fraud and where to report them see GOV.UK: Guidance Reporting fraud: Homes for Ukraine - guidance for sponsors (opens new window).

Children born to parents in the UK under the Homes for Ukraine scheme are eligible to regularise their immigration status through the Ukraine Extension Scheme. Parents should make an application to regularise the child's position in the UK within the first three months, to ensure the child has immigration status and access to services and benefits, including healthcare. Read the GOV.UK: Guidance Regularising a child’s immigration status if they are born in the UK: Homes for Ukraine (opens new window).

Ukrainian parents who are not working and have a child who is two years old are entitled to 15 hours per week Early Years Entitlement (EYE) at a childminder, preschool or nursery. This should be at no cost to the parent, but there may be a small charge for snacks/lunch etc.

All three and four-year olds are eligible for 15 hours per week EYE, again this should be at no charge apart from snacks/lunch etc

If the parent/s are working in the UK and paying UK tax, three and four-year olds are entitled to an additional 15 hours per week EYE making a total of 30 hours per week at no or low cost.

If parents are working for a Ukrainian company and paying tax in Ukrainian, they will not be eligible for the additional 15 hours. If one parent is paying tax in the UK, then they should be able to claim the additional 15 hours.

In England the EYE offer is term time only - 38 weeks per year but can be stretched to include holidays 11 hours per week if stretched over a year.
 
Full details and how to apply Childcare Choices (opens new window).

If you have a Ukrainian staying with you who is qualified to work in a school, nursery or preschool and they have good English, they will be able to convert their Ukrainian qualification to an English one. This can be started through UK ENIC: Statement Of Comparability - A general purpose statement of qualification comparability (opens new window).

A qualification can be adapted to meet English requirements by taking top up units, this can take six months. They are able to work as an unqualified member of staff in a setting during this time if they are able to find a placement.
 
For more information contact earlyyears@wiltshire.gov.uk (opens new window).

We usually only accept school applications from a person who has parental responsibility for the child. However, in this instance we are happy to accept application forms submitted by sponsors on their behalf. Once we receive the application we will contact you by email if we require any further information. Guidance to how to apply for a school places can be found in the .

For information on local schools please visit Forms, guides and policy documents which has a map showing schools and also a downloadable guide for each area of Wiltshire which lists all our schools.

The school admissions team is experiencing large demand for school transfer applications and you should allow 15 school days for the application. If you have not received the outcome of your application after 15 school days, then email the team at admissions@wiltshire.gov.uk (opens new window). The 15 school day timescale does not include school holidays or bank holidays. Also many enquiries can be answered by referring to the information available on the Wiltshire Council website. Use the link below to access the website.
 
Apply for a school place

You can name up to three preferred schools on the application form. Where possible we will allocate a place at one of these schools, looking at the schools in the preference order you have given. If we are unable to offer places at any of the preferred schools we will offer a place at the next nearest school to the home address with an available place. If this is not within a two-mile statutory safe walking distance for children aged under 8, or three miles for those aged over 8, the applicant will be able to apply for free home to school transport.

Schools in Wiltshire have lots of experience in supporting children who are at an early stage of learning English - there are already over a hundred different first languages spoken by children attending our schools and thousands of multilingual children. Children whose first language is not English are one of the most successful groups in schools in England and in Wiltshire they do particularly well. Schools will expect children to join mainstream lessons more or less immediately on admission, but will use supportive strategies that will ensure that, while things may be a little confusing at first, children will soon settle in and start to develop their English.

There's also support and advice from Wiltshire Council and from our Academy Trusts that schools can draw on if they need a little extra help to make provision for a child without much English (yet).

Families can help at home by learning a bit of English together, but also by encouraging children to continue to use their first language - we know that children who are confident and fluent in their first language acquire English more quickly at school. If you can say something in one language, it's easier to learn it in another.

Although we are unable to share details of other families in the area due to privacy rules, we can share details of local groups and put you in touch with your local Strategic Engagement and Partnerships Manager (SEPM). You can find details of your Strategic Engagement and Partnerships Manager (SEPM) on Find your local SEPM or Councillor who will be able to advise you on community support available locally and of any community groups set up, or forming as part of the county's Ukraine refugees response work.

We are following the latest government guidance on checks and the type of check will depend on your own hosting arrangements.

• basic DBS check - If a household is sponsoring adult guests only, then every person in that household over the age of 16 will be required to have a basic DBS check carried out. 
• enhanced with child barring - If a household is sponsoring a Ukrainian family which includes children under 18.
• enhanced with adults barring - If a household is sponsoring a Ukrainian family where there are adult members of the Ukrainian family that require additional support i.e., personal care, and the additional support will be undertaken by the host.

Your visa can take up to a week but due to backlog, there may be a longer wait. You can contact the UK Visa and Immigration helpline for Ukrainian guests on 08081648810 or if you are calling from the UK, you can contact 01753907510.

The government is separately issuing the visas for Ukrainian refugees. The latest government advice is the checks which local authorities have been asked to carry out can wait until the guest has arrived as the Home Office will undertake their own checks prior to the guests' arrival to speed up the process. Wiltshire Council will continue to carry out the required checks and the team will be in touch with sponsors to arrange, but these should not delay the issue of the guest's visas.

Please be aware we now have a mandatory sponsor self-declaration form for you to fill in and a separate web page with supporting information for sponsors under the Homes for Ukraine pages. Please go to Homes for Ukraine to fill in the form on the tab marked "register online" 

You have the option to receive a monthly payment of £350 for up to 12 months, paid in arrears, for as long as you are hosting your guests and that the accommodation provided is of a suitable standard. You will be eligible for the first monthly payment once your guests have arrived and Wiltshire Council has carried out all required checks. There can only be one payment per residential address. In England it will be administered through your council.
 
If your guest moves out of your home for any reason, you must inform your local council at the earliest opportunity as you will need to let them know that you are no longer eligible for the monthly payments. For more information, see the GOV.UK: Guidance Homes for Ukraine: sponsor guidance (opens new window).

Our Family and Community Learning team is delivering English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) courses across the summer at multiple locations in Wiltshire. Further courses are planned with an online option to be available later this summer. People who would like to find out dates and times of these can go to Work Wiltshire - Develop your English (ESOL courses) (opens new window).

Host families with Ukraine guests can also register interest in a course location that isn't available at present by emailing familyandcommunitylearning@wiltshire.gov.uk (opens new window).

The Employment and Skills service is supporting young people 16 - 18 years into Education, Employment or Training whilst living in the UK. You can find out more details on Work Wiltshire - Develop your English (ESOL courses) (opens new window).

The government have added a Ukrainian translation to the guidance on what Ukrainian guests need to do before they travel to the UK and what to do after they arrive. The translation is available via buttons in top right of GOV.UK: Guidance - Homes for Ukraine visa sponsorship scheme: privacy notice (opens new window).

Our housing team carry out an accommodation visit to check the suitability of your property. This is separate to the welfare visit which will be made by the Refugee Resettlement and Migration caseworkers who will also contact you to arrange an appointment.

The UK has a welfare system which is designed to help those who face financial hardship, or who have specific needs. This system enables persons to claim regular monetary payments, called "benefits or allowances. A link to all the different types of benefits you could receive can be found at GOV.UK: Benefits (opens new window). Your local Jobcentre search (opens new window) will be able to help you find out which of these you may be able to claim.

The welcome guide for Ukrainians in Ukraine has more information on this and a number of other questions GOV.UK: Collection - Homes for Ukraine: Guidance for guests (opens new window).

Yes. To find and register with your nearest local doctor (GP) service and for more information please see NHS: How to register with a GP surgery (opens new window). The welcome guide for Ukrainians in Ukraine has more information on this and a number of other questions GOV.UK: Collection - Homes for Ukraine: Guidance for guests (opens new window).

No. Ukrainians are not eligible to be added to the Annual Canvass 2024 - your household details.