To mark World Book Day 2024 one of our Supporting Welcome Coordinators tapped into her previous experience working with children and families to create a resource looking at diversity and inclusion of minority ethnic backgrounds in early childhood literature.

Update on the Homes for Ukraine Scheme: On Sunday, 18 February, the government announced that Ukrainians who came to the UK following the Russian invasion will be able to apply for 18-month extensions to their visas. This extension, referred to as the Ukrainian Permission Extension scheme (UPE), affects all three Ukrainian visa routes: Homes for Ukraine, the Ukraine Family Scheme and the Ukraine Extension Visa. Ukrainians will able apply online up to three months before their current visa expires and the application process will be free. This means that the first applications will be open in the beginning of 2025 and those granted the earliest visas from the different Ukraine schemes will be able to stay in the UK until September 2026 with the UPE.