Empowerment, Power Imbalance and Boundaries
It’s important to remember how much power you will be holding in the relationship with your guests, and equally how you can be a source of empowerment for them. You are essentially their landlord, their supporter, initially you may be the only person they have to talk to in the entire country. Read through our guide to understand how help those you welcome feel confident and able to navigate life in a new country.
Preparing your property
You may be unsure how to prepare your property for when your guests arrive. You can read through our advice to make sure that your property is ready to welcome somebody.
Financial Matters
Financial matters under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme can be confusing. We’ve made this resource to help you get a better idea of finances related to the scheme. For most people, talking about financial matters can be uncomfortable and daunting, especially with new guests in your home that you want to make feel welcome. We encourage hosts to be as open as possible regarding financial matters which relate to the Homes for Ukraine Scheme to avoid awkward and uncomfortable situations in your household.
Safeguarding
We all have a responsibility to one another to prevent ourselves and one another from harm. Your local authority will have a safeguarding board and when you meet, you should make sure that you ask about how you can report a safeguarding concern relating to the person you are sponsoring should it is needed. Your role is not to take on the place of statutory services, but we all have a role to report whether there are concerns about the welfare of children or vulnerable adults and take action to address them where appropriate. Read more here.
Integration Support
When your guest arrives, you may need to help them in several areas of support. Be mindful where your responsibility ends and the local authority responsibility begins, if you are in doubt, check with your local authority. Always remember the empowerment approach when helping your guest to understand different systems in the UK – never doing something for someone without them.
Planning for the end of your support
Thinking about the end of your support is one of the first things we encourage all hosts to do when planning their support for refugees. It may feel strange to start thinking about the end of your support offer before a guest even arrives, but planning for the end of your support is just as important as planning for the initial welcome. Check out our advice and guidance on this topic to make sure you feel prepared before your guests arrive.