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Once a guest has moved to a property, please inform East Devon District Council about their arrival by contacting Homes for Ukraine Support.

Please note if we are not notified of your guests' arrival, we will not be able to complete the Welcome visit as part of a mandatory checks to enable you to claim your thank you payment.

You and your guest will be allocated a Resettlement Officer who will be your point of contact and will organise a welcome visit. The Resettlement Officer will be in regular contact with yourself and guest to ensure that any questions are answered. They can support you and your guest with:

If your guest has arrived prior to completing all the mandatory checks, please contact us as quickly as possible as this will delay your thank you payment.

Things to consider when your guest arrives

How to modify your speech to help your guests

Some guests will have a higher level of English than others. We have translators available as part of our team to assist if needed. But you may find it helpful to adjust your tone, speed and language when you speak to a guest.

Another video recorded for us by Shelley from English Unlocked, this time focusing on the ways in which you can modify your speech to make it easier for your guests to understand English.

Supporting your Guest to access services

When your guest arrives, you may need to help them in several areas of support. Always remember the empowerment approach when helping your guest to understand different systems in the UK – never doing something for someone without them.

Council’s Resettlement Officers can help with translation and accessing services if needed.

Considering Empowerment, Boundaries and Power Imbalance when Hosting

You are likely to know more about the local area, UK customs and norms than the people you sponsor. With this knowledge comes a potential power imbalance of which you should always be mindful. Guests will rely on what you share with them about life in your neighbourhood. Read More ›

Mental health and emotional well-being

The following resources may help you as a sponsor to better understand the experience your guests may have endured, and enable you to support their well-being and mental health.

Thrive LDN has a page of guidance, training and signposting to other resources, to support the mental health and well-being of displaced Ukrainians. This includes a short guide, ‘Helping with displaced Ukrainians’ concerns or worries‘ (PDF).

Good Thinking has produced several resources designed to help people cope with trauma, including a ‘Coping with Trauma’ workbook and accompanying short film series.

Toolkits for sponsors

Organisations experienced in supporting new arrivals in the UK have produced toolkits to help new sponsors. These toolkits give a general overview and advice about being a sponsor and a host:

Training and advice

Training can help you to prepare to host people and understand how to deal with issues if they arise, so that you are better equipped to deal with the ups and downs of hosting.

Here are some links to videos and training courses:

  • RESET training: courses, videos, articles and more, all designed to help you and the family you support
  • The Sanctuary Refugee Support Course: essential basic training for all those living, working or volunteering with refugees, covering topics like safeguarding, trauma, cross-cultural communication and community integration
  • Sanctuary Foundation webinars: learn about refugee welcome and refugee welfare. Sanctuary host regular events, and their previous events are recorded and posted on their website
  • To Be Known: short films focused on how to prepare to host, and support throughout the hosting experience