Once the visas have been applied for we have a maximum 3 weeks to get ready. There’s lots to do.

REGISTER WITH SOMERSET COUNTY COUNCIL AND TELL THEM YOUR GUESTS ARE ARRIVING
It’s an easy form, but it is critical you do this. They need to check our homes formerly and also do a DBS on us if we’re having children or vulnerable adults to live with us. It also registers the children for school. This is the link https://services.somerset.gov.uk/ukraine-sponsor.

GET YOUR HOMES READY
Do you have all the furniture, electronics, crockery, cutlery etc that you need. If not, email Victoria to ask for what you need. She’s the holder of the list of what’s available, and there is fundraising going on in order to buy things. See hosts briefing pack.

KEEP IN DIALOGUE WITH YOUR GUESTS
It is worth keeping a dialogue going with your guests, every couple of days or so, just so you start to build relationship and find out their wants and needs.

• Do they have a bank account which can work with GBP? Do they have prescription needs (see later)?
• What activities do the kids do (eg gym, football, bike riding)?
• What do the adults do (eg running, walking, singing)?

You may be able to get items donated from the local community or local facebook groups – eg a trampoline or a kid’s bike or helmet. There is a list of clubs and organised activities in our area being produced.

HOW WILL YOUR VISITORS GET TO YOU?
Are they coming by train or plane or car? Will someone need to meet them at a station or airport?

Also, as you think about activities above, does that mean they’ll need lifts support: eg if buses have finished before football club finishes?

HOW WILL YOU BRIEF YOUR VISITORS WHEN THEY ARRIVE AND WHO WILL TRANSLATE AT APPOINTMENTS?
We won’t really know the true extent of the English of our guests until they arrive. You might like to have a translator accessible to you in the early days to help at key moments when you want to brief something or to help when they go to get their third vaccination, go to the Benefits office, or visit a school or sign up at the doctors.

GETTING THEM INTO THE SYSTEMS
To be able to get funds, medical support, schooling etc they will need to get onto our various systems. Here are the main ones:

A bank account – if they don’t have bank account which can easily take and give back GBP, we suggest you use Monzo. It is online, easy and they are open to taking Ukrainians, plus they do international money exchanges. https://monzo.com/i/current-account/ Our guests must have a
bank account in order to get benefits paid.

Getting Universal Credit – attached to this briefing is a sheet on how to do this. It is an online form to be filled in and then a visit to the job centre. They are entitled to Universal Credit immediately, but in all reality it will take several weeks to come through, so do it ASAP.

Getting vaccinated and enrolled in a doctor’s surgery – a briefing sheet on how to register with a doctor is being produced that will tell us which surgeries are offering spaces locally and how to enroll.

We believe there are pop-up clinics for vaccinations – Ukrainian adults need a third vaccination in the main and the older children need their first vaccination.

Getting your visitors starting fund of up to £200 per person & some initial supplies. Until Universal Credit arrives, and given the fact that the collapse of some UKR financial institutions and not having been able to work for weeks, some Ukrainians will be running on thin air. The council is giving them a £200 starter fund on arrival. You should get a notification on this from Mendip Council.

If you haven’t, contact:
Carole Smith, locality manager Mendip,
tel: 01823 331222
mob: 07535 277433
email: carole@somersetrcc.org.uk.

This will help with food shopping etc. They will want to have the pride of buying their own food. Having said that, if you can get the basics for the first 24 hours in ahead of time that will be a gift. There are organisations making offerings of food, toiletries, UKR specialities. A list is of these organisations is being put together.

DAY 1 – THEY ARRIVE
Best to keep this a quiet day. If you have got their starter food kit you can ensure they can make something for themselves. Maybe have something easy you can cook for them. They will need peace and quiet.

DAY 2-3 – BRIEF ON HOME

– Run through how the house works (prepare a Google Translate version of this ahead if poss).
– See the checklist to remind yourself of what’s that might include. Give them a paper and electronic copy.
– Show them the welcome to the area pack, which Mary will send you. It gives info on each village, maps, buses, shops, churches & atms. (try to do a Google translation).
– Ensure they put into their phones (and give to them on paper) your numbers and address and bus stop name(if relevant), so that they can show it to anybody (taxi, bus, stranger) to ensure they can get back to you.

Give them their £200 per person and maybe take them to the supermarket.

WEEK 1 – 2 PUTTING THEIR NEW LIFE IN PLACE
a. Offer to take them to be vaccinated: they are at higher risk.
b. Get them enrolled for the systems above: bank acct, benefits, doctors.
c. Get pet insurance – this is being offered free by PETPLAN
d. Get phone packages – these are being offered free by 3 and Vodafone.
e. They are generally keen to get their children into school so it is a good idea to speak to the local school prior to arrival
f. Many will be keen to start English language conversation classes. This applies as much to adults as children. There is a schedule being put together of basic and intermediate conversation groups at various locations. Additionally the language institutions have more formal classes.
g. Some will want jobs.
h. Start to explore a few of the activities and clubs

• Go through the Visa Checklist and ensure they do all that is required of them there so that they have a right to remain.
• Look out for Ukrainian events and outings as the villages social committees put things in place to help our guests embrace the UK and make both Ukrainian and English friends.

Month 2 – 3
Start the discussion about where next. You have only committed for six months. It takes time to plan next steps.