Newsletter - Edition 3 March 2023

Hello and welcome to the third edition of the Homes for Ukraine Sponsor and Guest Newsletter.

News and Updates

Easter fun with the Holiday Activities and Food Programme

If your child is eligible, they can have up to 4 free places on our Easter Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme. This will run from 3rd to 14th  April 2023, and includes a healthy meal with every place booked. 

For the Easter HAF only children that are in receipt of benefits related free school meals can have HAF places and those eligible will have received a letter and code from their school.

Please register your code on this website:

Holiday Activities and Food - Staffordshire County Council

which goes live at 4pm on 17th March and then you can view the timetables and booking details. HAF clubs run from 4th April – 15th, and places are limited.

If you have applied for benefits related free school meals and been approved but not received a HAF letter from your school, please contact your school.

Host recognition

UK hosts thanked on first anniversary of Homes for Ukraine scheme - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Has your guest moved out?

  • Please let us know if your guests move out of your home, so we can keep our records up to date. This will include where guests move into private rented accommodation, move to another sponsor, move to another part of the UK or leave the country.
  • Would you like to be rematched to another Guest? Let us know.
  • Impact on Universal Credit / Thank You payments if guests leave the UK.

If families leave the UK and they are in receipt of Universal Credit, they need to notify the DWP regardless of the length of stay. If they are away for more than 4 consecutive weeks in a single period “thank you” payments will cease.

See Claiming benefits if you live, move or travel abroad: Overview - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) for more information.

 

Money Matters £££

Personalised Budgets

A Personalised budget is funding that can be made available that will allow the Resettlement Worker to engage with guests in trying to find solutions to any barriers to integration, education or employment at the earliest opportunity.

The personalised budget is a total of £1500 per person and this covers the three year period.

Applications must be supported and submitted by the Resettlement Worker for the guest, not through the sponsor or the guest themselves. 

Who can apply?

Personalised Budgets will therefore be available to every individual who has travelled to the UK from Ukraine on a Homes for Ukraine visa and is currently registered on the Staffordshire Homes for Ukraine scheme, regardless of their length of stay to date. 

All applications must be supported and submitted by a Resettlement Worker.  For more information and support to apply, please e-mail: ukraine@staffordshire.gov.uk

For more information re support with Finances see Finance & Benefits - Homes for Ukraine | Staffordshire Connects

Help to find Employment

Staffordshire Jobs & Careers Brokerage

'Staffordshire Jobs and Careers’ is part of the County Council’s Skills & Employability team, and it is responsible for the management and delivery of free recruitment and support services to businesses, supporting Staffordshire residents into work, by providing a bespoke tailored service to match potential candidates.  There’s thousands of jobs available right now.

See the website below where there are numerous web pages offering support both locally and nationally. Residents including all Ukrainians will be able to use the website to search for employment, apprenticeship, and training opportunities; view information on the region’s priority sectors including real time employment opportunities; and/or interact with a career directory that comes with information to help users better understand different job roles. Free 1 to 1 help and support from expert employment brokers is also available. Take a look at the link below.

 SJC Digital Platform; Staffordshire Jobs & Careers (staffsjobscareers.com)

Stafford Jobs Fair

Wednesday, 5th April, 2023, 10am to 12.30pm, at Stafford College, Victoria Square, Stafford, ST16 2QR.  Meet local employers who have job vacancies and apprenticeships.  For more information, contact your lcoal job centre.

Free Employability Skills Courses 

At the Community Learning Service, we provide free courses for adults who wish to upskill and reskill, to gain and improve employment opportunities.  Learn more...

 

Help to find Employment

Interested in working in Health and Social Care?

The ICS People Function are part of the NHS Midlands Foundation Partnership Trust and offer support to those who are looking to work within the Health and Social Care sector.  Our Outreach Project is aimed at those from Seldom Heard communities, helping to identify opportunities and provide individualised support.  This can be in the form of one to one appointments, both face to face or via zoom/phone appointments or group work sessions on a variety of subjects such as application support, jobs vacancies and careers information events.

Our Outreach Advisors work from a variety of community settings such as Job Centres, offering information, advice and guidance as well as supporting individuals to apply for opportunities.  These include:

  • Volunteering
  • Work Experience
  • NHS and social care vacancies
  • Clinical Placements
  • Traineeships
  • Education and Training

Since June 2022, we have supported over 210 individuals. Many of these have gone onto complete training and college courses and well as 7 individuals obtaining NHS apprenticeships and an additional 15+ people into full time employment.  We have also recently linked in with NHS clinical departments in order to support those with non-UK based medical qualifications gain clinical placement experience.

For additional information, please see visit our website:

https://staffsstokeics.org.uk/careers-education/our-outreach-work/

Or contact:

Jane.christie@mpft.nhs.uk

Aimeebeth.colgan@mpft.nhs.uk

Good News Stories

Alvina's Story

See PDF attachment.

New Government guides – updated in January 2023

Guides for sponsors including eligibility criteria, how to apply as a sponsor and advice about how to make your guests welcome in the UK.

Homes for Ukraine: sponsor guides - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Government guides for guests including  applying to the scheme, finding work, accessing benefits, education and health for children and adults.

Homes for Ukraine: Guidance for guests - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Contact us at the inbox…

Please remember, if you have any questions, please send us an email to the Homes for Ukraine inbox and also if you want to be added to our mailing list: ukraine@staffordshire.gov.uk

Ideas for future newsletter articles to be submitted on this form –

https://forms.office.com/e/Wr81mJnTSp

Please also remember that lots of information is always showing on Staffordshire Connects including events.  Also, if you want a particular event promoted in this newsletter, let us know.

Homes for Ukraine | Staffordshire Connects

What do you need to receive information about?  We want to hear from you.

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