Invasion of Ukraine – BASW statement update
Further to BASW’s statement of last week on the war in Ukraine, we continue to be concerned about the UK Government’s slow response to the refugee crisis created by the Russian military invasion of Ukraine.
Whilst it takes time to set up large-scale systems and we acknowledge there is a clear role for civil society, the extent of the humanitarian crisis requires a more decisive and far-reaching response on the part of the UK government.
What is needed is a clear partnership between national and local statutory and civil society organisations here in the UK and in the UK’s contribution to international refugee welfare efforts.
It is essential that the UK Government acknowledges state responsibilities to respond, resource and coordinate help in this humanitarian crisis.
This includes government coordination and leaderships around the arrangements for the Homes for Ukraine scheme including how matches between hosts and refugees can be made safely and efficiently. As we understand, no system has been put in place to match Ukrainian refugees with individual households. This both creates a major bottleneck in the UK’s response to receiving Ukrainians fleeing their country and may also create additional problems and risks in the future if households and refugees are reliant on unofficial routes such as through social media interactions in order to connect.
Safeguarding refugee welfare in the UK
Whilst the response of the British public has been commendable and heart-warming in its extent, it is nevertheless vital that appropriate safeguarding is put in place where households can be checked quickly and effectively for suitability and safety. This includes ensuring receiving homes are ready and supported to help adults and children who may be deeply traumatised by what they have witnessed and may speak little or no English.
In a question in the Westminster Parliament regarding safeguarding checks in the UK, the Government response focused upon the checks on refugees that would take place as part of the visa application scheme. No mention was made of any checks upon those who have offered their homes to arriving refugees nor on the ongoing safeguarding and welfare needs of refugees. A follow-up question has been asked for further details on what is happening once people arrive here. .
The Scottish and Welsh Governments appear to have both reached agreement with the UK Government that they will act as ‘super-sponsors’, which would mean that any Ukrainian refugees arriving in Scotland or Wales would not need an individual sponsor, as is currently the case in England and Northern Ireland (where there is currently no Northern Ireland Executive to act as a super-sponsor). More details on the Scottish and Welsh Government approaches can be found here for Scotland and for Wales.
Supporting refugees and host families for the medium and long term
All refugees arriving in the UK have needs related to their forced migration experience. Some will have additional needs for example, because they have poor mental health or they are already dealing with physical illnesses. Support needs to be in place for the refugees and for the households who are welcoming them for the foreseeable future, not just for the initial weeks. This means access to universal and specialist services and community support
The UK Government needs to engage with local authorities, directors of social services and other relevant partners to ensure that support and resources are available.
Whilst there needs to be greater centralised coordination, some flexibility is also required at local level, for example to set up local community resources where members of the Ukrainian community can come together to support each other and to be supported.
There are also growing concerns about unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, young women and others at risk from human trafficking and abuse. Preventing this secondary humanitarian crisis requires multiagency, statutory and NGO cooperation across borders. We will be lobbying the UK government, supporting actions in key European institutions and social work colleagues across Europe to ensure this aspect of care for refugees is not lost in the scale of this movement of people.
We have provided a webpage containing information on the schemes available under which Ukrainian refugees are able to enter the UK. This information will continue to be updated and translations into Ukrainian and Russian (some Ukrainians speak Russian) will be uploaded shortly.
BASW intend to convene a meeting for members who are interested in taking a more active role in shaping BASW’s response on Thursday 31st March at 5.30pm. If you are interested in attending this meeting, please notify us by emailing comms@basw.co.uk and marking your email ‘Ukraine meeting’.
This statement was drafted on information available as of 23 March 2022.
Homes for Ukraine
The Government scheme offers a route to those who have been forced to flee their homes because of the war in Ukraine to come to the UK.
Full details are on the Government website.
There are also a number of organisations and charities who are offering support to people interested in hosting a refugee family: