“The proposed Ukrainian scheme is very different in that individuals and families can sponsor a refugee or refugee family and there is no requirement to raise funds or to locate separate housing. The application process has to be much faster with Ukrainians currently displaced and countries adjacent to Ukraine rapidly reaching capacity as more and more women and children escape the conflict. Unlike the situation of Syrians sponsored by communities those needing refuge from the Ukrainian conflict are very recently displaced and are likely to be extremely traumatised.
Allowing individuals and families to sponsor displaced Ukrainians clearly offers great potential to quickly build capacity to meet urgent needs. With around 10% of the UK population saying they would definitely open their homes to needy Ukrainians there is reason to be optimistic. However it is worth reminding ourselves that those who arrive will be extremely vulnerable, largely women and children, in a state of shock having lost their entire lives, and possibly loved ones, in just a matter of weeks.
While the level of bureaucracy associated with Community Sponsorship is clearly not viable there is a need to safeguard the new arrivals against the possibility of abuse by hosts through a rapid vetting process. Further newcomers need to be informed about their rights and entitlements as they enter the UK and informed about the actions they can take if they face abuse or exploitation of any kind.
The majority of people hosting refugees will not have any knowledge about the kinds of support they need. Our evaluation of the Community Sponsorship programme showed that the support of local people is extremely important to refugees but that those volunteering with refugees need help to meet their needs.
It is essential that the Government invests in information, advice and guidance for refugee hosts. Such support could be provided by specialist refugee and asylum seeker organisations already working in the UK.
National organisations such as Reset, the Refugee Council and Refugee Action as well as smaller grassroots groups such as Baobab Project and Brushstrokes in the West Midlands have a wealth of expertise on refugee support but are already hugely under-funded. Such organisations urgently need additional funds to enable them to scale up to support the arrival of Ukrainian refugees.
The extent of sympathy and desire to help Ukrainian refugees in the UK runs counter to the Home Office’s attempts to reduce the number of arrivals. If the projections are to be believed offers of support will exceed demand for places.
The situation presents an opportunity to right the wrongs faced by Afghan refugees many of whom have been languishing in hotels with scant access to healthcare, schooling and employment opportunities since August. They and other forced migrants should not be forgotten as the world turns its attention to Ukraine.
It is important to use the current wave of sympathy for Ukrainians to remind both the UK Government and the population that forced migration affects people from many nations and that others already in the UK and planning to seek asylum here are just as worthy and in need of support as Ukrainians.
Ideally, access to the upcoming scheme could be extended to enable British people to sponsor refugees escaping from other conflicts, and the appalling situation in Ukraine used to remind people that all conflict causes displacement, trauma and that forced migrants need help from wherever they originate.
For more learning from the evaluation of the UK’s Community Sponsorship Scheme see https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/
Written by: Professor Jenny Phillimore of the University of Birmingham
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