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The war in Ukraine has led to an understandable outpouring of concern and many people are eager to help if they can. The announcement by the UK Government of a scheme whereby refugees may be welcomed into private homes has already had a large number of responses and the diocese has received enquiries from clergy and parishioners who are interested in taking part in the scheme.
The purpose of this email is to signpost people in the Diocese of Leicester to the ways they can most helpfully support the many refugees, whether they come to Britain or find refuge elsewhere. This situation is constantly changing, so we will issue updates when necessary.
The Church of England has produced some very helpful material in the form of a ‘toolkit’ that can be found here. We recommend that you read this material carefully, as it covers most of the topics that need to be thought about.
Helping those still abroad
If you wish to help those who are still in Ukraine or other countries, we recommend that you send donations to either:
- Emergency Ukraine appeal from the Diocese in Europe and USPG - details can be found on our website here and http://www.uspg.org.uk/ukraine
or:
- Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Ukraine Appeal – details can be found https://www.dec.org.uk/appeal/ukraine-humanitarian-appeal
We do not recommend arranging local collections of clothing, foodstuffs, etc. that are then transported to Eastern Europe. There is congestion in the places where the lorries have been arriving and there are not local resources to cope with receiving these things. Donations of money, as above, are the best route because the organisations behind them have the infrastructure and logistics to get what is most needed to the places where it can do most good.
Helping Refugees who come to the UK - updated 21 March 2022
Those who arrive here are likely to need a lot of support in settling into this country. Everyone will be suffering a degree of trauma through what they have experienced and may be very vulnerable. They will be facing a very uncertain future. Ensuring that Safeguarding is a top priority is essential. The toolkit is full of practical suggestions for individuals and churches.
One thing you may wish to consider is how as a church community you might welcome one Ukrainian family. One person could be the ’Sponsor’ who offers accommodation, completes the form, is DBS checked etc as per the government scheme, but the whole church community work together to welcome, befriend and support the Ukrainian family unit who come and those who accommodate them.
If you have room in your home and are considering offering accommodation under the Government scheme you must first register at the official site here. Clergy should also read the advice about safeguarding from the Church of England here. Anyone living in a house owned by the Church should also contact Nicky Caunt, Senior Property Manager nicky.caunt@leicestercofe.org for specific advice about legal and other requirements and to enable links to other appropriate diocesan advice and support.
These notes will be updated should we become aware of any other particular ways of helping refugees through the new Government scheme. We will also continue to explore the scope for working in partnership with other bodies, be they statutory or voluntary, as the situation develops.
We are aware that there are many in our diocese who have been considering registering with the Government’s new Homes for Ukraine scheme so as to offer hosted accommodation for those fleeing the war in Ukraine. Please read on for more guidance about this. In addition, as a diocese we are exploring potential partnerships with other agencies who may be able to assist with the process of matching sponsoring hosts with Ukrainian families and with transit arrangements across Europe. For those who are interested in finding out more about this, there will be a Zoom meeting hosted by Archdeacon Richard and Karen Rooms on Thursday 24th March at 4pm, for which this is the link: https://leccofe.zoom.us/j/94231449554?pwd=aVFBZWxocWxhVEZGNks4VG52YklLQT09 . Please email Archdeacon Richard Richard.worsfold@leicestercofe.org to indicate if you are attending or to request further details.
Jonathan Kerry – Chief Executive and Diocesan Secretary – 16 March 2022
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