Homes for Ukraine | One Year On.

One year on from the launch of the Homes for Ukraine scheme, BASW has written to the UK Government highlighting areas for ongoing improvements.

In the correspondence to Michael Gove MP, BASW CEO Dr Ruth Allen praised the vital support that social workers, alongside other professionals, have provided to Ukrainian refugees. Ms Allen goes on to welcome the success stories of the scheme, thanking the response of the British public and recognising the strength of Ukrainian people who have come here and contributed so much to our communities.

Ms Allen took the opportunity to urge Mr Gove to consider how the UK’s response should act as an example for how we welcome and help those fleeing from other conflicts, emergencies and disasters.

Following dialogue with social workers, BASW has identified three areas to raise with the UK Government for ongoing planning and support:

  1. Resources. The cost-of-living crisis is putting Ukrainians and their hosts under financial pressure. The Government will need to keep taking action to reduce financial hardship including through: ongoing payments to Sponsors; benefits for those who are unable to work, especially those with more than two children; support with energy bills; and action to contain the costs of private renting, including a freeze on evictions.
  2. Managing risk and community cohesion. All people fleeing conflict are at potential risk of exploitation and harm. We invite the Government to work with BASW and with social workers to identify and prevent harm, and to ensure that Ukrainians know how to ask for help, including from social workers, when this is needed.
  3. Access to specialist support. All those fleeing conflict will have experiences of loss and many will have experienced trauma. The Government should review the availability of services, in particular specialist mental health services.

In addition to calling on the UK Government to engage with us and social workers on improving the scheme, we’re also stressing to them the importance of listening to Ukrainians and drawing on their experiences and insight to ensure the best possible support is in place.

Read the full letter to Mr Gove here.

BASW UK has a Ukraine leadership group that meets on a monthly basis to discuss social work’s response to the war in Ukraine. The purpose of the group is to explore how BASW can best support the profession and people arriving from Ukraine. This recently led to the publication of a briefing to inform and empower social workers in their ongoing practice in this area. You can read the document here.

We invite all members to share any feedback, experiences and suggestions with the group to guide the direction of our work and priorities. We also welcome members from across the UK to join the group, where you can attend meetings either on a regular or a singular basis. For more information, please contact Jo Wathen on jo.wathen@basw.co.uk