6th July 2023
Host & Guest e-newsletter
Welcome to the latest issue of our host and guest e-newsletter. If you can, why not sit down together to read it?
Look out for our 12 month guest survey
We’re sending an electronic survey to all of our Ukrainian guests who are reaching 12 months of living in the UK and still in a hosting arrangement.
We want to hear more about your experience of living in Lincolnshire and understand the barriers you may have faced in accessing services such as employment and education. We also want to understand how your hosting arrangement is going.
This survey will be sent via email from the Ukraine Wellbeing Team at Wellbeing Lincs, so please look out for an email from ukraine.wellbeing@e-lindsey.gov.uk (please also check your junk/spam folders).
We’d be grateful if you could take the time to complete the survey as it helps us to understand how we can support you further.
If you’ve been in the UK for 12 months or more and haven’t yet received an email with the survey, please contact ukraine.wellbeing@e-lindsey.gov.uk with your name and address so they can email you the link.
New funding available from the Lincolnshire Community Foundation’s Big Lincolnshire Welcome Fund
The Lincolnshire Community Foundation is pleased to announce a further re-launch of the ‘Big Lincolnshire Welcome Fund.’ This is thanks to a funding boost from the central government’s 'Homes for Ukraine' scheme via Lincolnshire County Council.
Any Ukrainian guests in Lincolnshire (excluding North and North East Lincolnshire), who have not previously applied and received support from the Big Lincolnshire Welcome Fund, can apply and choose for themselves what essential item(s) up to the value of £150 for an individual or £300 for a family unit, they need to feel welcomed and integrated into their new surroundings.
For full guidance and details of how to apply, please visit the Lincolnshire Community Foundation website.
Extension for Ukrainian driving licences
The Department for Transport has announced it will extend the length of time Ukrainian refugees can drive in the Great Britain on their Ukrainian driving licence, from one year to three.
This change will come into effect on 7 July 2023 and will still apply to those on the Ukrainian visa schemes with Ukrainian licences who may have already been here past the current 12 months.
Please visit the ‘Driving Licences’ section on ‘Connect to Support’ for further information.
Increased childcare support for families on Universal Credit
On 28 June 2023, the Department for Work and Pensions raised the amount that parents in Great Britain can claim back monthly for their childcare costs on Universal Credit up to £951 for one child and £1,630 for two or more children. This is a rise of 47% from the previous limits of £646 for one child or £1,108 for two or more children.
At the same time, the Government will help eligible parents cover the costs for the first month’s childcare when they enter work or significantly increase their hours, removing one of the most significant barriers to parents working and helping to grow the economy.
Those parents will also receive up to 85% of their childcare costs back before their next month’s bills are due – meaning they should have money to pay one month in advance going forward.
Find out more on the gov.uk website.
Also, as a reminder, any guests who are planning on being out of the country need to tell the Job Centre in advance of going abroad. This will not affect their ongoing Universal Credit payment as long as the period does not exceed 28 days. Advance notification will help the Job Centre manage their case (for example, by rescheduling any meetings that are due to occur while the guest is abroad reducing the risk of claim closure for non-attendance at appointments). Guests should also keep their hosts updated with any travel arrangements/plans.
Visas when bringing Ukrainian family members over for short visits
Any Ukrainian guests planning on arranging for family members to make a short term visit to the UK will need to apply for a Standard Visitor visa. The Homes for Ukraine scheme is not the appropriate visa scheme to enable short term visits for family members.
You must apply for a Standard Visitor visa online before you travel to the UK. A Standard Visitor visa costs £100 for up to six months and the earliest you can apply is three months before you travel.
For more information, please visit the gov.uk website.
Summer Holiday Activities and Food programme for school age children – bookings now open!
Bookings are now open for the summer Holiday Activities and Food programme, taking place from Monday 24 July to Tuesday 5 September 2023 (excluding weekends and bank holidays).
The Holiday Activities and Food programme is a government funded programme that provides all children aged 5 to 16 years in receipt of benefits related free school meals in Lincolnshire, including all children on the 'Homes for Ukraine' scheme, access to free healthy meals and activities over the summer, Christmas and Easter holidays.
To book on to a club, you will require a HAF E-voucher, which are provided by schools. E-vouchers will include a link to the booking site.
More information about the programme, along with details of how to book is available on the ‘Connect to Support’ website.
Guests making a reasonable and proportionate contribution to household bills
All hosts who are successfully matched to Ukrainian guests via the Homes for Ukraine scheme can claim the optional £350 per month ‘thank you’ payment, rising to £500 per month for guests who have been in the country for over a year.
We ask hosts and guests to remember that all situations are different and financial arrangements between hosts and guests will vary. Hosts cannot charge their guests rent, but they can continue to ask for a “reasonable and proportionate contribution (according to use) for water, gas and electricity consumed or supplied to the accommodation or to any shared facilities. With self-contained accommodation, hosts should agree with their guest who will pay council tax” (see the 'Homes for Ukraine' sponsor guidance).
Mental health support for guests
Here’s a reminder about how to access healthcare services in Lincolnshire:
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Via a GP practice NHS mental health services in Lincolnshire are provided by Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust. GP surgeries will offer Ukrainian guests an initial health check, this will also include additional screening questions to identify if any further mental health support is required. GPs are available to speak to about mental health issues, and there are some mental health services that can only be accessed following a GP referral.
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Self-referral There are also some mental health services in Lincolnshire that residents can self-refer to (it is helpful to still be registered with a GP though): Lincolnshire Talking Therapies and Shine Lincolnshire offer mental health services for adults. Healthy Minds Lincolnshire is a mental health service for children. There may also be support available to children through their school.
- NHS UK website The main NHS website has a ‘How to access mental health services’ portal where you can search for services available in your locality. This will loop back to some of the services mentioned above, but it should provide a comprehensive list of what can be accessed via the NHS in Lincolnshire.
H.A.Y. Lincolnshire
How Are You (H.A.Y.) Lincolnshire is a family of websites that bring together everything in the local community that boosts wellbeing.
Connecting with others, getting active, learning a new skill, being creative, seeking professional support, exploring the outdoors, volunteering – all of these things (and more) can improve our wellbeing. However, it isn’t always easy to know what is out there locally or to feel comfortable trying something new.
From yoga to singing, sports clubs to arts groups, or perhaps somewhere to talk or get a cup of tea, H.A.Y. brings you ideas of local things to do to get a wellbeing boost. Plus a wide range of local professional support.
Visit the H.A.Y. website to find out more.
In-person support from Citizens Advice
Citizens Advice and 'Wellbeing Lincs' are continuing to offer in-person support for hosts and guests in Lincolnshire at a number of community groups across the county.
If you're a host or guest with questions on benefits, debt and money, employment, consumer issues, housing, family or immigration, drop in for a chat and some advice.
Find your nearest support session by visiting the 'Connect to Support' website.
Events
Vyshyvanka Hub BBQ, Gainsborough
From 6pm, Friday 7 July 2023
Join Vyshyvanka Hub Gainsborough for a barbecue at the allotment on Love Lane.
Please note that this is a Members' Only event. If you would like to become a member of Vyshyvanka Hub Gainsborough, find out more on their Facebook page.
Address details: Love Lane Allotment Gardens, Gainsborough DN21 2SG.
Ukrainian Mass in Lincoln
3pm, Saturday 8 July 2023
All are welcome to attend this Mass which will be celebrated in the
Ukrainian language, held on the second Saturday of every month.
Dates are now confirmed for the rest of 2023. Please visit UCCL’s Facebook page for further details.
Address details: St Hugh's Church, Broadgate, Lincoln LN2 5AQ.
Your events
Please send any events for this newsletter to: homesforukraine@lincolnshire.gov.uk
New or existing events, activities and any other support services open to Ukrainian guests can also be added to the 'Connect to Support' directory by completing the sign-up form (add ‘Ukraine Support’ to the title of your listings).
‘Wellbeing Lincs’
'Wellbeing Lincs' offers emotional and practical support, help with accessing health, education, benefits and council services, including housing to all hosts and guests in Lincolnshire.
If you need to have a potentially difficult conversation with your host / guest, the 'Wellbeing Lincs' team may be able help you navigate this. They are trained in providing mediation and can support you in talking things through openly and honestly to reach a solution.
For help, email ukraine.wellbeing@e-lindsey.gov.uk with your name, address, contact information and a brief description of what you need.
The team will aim to be in touch within two working days. They can also be contacted by phone on 01507 613044 from 9am to 5pm Monday to Thursday or 10am to 4.30pm on Fridays.
Connect to Support Lincolnshire
Connect to Support is an online information and advice library, community directory and provider marketplace for people in Lincolnshire.
The Advice for Ukrainian Arrivals information pages are regularly updated and aim to guide Ukrainian guests to local services during their stay in Lincolnshire.
The in-built Google Translate function means that the information can easily be translated into both Ukrainian and Russian. You can also view past editions of this e-newsletter on the site.