Council checks: Homes for Ukraine
An outline of the responsibilities of councils.
Applies to England
Councils are responsible for conducting accommodation and safeguarding checks.
Although the issuing of a visa is not dependent on council checks being completed, we would encourage councils to conduct checks as soon as possible.
We recognise that the Homes for Ukraine scheme is a unique arrangement that is seeing people open their homes in response to an international crisis. Councils hold the expertise in safeguarding and assessing sponsor/host suitability and, being close to their local communities, are best placed to determine sponsor/host suitability. Some councils get to know their sponsors/hosts well and are well placed to spot patterns of repeated or unsuitable behaviour.
Councils have full discretion in determining how to conduct sponsor/host suitability checks and in making judgements about a sponsor/host’s capacity to meet the required standards, including when there are major concerns. This includes, but is not limited to, concerns about the sponsor/host’s character or their failure to engage with the council.
The council has the discretion to decide it has reasonable grounds to believe that the sponsor/host may not provide a safe or stable environment for a guest, based on the sponsor/host’s behaviour, background, or lack of cooperation.
Concerns that may justify this assessment include but are not limited to the following examples:
- repeated failure to respond to contact attempts by the council, despite reasonable attempts
- refusal to engage with required checks or provide necessary information
- evidence that the sponsor/host will not, does not intend or is not willing to accommodate the guest in their accommodation
- evidence that the sponsor/host as a history of sponsoring multiple guests who have never lived with them
- hostile, aggressive, or inappropriate communication with council staff or complaints or evidence of this from previous guests
- the property owner or landlord has not given consent for the property to be used
The above examples should not be considered as an additional checklist for councils but are used to show possible scenarios where a council assesses that the sponsor/host is not suitable for reasons that may not be covered in existing guidance.
A council can fail a sponsor/host suitability check at any point of the process due to a sponsor/host’s lack of engagement with council checks. The sponsor/host should be given reasonable time and appropriate method to return contact.
Local guidance or policy can be used to set out the checks process before a sponsor/host is categorised as uncontactable; a council may assess this on a case-by-case basis. We are not proposing a timeframe that council checks must be completed by, recognising that councils work differently, with added complexity caused by the sharing of responsibilities in two-tier authorities.
The council should mark the sponsor/host as unsuitable in the Share Homes for Ukraine system (“Share”). The free text element of the Share should only be used when it is needed to provide additional rationale for the decision when selecting “sponsor unsuitable (other reason)” – this information should be provided clearly and succinctly.
Councils are also responsible for payments to sponsors/hosts, ongoing support, school places, and information about the local area. Following the guests’ arrival, councils should confirm as soon as possible that the guest is well and that there are no welfare concerns or needs for care and support.
Where there are concerns for the safety or welfare of a child, councils should follow their usual processes, which may include further assessments.
Where it is suspected that the adult may have care and support needs, a needs assessment should be undertaken in line with the requirements of the Care Act 2014.
Councils will also need to complete:
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