Tuesday 21 June 2022
Following last month's announcement that the Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme has been launched, contact has been made on a phased approach with islanders who had previously expressed an interest. Islanders who have confirmed their willingness to sponsor Ukrainian nationals are going through the necessary safeguarding checks, including an enhanced DBS check, that will enable them to receive a beneficiary.
A small number of potential sponsors indicated they had self-contained accommodation, so they were contacted first. Those who responded saying they are still interested are going through the approved sponsor process, which includes checks on the property and enhanced DBS checks.
A further 212 potential sponsors have been approached asking for more information on the type of accommodation available. The remainder of those who originally registered an interest do not align with the scheme's policy for a variety of reasons; for example the accommodation is not suitable or they signalled a willingness to sponsor children only.
Deputy Rob Prow, President of the Committee for Home Affairs, said:
'We have started the approval process for sponsors under the scheme with the first accommodation inspections completed and the first of the DBS checks submitted. For hopefully obvious reasons, ensuring appropriate checks are carried out is essential to show we have taken proportionate steps from a safeguarding perspective.
'We had almost 300 people register an interest in being a sponsor and we have now approached all those who could still provide a viable option based on what we know from their initial registration. We need more information from a lot of them, including whether they remain interested - as we completely appreciate that for some their circumstances may have changed and they're no longer able to be a sponsor - and we need further detail on the accommodation they can offer. As we receive responses the process is progressed at pace.'
The Ukraine Coordination Support Team can be contacted via 220001, option 3. Alternatively, please email ukraine@gov.gg.
The policy for the Bailiwick of Guernsey Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme can be read at www.gov/ukraineresponse.
