Guides for councils to understand what checks are needed for potential sponsors and their accommodation, how to access and use Foundry and the council’s role in the scheme.
What this guidance covers and definitions
These pages contain guidance for councils. This information does not replace or contradict their statutory duties or responsibilities of councils.
This guidance only applies to councils supporting the Homes for Ukraine Scheme in England. It does not apply to councils in Northern Ireland. Scotland and Wales have published their own guidance for councils.
This guidance does not cover:
- displaced people already in the UK
- people transferring from visitor visas
- people who arrived via the Ukraine Family Scheme
This guidance also does not cover children under 18 from Ukraine, who are not travelling with or joining a parent or legal guardian. You can find guidance for this cohort here:
- Guidance for Councils (Children and minors applying without parents)
- Guidance for Sponsors (Children and minors applying without parents)
- Guidance for Parents and Legal Guardians (Children and minors applying without parents)
Definitions of important terms
CMS refers to the Foundry case management system, which is where councils must record and manage all sponsor and guest data relating to the Homes for Ukraine scheme.
DLUHC is the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.
Guest or guests refers to an individual or household previously resident in Ukraine, prior to 1 January 2022, who has secured a visa under the Homes for Ukraine scheme, which enables them to be housed by a sponsor.
Host or hosts refers to an individual, group, or organisation who provides accommodation to people from Ukraine. A host does not need to be a sponsor.
Sponsor or sponsors refers to an individual, group, or organisation that has successfully completed a visa application with a person from Ukraine under the Homes for Ukraine scheme and has been approved to accommodate them. A sponsor may not always be a host.
Background and preparing for guests
- Guest eligibility, application process and checks: Homes for Ukraine
- Role of sponsors, voluntary and community sector, councils, and where to focus tariff funding: Homes for Ukraine
- Guests travelling to and within the UK: Homes for Ukraine
- When a sponsor withdraws from the scheme: Homes for Ukraine
Welfare and safety responsibilities
- Local council checks: Homes for Ukraine
- Accommodation checks: Homes for Ukraine
- Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks: Homes for Ukraine
- Welfare checks and follow up visits: Homes for Ukraine
- If checks raise a concern: Homes for Ukraine
- Safeguarding: Homes for Ukraine
- When a guest refuses to leave accommodation: Homes for Ukraine
- Statutory homelessness duties: Homes for Ukraine
- Guests temporarily absent from their sponsor’s accommodation: Homes for Ukraine
- Unreasonable behaviour by guests: Homes for Ukraine
Rematching
- Key principles, scope, and eligibility: Homes for Ukraine
- Rematching and the council’s role: Homes for Ukraine
- Private rented accommodation and alternative accommodation: Homes for Ukraine
- How guests find new hosts, and continuing sponsorship: Homes for Ukraine
- When a guest moves between council areas: Homes for Ukraine
- When a guest moves between UK nations: Homes for Ukraine
- Checks for rematching: Homes for Ukraine
- Make checks after a guest moves in: Homes for Ukraine
- Funding for rematching: Homes for Ukraine
Public services and community integration
- Work and benefits: Homes for Ukraine
- Education and childcare: Homes for Ukraine
- English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and other skills support: Homes for Ukraine
- Supporting guests to open a bank account: Homes for Ukraine
- Regularising a child’s immigration status if they are born in the UK: Homes for Ukraine – guidance for councils
Payments and funding
- First payment to guests: Homes for Ukraine
- Paying sponsors: Homes for Ukraine
- Funding for councils: Homes for Ukraine
- Grant conditions for scheme funding: Homes for Ukraine
- Handling suspected fraud: Homes for Ukraine
Data and case management system (CMS)
- Data sharing and case management system (CMS): Homes for Ukraine
- How to get access to the Foundry case management system (CMS): Homes for Ukraine
- Recording safeguarding and accommodation checks in the case management system (CMS): Homes for Ukraine
Page updated 23/02/24