Devon stands with Ukraine
We want to reach out to all of our Ukrainian residents, and anyone with friends and families affected by, or concerned about, events in Ukraine.
The Leader of Devon County Council and Chair of the Team Devon partnership of authorities, Cllr John Hart said:
“We are deeply concerned for those desperate people escaping conflict in Ukraine in huge numbers. We agreed that we have a duty to do what we can in Devon to support families fleeing Ukraine to join their family members here in the UK.”
Cllr Bob Deed, Chair of the Devon Districts Forum and Leader of Mid Devon District Council, said:
“Our communities across Devon have already shown a willingness to help the people of Ukraine and I am glad that our councils can work together, in the coming days and months, to offer assistance to people whose lives have been changed immeasurably by this war. While details of local support are being drawn up I would encourage anyone who wishes to help to donate to the UK’s emergency fund.”
Ukraine Family Scheme visa
The UK government has published guidance for family members of British nationals, UK settled persons and certain others to come to or stay in the UK under the Ukraine Family Scheme.
Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme
The UK government has published guidance for Ukrainian nationals and their family members to come to the UK under the Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme. The Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme allows Ukrainian nationals and their family members to come to the UK if they have a named sponsor under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme. It is free to apply and Ukrainians can stay in the UK for up to three years. Ukrainians will be able to live, work and study in the UK and access public funds.
Barnardo’s Ukrainian Support Helpline
The helpline is available to anyone fleeing the conflict in Ukraine. It is staffed by English, Ukrainian and Russian speakers, to offer support to children and families arriving in the UK from Ukraine.
Full details, including opening hours and the phone number, are available on Barnardo’s webpage for Ukrainian Support Helpline
Donations
The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) is coordinating a Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.
- DEC brings together 15 leading UK aid charities, raising funds to quickly and effectively respond to overseas disasters
- The DEC said the message from aid workers was that “money was needed rather than specific donated items, which are often not necessarily what people require and are difficult to transport”
To donate directly to the Ukrainian government use the website withukraine.org, run by the Embassy of Ukraine to the UK.
To make a donation towards the UN’s humanitarian work in Ukraine, please visit Ukrainian Humanitarian Fund UN Crisis Relief.
There are many other charities collecting donations, both financial and supplies such as food and clothing – the Charity Commission and Fundraising Regulator have urged the public to ‘give safely’ to registered charities helping and supporting those affected by the invasion of Ukraine.
Offers of accommodation
The UK government has published details of the national ‘Homes for Ukraine’ scheme.
This will offer a route to those who want to come to the UK who have someone here willing to provide them with a home. It will enable individuals, charities, community groups and businesses to volunteer accommodation and provide a route to safety for Ukrainians, and their immediate family members, forced to escape their homeland.
Sponsors should provide accommodation for as long as they are able, with a minimum expectation of 6 months.
Register your interest on the Homes for Ukraine website
If you have registered with GOV.UK, you can find additional support and help with matching you as a sponsor with people coming from Ukraine from the charity Reset. Reset is the UK’s Community Sponsorship learning hub. They were set up in 2018 to coordinate the growth of the Community Sponsorship movement across the UK to ensure it realises its full, transformative potential.
Local initiatives
The following district and city councils have published pages offering more local information: