Healthcare
Birth registration guidance
If the family you support has welcomed a new baby since resettling in the UK, as a Community Sponsorship Group, you’ll need to help the family register the child’s birth with the Home Office. Resettled families will need to register the birth of their baby with your local council too. Some hospitals may offer this…
Experts by Experience: The maternity experience of a Syrian mother
Giving birth in a country where you are unfamiliar with the systems and processes, where you don’t speak the language, and where you aren’t surrounded by family and friends is a daunting experience for any family. Mirvat, who was resettled to the UK in 2021 through Community Sponsorship, sat down with us to talk through…
Supporting refugees to access healthcare
Helping newly arrived refugees to access the healthcare they need will be essential once they arrive in the UK. As part of your Sponsor Agreement with the Home Office you will be agreeing that you will help refugees to register with a GP within one week of arrival, and you will have researched the registration…
Healthcare in Scotland
In Scotland the legislation and entitlements around Healthcare are different from the rest of the UK. More information on rights and entitlements to health for refugees can be found here from NHS Inform. Accessing NHS services with an interpreter is a fundamental right and more information can be found here. Access to the GP, dentists…
Supporting a family with medical needs
Under the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS), there may be a greater demand for resettlement places for those with medical needs. We know that this might cause you some concern about how you might support the family, but it’s important to think through whether your concern is warranted. ‘Medical need’ is a very broad description; you could…
Supporting individuals to stop smoking
When you receive a referral of a family from the Home Office, the Resettlement Registration Form you receive may indicate that a member or members of the family are smokers, or you may discover that they smoke after arrival. Whilst it’s their choice whether they smoke or not, you will need to make the smoker…
Understanding maternity care in the UK
Community Sponsorship Groups have supported many families that continue to grow after being resettled to the UK, with babies being born after resettlement. Although this is often happy news for the family, it can be bittersweet in the absence of their extended family network. You cannot replace family, nor should you try, but you can…
Understanding refugee children’s healthcare needs
As part of your sponsor requirements, you will be helping a refugee family to register all family members with the GP, this includes all children in the family. It’s really important to remember that your role in the Group does not replace the role that a parent or guardian play in their children’s healthcare. You may…