Community Sponsorship is all about communication, whether between you as a group or you and the family you support. Ensure a strong structure is in place at the outset following arrival and regularly review if this is working. Make sure you have regular communication between your core group members ahead of the family arriving and in…
Stage of the process: We have welcomed a family
CV writing and applying for jobs
The refugees you support will need help to understand the job-hunting process in the UK. This is the case despite previous work experience since hiring practices vary by country. You should bear in mind the concept of an online application or CV and cover letter could be new to them, and you may need to…
Developing literacy with refugees
As part of your application, you will have thought through the educational support that you will be offering to a resettled family. For children and young people, this will be via the school registration process in your area and for adults, this will be via the provision of ESOL classes and informal opportunities to learn English. …
Employment support in Scotland
Scottish Refugee Council can offer refugees support and advice on employability. They also work with employers such as Greggs, Starbucks and others to support refugees with short training courses which provide people with: An understanding of the UK job marketWhere to look for workIdentifying transferable skillsCreating CVsAdvice on completing application forms and the application processInterview…
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…
Interview preparation
In many countries the process of applying for and getting a job is very different to the UK. This is particularly true for the interview stage of an application when you have to present your skills, ‘sell’ your experience and strengths. This may be completely new to some and initially quite uncomfortable. Remember that some refugees…
Making loans to the family you support
Many Community Sponsorship Groups have established a process by which they will make an interest-free loan of funds to the family they are supporting. Having additional money to support a specific ambition or to fill a gap can be empowering to a family who have been resettled in the UK, but it’s important to think…
NSPCC’s Positive Parenting guide
Parenting or guardianship can be difficult at the best of times. After arriving in a new country through resettlement, parents or guardians may be facing many additional pressures and personal challenges on top of supporting children who will themselves be learning to navigate their new environment. The National Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC)…
Self-employment and entrepreneurship
Many refugees arriving to the UK have previous experience of some form of entrepreneurship in their life before they came to the UK. The person you support may feel that starting their own business in the UK will be the best way for them to have their own source of income. However, navigating the rules and regulations…
Setting goals to work toward integration
Feeling integrated is a deeply personal process, and there’s not a certain amount of time it will take to achieve this, but there’s ways in which you and your group can play a role in helping refugees to integrate and help them to develop their independence. The King’s Arms Project is a charity based in Bedford where they…
Supporting refugees to access higher education
Many refugees arriving to the UK may have had plans to study at University before their lives were upended and they were resettled. They may also now see this as a remote or unlikely possibility, because of lost years of education, their age, or feeling that the language barrier is insurmountable. Getting a place at University…