Education in Scotland

All of the children in the family you welcome are entitled to access education when they arrive in Scotland. They are automatically entitled to the same provision as a Scottish child. The Local Authority will determine how to assess the support required for children who need language support and are 16 and over. There will be…

Hate crime briefing

Sadly, hate crime against refugees is a very real problem. Although it is not by any means a common occurrence, it is something that is encountered all too frequently. However, it is something that the UK authorities now take very seriously. There are various ways in which incidents can be reported, and clear procedures on…

Introduction to Universal Credit

Note: Universal Credit will be paid from the day the application is fully submitted. The first payment will be made at least 5 weeks from the date the application is fully submitted. Make sure you help the family you’ve welcomed to apply as soon as possible after the arrival to ensure they don’t lose out…

Other benefit entitlements

There are a number of benefits that are not included in Universal Credit. Your group will have to assist the refugee family to apply for those separately. Below is a list of most common benefits not included in Universal Credit. Some of these, like Council Tax Support will apply to pretty much every family, others…

Safeguarding briefing

Safeguarding is about protecting others as well as yourself from harm.  As part of your application, the Home Office will expect you to submit a safeguarding policy. If you have another organisation acting as your Lead Sponsor, they can assist you with this, and may require you to follow their own safeguarding policy.  The Home…

Working with your SMP

Each of the nine English Regions and Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland has a Strategic Migration Partnership (SMP) which is equipped to provide the full range of services required with regard to migration issues in their Region. SMPs in England, Wales and Scotland* coordinate a number of programmes including refugee resettlement under the Government resettlement…

Charitable status

In order to be approved by the Home Office as a Community Sponsorship group, your application must be made through a registered charity or community interest company (CIC). This organisation will be your Lead Sponsor.  The charity must be registered with the Charities Commission in England and Wales, the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR)…

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…

ESOL in Scotland

There is a strong framework of practice, legislation and policy to support ESOL provision for refugees in Scotland. Education is a devolved matter, English for Speakers of other Languages are the responsibility of the Scottish Government. The framework includes provision for those who are not literate in their own language to access university. There are…

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…

New Scots: Integration strategy for Scotland

The Scottish Government have implemented a refugee integration strategy for 2018-2022, which Groups will find a useful guide for the support that they offer.  The New Scots strategy is the means through which integration is implemented at national and local levels in Scotland. It has been developed over a number of years through consultation with…

Reaching out to other organisations

As part of your Community Sponsorship application, you will be doing lots of research into the services and organisations in your area that may be able to provide advice and support to the family you are supporting.  As a Community Sponsorship Group, you aren’t expected to be experts on every subject, instead, you need to…