Preparing a fact sheet for the family you will support

Learn what to include on the fact sheet about your group and the local area

Once you’ve been allocated a family, and you and your Local Authority have accepted them, you will need to prepare a fact sheet that will be shared with the family your group will be welcoming. This is your opportunity to introduce yourselves, the support you are offering, and information about the area they will be living in. We’ve provided a template factsheet for you to use but do make sure you make this as relevant as you can to your group and the family you will welcome.

The Home Office will ask you for a fact sheet of no more than 2 sides of A4. There should be an English version and also one translated into the language that the family speak.

They will need this around 5 weeks before the family arrive, so it can be used in their cultural orientation training they will receive prior to leaving for the UK. You will know the details of the family by this point, so can tailor your fact sheet accordingly.

Your Local Authority will also complete a fact sheet to send to the family, so it’s important to work with them in preparing your fact sheets so that your documents don’t repeat information but complement each other.

You must avoid using photographs or wording that build an unrealistic expectation of where or how the family are likely to live; if the property they will live in is on a busy main road, don’t hide this. If the nearest halal butcher is some distance away, make sure you say this.   

• Include key details about your support; we recommend explaining that your group is made up of volunteers who want to offer their time and skills to supporting refugees.
• Include details about the immediate neighbourhood where the family will be living; as you’ll know the details of the family by this stage you will be able to tailor this to them.  
• Introduce the area you live within; are you in a busy town, a city or a more rural area? Keep in mind that many will think of London when they think of the UK, so consider including the distance from London here in kilometres or travel time to give a sense of where you are.
• If you know that the property the family will move into does not permit smoking indoors, consider including this too.
• Briefly cover what will happen immediately after arrival; you know by now how much there is to do in the first few days, this is a chance to start preparing the family for this.
• If there are other families of the same nationality living in your area of whom you are aware, do allude to this.
• Include photographs; of your group, the property in which the family will live, and the area. 
• You can include your group’s contact details at the top of the factsheet, should you like the family to be able to reach out to you prior to their arrival. If the family do make contact with you prior to arrival, then you may find our pre-arrival contact guidance helpful!

Once completed, the English and translated version of your fact sheet should be sent to [email protected]

Make sure a copy of your fact sheet is included in your Welcome Pack.

We have provided a word version of a suggested template fact sheet for you to use to guide your preparation.   

If you need assistance or help on preparing your fact sheet, please don’t hesitate to contact the Reset team.