A ramble in the woods and through the challenges of being a sponsor...

We had a day off and went for a picnic in the woods, which was lovely, but we couldn't help thinking that this kind of peace isn't possible for so many not far away.

Whilst we were out there was a phone message from Park High School in Colne, where we had hoped a 13-year-old Ukrainian boy would attend. The official response had been that the school is over-subscribed, you will need to apply via the schools admissions process, make an appeal, etc, etc. But the head teacher of Park High just said that this child will be accepted as soon as possible after the Easter holidays. That is the simple, welcoming message we hoped all organisations would provide, but not so - this is just a snapshot of the experience of the sponsor who has welcomed the first family in Trawden:

Hi Fiona/Bob. We have had a somewhat difficult day and I think you need to be aware of the problems we are encountering.

Opening a bank account is problematic as the identification required includes proof of address i.e. an official letter sent in the guest name to the sponsor's address. I am fighting this one at the moment with Santander.

As a result of this, universal credit application cannot be completed because it requires bank account number and sort code. I’m going to make some phone calls tomorrow to try and clarify how we get round this.

The £200 per person that the family are entitled to is being paid by the refugee integration team (RIT) into the lead guest's bank account WHICH WE DONT HAVE BECAUSE WE HAVE NO PROOF OF ADDRESS🤬🤬🤬🤬. 

And finally, the £350 payable to sponsors does not exist at this moment in time as the government have not given the money to the local authorities therefore there is no money to give to the sponsors. The guidance notes to the LA’s say this will be paid to them in the future with guidance notes as to how to distribute it, but no date is given.

The sponsor is going to book a meeting with the MP at the earliest opportunity to express her dismay and disgust at the current situation.

BUT
She said that the RIT (refugee Integration
team) are fully involved now, and the person who helped with the national insurance number application was really helpful.

The photo below was taken during a few minutes when nearly everyone in the tent stopped what they were doing to clap (and stamp) to a Ukrainian folk song, which was very moving. The video is better - if anyone wants to listen to it, we can send it.

There were a couple of comments yesterday about the poignancy of one woman's situation and how we deal with it. I think the answer is that some of the people we've met now feel like part of our family, and so we won't forget them and will always be there to support them if we can.

Comments

  1. Mum13 April 2022 at 14:52

    One might have thought their problems solved when finally getting to the UK.... Not so apparently, it beggars belief.

    ReplyDelete

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