Camden Family Early Help have the honour of doing all initial welfare visits to newly arrived Ukrainian children and families being hosted by a Camden resident under the Homes for Ukraine visa scheme.  The purpose of the visit is to:

• welcome the family to Camden
• identify any immediate needs that the guests or the host might have
• provide information and advice to help meet those needs
• be a source of compassion, warmth and support so that families feel they can reach for help if they need to

Use all your Resilient Families practice training during the visit, acting at all times with empathy and curiosity. Its really important to provide support to both the host and the guest. This is a big change for them both. 

 

How do the visits get arranged? 

Contact Camden arrange an appointment with the host and guest. They put it on an appointments rota. 

Each day, Lea and Marie check the rota and will let you know if you have a visit in your slot in the next 72 hours. You will only have appointments in your preferred slot that you indicated on your 365 form, and that you are holding in your calendar.

Lea will send you a calendar invite containing the address, contact telephone number and the CAMUK number. This is a number Camden uses to each Ukrainian arrival so we can make sure we keep records of all Camden's contact with them in one place. 

 

Things to take with you on an initial welfare visit

• the initial needs assessment form - Marie will send this to you in advance
  
  
• a copy of the Camden Welcome Pack - in Ukrainian here cd9e5aea-4199-e2d3-96d3-0bcb833a8321 (camden.gov.uk) and online here Help and support if you've recently arrived from Ukraine - Camden Council
  
  
• a fully charged mobile phone if you have one, and ideally with a translator app loaded onto it (see below re interpreting)

 

What to do before an initial welfare visit 

• check the appointments rota to see who you are doing the visit with. All our visits are in pairs as per our lone working procedure. Lea has sent you a link to the appointments rota.
  
  
• make contact with the worker you are doing the visit with to make a plan for where to meet, how you will conduct the visit, and who will check in with Lea after the visit. Swap mobile numbers so you can keep in contact on the day. 
  
  
• If an interpreter is needed, book it on Language Line (do a dial in rather than face-to-face interpreter):
  • Number is 0800 169 2879
  • Account is Homes for Ukraine
  • Client number is 683552
  • Russian is usually available without prebooking, Ukrainian sometimes needs pre booking.
  • children should not have to interpret for parents unless the parents or child expressly request this - use Language Line wherever possible and always ask the child if they would prefer you to use an interpreter.

If your interpreter falls through on the day, you could consider using an app like Say Hi or Google Translate on your mobile. You can find these in the apps store. Always ask the parent if using an app is okay. 

 

What to do during an initial welfare visit

• Complete the initial needs assessment form with the host and guests. The needs assessment form will be sent to you by Marie in advance. It will be pre-populated with information that we already have about the family. Check with the guest to make sure all the pre-populated information is correct. 
  
  
• If you need a spare copy of the initial needs assessment form, you can find it here
  
  
• As ever, the right place to begin is 'how are you, how are the children, what do you need, and how can I help'. Most guests and hosts will have their own list of questions to ask, so start there and fill the form as you go along. Talk with the children wherever possible, and see if they can tell you their hopes and wishes.
  
  

What to do after an initial welfare visit

• check in with Lea so she knows you have completed the visit (as per usual check-in procedure after home visits)
  
  
• type up the initial needs assessment form and send to Marie. 
  
  
• follow up any actions from the visit that you didn't have answers to
  
  
• complete a follow up form with the information requested and email it to the guest and host - you can find the follow up template here and an example follow up form here 
  
  
• send the completed follow up form to Marie.   
  
  
• If you had any concerns about the hosting arrangement during the visit, or if you are worried about the children or the family in any way, please contact Lea or Becca immediately after the visit.

 

Follow up visits

We are offering all Ukrainian families a follow up visit 2-3 weeks after the initial visit. 

During this visit, you will be again checking to see how the children and family are settling in, if there are any needs that have emerged since your first visit, and providing the information needed (or finding it and sending it after the visit). 

You can make arrangements for the follow up visit (e.g. the day and time) directly with the host and guest to find a mutually convenient day/time. Offer the guest the option of a phone call or a face-to-face visit. 

Here is the follow up visit form to use on your visit. 

 

What other checks are done for this scheme?

• The Home Office do a police, or PNC, check when the guest and host submit their visa application.
  
  
• Camden's Private Rented Sector Team do a housing suitability check before the guest arrives - contact Darren Wilsher (on Outlook) if you have any concerns about the accommodation
  
  
• Camden's DBS HR Team do an enhanced DBS check of all adults in the host's household who are aged 16 or over. You can find more information about the DBS check here Homes for Ukraine: sponsor guidance - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Contact Nazima Powtoo (on Outlook) if you have any concerns about the DBS checks.
  
  
• Camden check Mosaic for any previous or current involvement of the host or any member of the household with adult safeguarding services or childrens early help or safeguarding services. Contact MASH immediately if you have any safeguarding concerns from your welfare visit. 
  
  
• Camden do an initial welfare visit to the host and guest, post-arrival. Family Early Help do the visits for hosting arrangements involving children and families, Floating Support Service do the visits involving single adults or couples.