Policy paper

Communities for Afghans phase 2: policy document

Updated 17 March 2025

This document sets out policy for phase 2 of the Communities for Afghans scheme.

1. Overview

Communities for Afghans is a sponsorship route for individuals from the Afghan Resettlement Programme. As set out by ministers including in Parliament there is now a single Afghan Resettlement Programme for all eligible Afghans who arrive in the UK.

It is designed to quickly deliver safe, affordable homes, based on a community sponsorship model, enabling local community groups to welcome and support refugees directly in their local communities. As such, it operates differently from other resettlement programmes. Responsibility for the resettlement of households is shared between HM Government, Principal Sponsors, Sponsor Groups and councils. Successful sponsorship arrangements will therefore rely on positive engagement and collaborative working relationships between these groups. The amount of funding paid to Principal Sponsors, Sponsor Groups and councils reflects this balance in responsibilities.

Principal Sponsors have overall responsibility for the effectiveness of the Sponsor Group in supporting the household for the duration of the scheme and will provide direct support to both the household and the Sponsor Group to make sure that the resettlement goes to plan. They will recruit, train and support Sponsor Groups through the scheme and provide ongoing support. They will work in tandem with the council; however, they will be the first port of call if there are any issues or challenges. Principal Sponsors are there to support the council and Sponsor Group in agreeing their joint approach.

Sponsor Groups will provide much of the day-to-day assistance across the 3-years of the scheme. They are responsible for sourcing accommodation and welcoming a household as well as supporting them to settle into their new community and starting to lead independent lives. Sponsor Groups are supported by funding but also have the option to fundraise should they wish to do this.

Councils will play a key role in administering funding from HM Government to the Sponsor Group, providing longer-term integration support and statutory responsibilities including homelessness, safeguarding and social care provision. Within these guidelines, the scheme and the funding are designed to enable the council to respond flexibly to the needs of the family, and the local situation to deliver the overall outcome. Councils will receive tariff funding to be able to fulfil these responsibilities.

2. HM Government roles and responsibilities

HM Government are responsible for:

• Delivery of the scheme - HM Government provide the overall framework for delivery, working with relevant partners to facilitate this.

• Key interface with Principal Sponsors – Principal Sponsors will report regularly to HM Government, including updates on their interactions with Sponsor Groups and councils. HM Government will work with the Principal Sponsors to address any issues as required.

• Interface with councils - HM Government will work with councils to consider any policy and funding issues which require intervention beyond the remit of the relevant Principal Sponsor. MHCLG will convene a regular meeting between councils, Strategic Migration Partnerships and Principal Sponsors, providing a direct line of communication whereby MHCLG will share policy and scheme updates, and councils and Strategic Migration Partnership may share their experiences and raise any questions .

3. Principal Sponsor roles and responsibilities

Principal Sponsors are responsible for:

• Recruitment and training – Principal Sponsors are responsible for the overall promotion of the scheme, including recruiting Sponsor Groups. At present Principal Sponsors are responsible for delivering mandatory training to Sponsor Groups, ensuring that Sponsor Groups are aware of their responsibilities under the scheme and are prepared to meet these responsibilities. MHCLG are working with the Home Office to consider a separate grant for a specific training provider. This will be confirmed through the Grant Funding Agreement process.

• Administering upfront sponsor payments – Principal Sponsors are responsible for administering the upfront payment to Sponsor Groups. This is to be used for upfront costs such as deposits, and upfront rent.  Principal Sponsors are responsible for managing the flow of the fund to Sponsor Groups, to meet costs incurred.

• Initial welcome – Principal Sponsors are responsible for working with Sponsor Groups to provide the household with an initial welcome and ensure that the housing is of a suitable standard and size. This includes developing and agreeing a resettlement plan with the Sponsor Group and family to set their expectations to move to independence, providing advice on preparing accommodation, supporting the Sponsor Group to provide the initial welcome, and ensuring that Sponsor Groups have appropriate safeguards in place.

• Ongoing support – Principal Sponsors are responsible on an ongoing basis to ensure that the needs of households are being met.

• Troubleshooting – Should any issues arise throughout the sponsorship arrangement Principal Sponsors will in the first instance take action as needed to help overcome any issues and ensure that the sponsorship arrangement can continue. This may include rematching a family to another Sponsor Group if the relationship breaks down irretrievably and they identify that the family is not fully independent.

• Accommodation suitability –In the scenario that accommodation is found to be unsuitable then in the first instance Principal Sponsors will work with the Sponsor Group to find another offer of suitable accommodation.

4. Sponsor Group roles and responsibilities

Sponsor Groups are responsible for:

• Accommodation –Sponsor Groups are required to source ‘own front door’ (self-contained) accommodation for a period of 3 years. Sponsor Groups will be provided with an upfront budget of £909 per person, and monthly budget of £136 per person per month for 3 years to help with costs included accommodation costs. There will be no maximum household size for monthly or upfront funding, to assist with accommodating larger Afghan households. MHCLG are considering whether individuals could be supported without their own front door. e.g. in shared properties, drawing on insights from the Communities for Afghans project and Homes for Ukraine. As part of the commercial process MHCLG are interested in considering plans for accommodating single individuals.

• Initial welcome – Sponsor Groups are responsible for leading the initial welcome, this includes arranging transport to accommodation, supporting local orientation, making community links and settling in, and providing holistic and informal welcome support to households. Sponsor Groups are also responsible for supporting households to engage with services, for example with accessing council service referrals, signing up for Universal Credit, as well as supporting households with the search for work.

• Ongoing support – Sponsor Groups are responsible for providing ongoing support to meet the needs of households. The form of support provided should reflect the unique position and needs of the household, as such Sponsor Groups, with agreement from the Principal Sponsor, may act at their discretion to support the family. Ongoing support provided by the Sponsor Group may include the provision of ESOL (see below).

• Work and benefits – Sponsor Groups are responsible for working with the council to support Afghan households participating in the scheme to access economic opportunities in the UK including work and/or education, and support accessing benefits as required. Sponsor Groups should therefore take action to ensure that the household initial needs are being met and that appropriate service referrals have taken place and benefits accessed. Wherever possible, Sponsor Groups should support households to achieve economic independence enabling them to sustain their existing tenancies earlier than the end of the 3-year period.

• English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) – Sponsor Groups may work with the council to identify the method of ESOL delivery most suitable for the household.

5. Council roles and responsibilities

The council are responsible for the following categories of support, in addition the council retains all statutory duties.

• Safeguarding and settling in – The Principal Sponsor and the Home Office will conduct various security checks on Sponsor Groups ahead of a match taking place, and Principal Sponsors will be responsible overall for assessing Sponsor Groups’ suitability. At present, councils are responsible for conducting a post-arrival welfare check on the household as soon as possible (and within 4 weeks) after their move into accommodation sourced by the Sponsor Groups, to ensure households participating in the scheme are housed within safe arrangements, that their initial needs are being met and appropriate service referrals have taken place. Existing statutory safeguarding duties in relation to children and vulnerable people continue to apply. MHCLG are considering alternative models for welfare checks to be carried out, to reduce the burden on councils.

• Accommodation suitability – Housing suitability should be in line with standards specified by the council. If a hazard, a defect or disrepair in the accommodation is identified, tariff funding can be used to enforce expectations where appropriate against the private landlord under the Housing Act 2004, or to support the Afghan household to take action themselves under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 or the Homes (Fitness for Habitation) Act 2018 or any other relevant legislation. In the scenario that accommodation is found to be unsuitable then in the first instance Principal Sponsors will work with the Sponsor Group to find another offer of suitable accommodation.

• Homelessness assistance – Should a household face a risk of becoming homeless then in the first instance Principal Sponsors will work with the Sponsor Group and the council to mitigate this risk as needed. In the scenario that accommodation is found to be unsuitable then in the first instance Principal Sponsors will work with the Sponsor Group to find another offer of suitable accommodation.  However, if a household can no longer stay in the sponsorship accommodation and does not have any other alternative, suitable accommodation available to them, then councils’ existing statutory homelessness duties will apply. 

• Administering monthly sponsor payments – Councils will be responsible for administering monthly support payments to the named sponsor within the Sponsor Group for the duration of 3 years. Councils will usually be expected to make the first payment within 30 days of a post-arrival welfare check being passed. Payments will be paid to councils quarterly in arrears. Councils must record the number of Sponsor Group payments made quarterly via DELTA. MHCLG have put checks and assurance in place to ensure that those responsible for handling funding are appropriate and that funding is held in an appropriate account. There is no requirement for councils to check how the funding is being used but councils can stop payments if they have reason to believe the funding is being used fraudulently.  In this case, the council should alert the Principal Sponsor and MHCLG.

• Work and benefits – Councils will be responsible for supporting Afghan households participating in the scheme to access economic opportunities in the UK including work and/or education, and support accessing benefits as required, drawing on the contributions of the Sponsor Group. At present, councils should therefore ensure that Sponsor Groups are meeting household initial needs and that appropriate service referrals have taken place during the post-arrival welfare check. At present, Principal Sponsors are responsible for training and supporting Sponsor Groups to ensure that wherever possible, households are supported to achieve economic independence enabling them to sustain their existing tenancies earlier than the end of the 3-year period. Households should also be supported to develop their understanding of the housing market in the UK including affordability, so that they are in a position to stay in settled accommodation when the support ends after 3 years.

• ESOL – Councils will be responsible for the provision of English language training for arrivals under Communities for Afghans and receive tariff for this. The purpose of English language training is to ensure that each Adult Beneficiary can progress towards the level of proficiency needed to function in their everyday life; to promote integration; and to support those resettling in the UK to progress towards self-sufficiency, including accessing services or joining the workforce. Recognising that different Adult Beneficiaries will face different challenges in accessing English language support, there is not a singular uniform activity that councils must facilitate. Instead, councils have the discretion to deliver the provision of English language training as they see fit, informed by the nature of existing local provision and by each Adult Beneficiaries specific circumstances and English language requirements, as such councils may work with Sponsor Groups to identify the method of delivery most suitable to the household.

• Education – Councils will be expected to offer the following support with regards to education provision for the Communities for Afghans cohort:

  • to fulfil their statutory duty to ensure educational places are available for children of school age within the Communities for Afghans cohort, in state-funded establishments
  • to fulfil their statutory obligations regarding the assessment of Special Educational Needs & Disabilities (SEND)

Councils will be responsible for ensuring that the appropriate level of funding is paid to places of education (including schools, academies, free schools, and further education colleges, as appropriate) who accept beneficiaries from the relevant age groups.

6. Funding

Funding will be split across the scheme as follows:

Recipient and purpose	Total funding	Per person	Per household
Principal Sponsor for administration of scheme	£4.145m	£1,507	£8,290
Training partner	£0.5m	£181	£1,000
Sponsor Group upfront e.g. deposit	£2.5m	£909	£5,000
Sponsor Group Monthly e.g. rent	£13.5m	£4,909	£27,000
Council funding	£38.5m	£14,000	£77,000

Principal Sponsor funding will be agreed through the process of the Grant Funding Agreement. Sponsor Group support will be finalised through the process of the Grant Funding Agreement.

The above numbers are based on the average household size of 5.5. In practice, this will mean a monthly payment of £136 per person per month for 3 years, and an upfront payment of £909 per person. There will not be a maximum household size for either payment.

Councils will receive tariff funding to support households as follows:

Tariff funding for councils  

The purpose of tariff funding is to provide a per-person tariff to support councils to:

• provide wrap-around support to Afghans participating in this sponsorship scheme, to rebuild their lives and fully integrate into communities
• fulfil their statutory duty for ensuring educational places are available for children of school age within the Communities for Afghans cohort
• provide English language provision to eligible Afghans participating in this sponsorship scheme, to help their progress towards economic self-sufficiency and support their wider integration into UK society. Possible activities therefore include but are not limited to:
  • undertaking an assessment of each Adult Beneficiary’s English language capability to determine their training needs. This should be undertaken at the earliest opportunity.
  • if formal language training is deemed appropriate, supporting the delivery of at least 8 hours per week of formal English language provision within 1 month of a Beneficiary’s arrival or, for those already in the UK, at the start of recipient support. This should be provided to Adult Beneficiaries until they have reached entry level 3 or for at least 12 months after the start of recipient support (whichever is the sooner).
  • commissioning tailored formal language training classes and/or providing advanced classes for those that have a higher level of English language proficiency
  • support preparation for language proficiency tests to access employment, further education, or higher education
  • increasing ESOL infrastructure, for example training ESOL teachers, buying equipment and renting classroom space.
  • supporting activities that help overcome accessibility barriers, such as caring responsibilities or lack of transport. This could include offering classes at flexible times, including evenings and weekends, and funding online resources and/or provision to complement face-to-face services.
  • provision of informal language training, where this is considered to be in the best interest of the Beneficiary, for example because they are assessed as being pre-entry ESOL level.

Councils will have flexibility in how funding can be spent to meet this purpose.

7. Sponsor Group eligibility

To qualify as a Sponsor Group, a group must consist of at least 6 individuals, from at least 2 households. At present one member of the Sponsor Group must be identified as the named sponsor for funding assurance purposes.

MHCLG are considering whether registered organisations with a financial lead may act as a Sponsor Group. As part of the commercial process we welcome views on how the requirement for Sponsor Groups to be individuals or registered groups will impact the ability of the Principal Sponsor to recruit Sponsor Groups. Bids should demonstrate how payments to Sponsor Groups will ensure appropriate use of funds, including keeping funding for households distinct from separate resettlement households or projects.

8. Accommodation

Sponsor Groups are responsible for sourcing suitable accommodation. Accommodation must be available for a period of 3 years and must be ‘own front door’, meaning accommodation must not be in-home or in spare rooms. Accommodation may be owned by the Sponsor Group or secured from the rental market and the Sponsor Group will work closely with Principal Sponsors to ensure its suitability.

Where the property is rented, households will be responsible for rent, with additional support from the Sponsor Group for upfront and ongoing costs. Housing suitability should be in line with standards specified by the council.

MHCLG are considering whether individuals could be supported without their own front door. e.g. in shared properties.

9. Matching

Households will be matched to suitable Sponsor Groups based on the needs of the household and the ability of the Sponsor Group to meet those needs. The process for matching households to Sponsor Groups will initially be conducted by the Home Office, with councils completing a welfare check after the family has moved into the property, as per the existing model used in the original Communities for Afghan pilot.

Government is currently exploring alternative options to the matching process above. As part of the commercial process, we invite suggestions for innovative matching solutions under the second phase of the scheme.

10. Safeguarding and assurance

Safeguarding and assurance falls into the following categories:

• Sponsor Group suitability – The Principal Sponsor has overall lead on assessing sponsor suitability, including interviewing each Sponsor Group member, and undertaking Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks to determine their suitability to work with children or vulnerable adults. The Principal Sponsor also requests references for each member of the Sponsor Group and will need to ensure they sign up to a sponsor declaration. MHCLG have put checks and assurance in place to ensure that those responsible for handling funding are appropriate and that funding is held in an appropriate account. The Sponsor Group are trained on safeguarding and are provided with access to safeguarding resources.

• Post-arrival welfare checks – At present councils are responsible for carrying out a post-arrival welfare check to ensure the household’s initial needs are being met. MHCLG are considering alternative models for welfare checks to be carried out.

11. Data monitoring

Principal Sponsors are responsible for drawing up a resettlement plan and monitoring progress against it via the family and the Sponsor Group. Councils will be required to submit quarterly DELTA returns which capture the number of individuals, households and sponsor payments made. Councils are not required to provide any data returns on outcomes or impact of resettlement support. However, councils and Sponsor Groups are welcome to maintain regular contact between to ensure that progress is being made.

Principal Sponsors will need to comply at all times with data protection legislation.   They will be required to hold personal data on all sponsors and Afghan individuals. This will sometimes mean sharing medical health assessment forms Sponsor Groups to enable them to make informed decisions on match offers. The data processing undertaken by Principal Sponsors is likely to remain the responsibility of MHCLG, as data controller, with all Principal Sponsor processing takes place on behalf of MHCLG. 

MHCLG will continue to keep the approach to data monitoring under review and will update guidance on data returns accordingly.

12. Glossary

ARP: The Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARP) brings together existing Afghan resettlement schemes into a single, efficient pipeline. A single pipeline will improve efficiency, value for money and outcomes across Afghan Resettlement. The government intends to reach an eventual ending of UK Afghan resettlement schemes. Existing schemes that will be brought under the ARP include ACRS and ARAP.

ACRS: The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS). This is a referral-based resettlement scheme which prioritises vulnerable people and those who assisted UK efforts in Afghanistan.

ARAP: The Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP). This is for Afghan citizens who worked for or with the UK government in Afghanistan in exposed or meaningful roles and may include an offer of relocation to the UK for those deemed eligible by the Ministry of Defence and who are deemed suitable for relocation by the Home Office. ARP will also include any relevant instances where leave outside the rules has been granted.

Cohort: Used to refer to the overall group of Afghan refugees.

CfA: Communities for Afghans. The confirmed name of the scheme aimed at providing accommodation and community integration for Afghan refugees in the ACRS cohort.

DA: Devolved Administrations. The governments of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, who will be involved in the CfA efforts in their respective countries.

Department: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

ESOL: English for Speakers of Other Languages. A programme dedicated to providing English language lessons to students who did not learn English as their native tongue and/ or continue to use other than English as a dominant language

EPPS: Environmental Principles Policy Statement. A policy statement which sets out how we will reduce the impact of the CfA scheme on the environment, and which provides a framework for setting objectives and targets to improve its environmental performance

HfU: Homes for Ukraine. Homes for Ukraine is a sponsorship scheme that allows people and organisations in the UK to offer Ukrainians fleeing the war a home

HMO: Houses in Multiple Occupation. A home is classed as an HMO if at least 3 tenants live there, forming more than 1 household. Toilet, bathroom, or kitchen facilities are shared with other tenants

Integration tariff: Local authorities receive integration tariff funding of up to £20,520 per person, over 3 years, for each Afghan household they resettle, so that they can rebuild their lives and fully integrate into communities.

PNC: Police National Check. A PNC check is a search of the Police National Computer (PNC), which is a database of criminal records held by the police in England and Wales. The PNC contains information on people who have been convicted of crimes, cautioned, or given a warning. These checks may form a part of CfA safeguarding.

Principal Sponsor: A primary group or organisation designated by MHCLG as responsible for organising and co-ordinating with regional or community Sponsor Groups and resettlement partners.

PRS: The Private Rented Sector (PRS) is a classification of housing in the UK. The basic Private Rented Sector definition is: property owned by a landlord and leased to a tenant. The landlord, in this case, could be an individual, a property company or an institutional investor.

SMP: Strategic Migration Partnership. SMPs are local government led partnerships funded by, but independent of, the Home Office, whose role is to coordinate and support delivery of national programmes in asylum and refugee schemes as well as agreed regional and devolved migration priorities

Sponsor Group: An individual or group individuals with access to the necessary resources to facilitate sponsorship of Afghan arrivals. The group is not determined by a set number of members, only by the ability to provide the necessary infrastructure required to source accommodation, funding, and support for Afghan arrivals.