Checks for rematching: Homes for Ukraine
What checks are needed for a rematch.
Applies to England
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks
Because rematching will be council-led and in-country, sponsor suitability checks will be the responsibility of councils. Councils will be required to undertake relevant DBS checks and accommodation checks in advance of move-on unless a move has already happened, in which case they should be completed retrospectively.
Councils are also expected to work through their existing multi-agency safeguarding partnerships to pool information they have. This is to ensure any risks have been picked up, for example, by agreeing the use of multi-agency safeguarding hubs or similar integrated teams.
Find out more about what DBS checks need to be made.
Accommodation checks
Accommodation checks should be undertaken in alignment with existing guidance for councils on checks to be completed as part of the Homes for Ukraine scheme. The only difference is that these should be completed prior to the arrival of guests wherever possible.
You can read the full guidance on accommodation checks.
If checks raise a concern
Where a council assesses that a sponsor is unsuitable, they should record this information as soon as possible on the Foundry case management system (CMS).
The guest should not move into the accommodation.
It is the council’s responsibility to notify the sponsor and guest, taking care to take appropriate data protection measures. Where the sponsor refuses to undergo checks or the checks record that they are unsuitable, the guest should be made aware and advised to move out. If the guest chooses to stay, the council should make clear to the guest that this is at their own risk and the host will not get the thank you payment.
Safeguarding must remain an essential consideration and Ukrainian guests who do not wish to be formally rematched should be made aware by the local authority how to report any future concerns to their council or the police.
Councils must also assess whether rematches are between close family members. Since 1 October 2024, sponsors/hosts of new arrivals are not eligible to receive thank you payments for sponsoring a close member of their family who moves into their home. Those who are already in the UK and move in with a close family member are classified as having left the HfU scheme, rather than a rematch. In these cases, local authorities are not required to carry out the usual HfU safeguarding checks, however statutory duties still apply.
This change applies to payment claims taking place from 1 October 2024, irrespective of visa application dates.
Find out what to do if checks raise a concern.
Welfare checks
Following the guests’ arrival with their new host, councils should confirm as soon as possible that the guest is well, and that there are no welfare concerns or needs for care and support.
Where there are concerns for the safety or welfare of a child, councils should follow their usual processes in line with guidance on working together to safeguard children which may include further assessments. Where it is suspected that an adult may have care and support needs, a needs assessment should be undertaken in line with the requirements of the Care Act 2014.
Councils are expected to make at least one in-person visit once the guest has arrived with their new host. This welfare check enables the council to see whether there are any welfare concerns or formal assessments that should be undertake. Before undertaking the visit, the council can choose to review their local intelligence, if any, on the sponsor household, in line with pages 18-22 of guidance on working together to safeguard children and guidance on Information sharing.
Welfare checks are particularly important for vulnerable groups such as lone young adults, for example an 18 or 19-year-old who is in the UK without any family members.
As above, all checks within the Foundry case management system (CMS) must have been completed before the council begins the process of issuing the sponsor payment.
Read the full guidance about what welfare checks are needed and when.