Author: Clerk

Donate a laptop to help people from Ukraine

South Cambridgeshire District Council is working with Cambridge Refugee Resettlement Campaign (CRRC) to supply laptops to Ukrainian guests who have arrived in the area as part of the Homes for Ukraine programme. Guests can apply for a laptop for free. We are asking businesses to support this scheme by donating laptops for re-use by those in need. Any devices are acceptable for donation.A group of people working on laptops
CRRC works with Laptops4Learning (L4L) to deliver laptops locally. L4L’s TechAidUK solution brings together businesses and charities/organisations to enable sustainable and social good. They take donations of much-needed devices from businesses and repair and refurbish them, making them plug-and-play ready, complete with chargers and software, ready for CRRC to distribute to Ukrainian families. Having tech refurbished for reuse enables businesses to reach their sustainability goals at this time of climate emergency, saving CO2 emissions, e-waste and the extraction of scarce natural resources.

After you arrange to make a donation L4L send their Tech Couriers to collect your devices at a pre-arranged time and date. They then take them to their repair centre in Stevenage where they are refurbished and all data securely erased to HMG InfoSec Standard 5 Enhanced. A certificate of erasure is issued for each device and provided by serial number to the company donating.

Full audits are provided detailing the devices collected, along with feedback on who received the donations and data for CSR, which can be used in corporate newsletters and social media. Sustainability figures on waste are also provided.

If your business would like to help by donating laptops or if you have questions and would like more information on the scheme please contact sue@laptops4learning.co.uk or Admin_TeamUkraine@cambridgerefugees.org
Business Support and Development South Cambridgeshire District Council South Cambs Hall Cambourne Business Park Cambourne  CB23 6EA
openforbusiness@scambs.gov.uk

South Cambs – update for those supporting refugees from Ukraine 9th June 2022

Dear hosts, volunteer coordinators and parish council colleagues

If this is the first time you are receiving this ‘Support for Ukraine community update’ from us as a host, please note that we send these out on a regular basis. They are issued whenever new and relevant information becomes available to hosts in South Cambridgeshire as well as to District Councillors, community coordinators and parish council colleagues. The idea is to share the latest updates that we have to support for the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

All information previously shared can be found on our Support for Ukraine webpage – where you will also find our ‘Ukrainian Guest information hub’ which we encourage you to share with your guests. The online information hub is our equivalent of a ‘Welcome pack’ for guests (we are sharing information digitally so that we are able to keep our information regularly updated, and guests should be able to switch to view in their own language if they wish).

Please note that in addition to these emails, all hosts will receive information from us directly relating to DBS checks, accommodation checks, £350 monthly host and £350 one-off guest payments; hosts should already have received information from us about this through our welcome email.

For any questions not covered in this e-newsletter or on our Support for Ukraine webpages, please email duty.communities@scambs.gov.uk

Host payments: A reminder

We have recently had a few enquiries about host payments, so thought it would be worth reminding you about how they work. Monthly host payments are paid in arrears during the first week of each month. Where a guest has moved in during the previous month, the £350 payment is calculated on a pro rata basis. If you have any questions about these payments, please just send an email to ukrainepayments@scambs.gov.uk

Advice and support for guests when they move on from their host’s household

Under the Homes for Ukraine scheme, hosts have committed to providing accommodation for guests for a minimum of six months, but hosts may wish to continue with the arrangement beyond the initial six months if both parties wish to. If hosts do not want to continue the arrangement beyond six months (or at any time after that), they should let their guest(s) know in plenty of time so they can make other arrangements. Hosts should give notice to guests two months before either the end of the first six month period or at any date afterwards).

Guests will have access to public funds and, after leaving your home, will be able to rent a property like anyone else. If they need to, they’ll be able to claim the housing part of Universal Credit or Housing Benefit. The UK Government has useful information on renting property which is available in the How to Rent Guide.

If guests need further support, we can support them to help them find alternative accommodation. We can:

  • Provide advice to help them rent privately
  • Support applications for Universal Credit and other benefits
  • Work with other organisations to give advice and support for tenancies
  • See if any of our private sector self-contained or shared properties are available and a good fit for guests’ needs
  • Give details of our Tenancy Deposit and Rent In Advance schemes. These schemes can help those guests who are not in work or on low incomes to rent privately
  • Consider shared housing and lodging options as an affordable way to find new accommodation
  • Give advice on joining the housing register for social housing. Guests need to be made aware that they should not rely only on council housing as a route to getting accommodation due to high demand and a general lack of social housing
  • We can refer people to Emmaus and other charities who can help with furniture should guests find themselves suitable unfurnished accommodation at the end of the scheme
  • More information can also be found on the homelessness advice pages of our website.

Our housing team advises that:

  • Guests start saving as soon as they are able with a view to being able to pay part or whole of the cost of moving out when the time comes
  • Hosts and guests have open and honest conversations together, particularly if hosts do not wish to continue beyond the first six months. This will give guests the time to consider, with our support, their options.

As a last resort and in the event that all avenues have been unsuccessful and guests have to leave without having somewhere else to go, they are entitled to make a homeless application to the Council. This process is the same for anyone and may not always result in a positive or rapid outcome. Getting in touch with us at the earliest opportunity will give both the Council and the guests more time to consider the options.

Bicycle training for guests

You may have already noted that we are working with two local charities, The Papworth Trust and Camtrust, to offer people who are staying in South Cambridgeshire under the Homes for Ukraine scheme a free bicycle. As part of this initiative, we are also offering guests a free Bikeability cycle training course, which will include a translator. All guests who have requested a bicycle under this scheme, and who have requested a place on one of these courses, have been emailed to confirm that we will be back in touch once the course dates are confirmed. In the meantime, we also want to highlight the useful and free Transport for London online cycle skills course which guests may find beneficial. If you have any questions about our free bicycle scheme, please email emma.dyer@scambs.gov.uk

A guide for parents about the education system in England

We have recently added some new guidance to our online Ukrainian Guest Information Hub. This is guidance available from The Bell Foundation for parents on how to get involved in school life and to help their child to learn. There are guides to several useful topics, covering primary and secondary education. These guides are in a number of languages including Ukrainian and Russian.

The WEA – Adult Education

New ESOL courses – Referrals welcome to start courses in September.

The WEA’s (Workers’ Educational Association) offer local ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) courses that teach learners how to speak, listen, read and write in English. Their course in June, which is specifically for Ukrainian refugees, is now fully booked but the WEA is now taking referrals for ESOL courses starting in September. Please direct referrals to cambs@wea.org.uk

Free Courses starting 10 June: Spaces available now

There are two more adult education courses especially for Ukrainian refugees, aimed at helping them settle in in the UK and prepare them to find a job. These courses are designed for speakers of other languages and, even if their English is very basic, they can still join. The free courses, mentioned below, start on Friday (10 June).

Anyone interested in the courses below can register either online by clicking on the links below, or by calling 0300 303 34 64.

Cambridgeshire – Welcome to the UK C2228910

Start date: 10/06/2022

End date: 22/07/2022

Fridays at 10am via Zoom

This course is designed to help the learners to have a good understanding of British culture, history, traditions, laws, and customs. It will help you to reach this understanding and feel confident about living in the UK. And also, the fundamental principles of British Life, including, democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and the beliefs and participation in community life.

Cambridgeshire – Supporting Employment Opportunities for ESOL Learners C2228911

Start date: 10/06/2022

End date: 22/07/2022

Fridays 12:30 pm via Zoom

The purpose of this course is to support students in successfully gaining a job, progressing in a chosen field, and preparing students for further study. A course is designed to assist and to give confidence to ESOL learners to progress from the course to find Employment or to go into Further Education and also to develop their employment prospects and confidence.

You can also keep up to date with other WEA courses on their website.

Cambridge Russian-Speaking Society – CamRuSS

The key initiatives from the Cambridge Russian-Speaking Society at present are as follows:

  • A helpline to facilitate communication between Ukrainian refugees and their host families, which is 056 0302 5975 – please also see attached pdf
  • English language and cultural adaptation sessions
  • Social meetings.

Further details on the above are available via the Cambridge Russian-Speaking Society website.

Ukrainians Welcome website

You may find it useful to pass on information from the Ukrainians Welcome website. There is a guide to staying safe in the UK. Ukrainians Welcome is a joint initiative of British organisations fighting slavery and promoting human rights. Its aim is to provide useful information on security and life in general for displaced Ukrainians in the UK. The site is funded by the Freedom Fund.

Mobile phones for guests

It is worth remembering that lots of mobile phone companies are offering free SIM cards for mobile phones. Their offers change regularly so please check with phone providers directly. Now that local community networks are established, they may want to support guests; one way that communities may be able to help could be by identifying any old / unused phones which local residents have spare, which could be provided to guests via their hosts.

Event in Swavesey this weekend

Finally, we wanted to let you know about an event in Swavesey on this coming Saturday (12 June) which organisers have asked us to tell you about. The first takes place at 3:30pm at St Andrew’s Church in Swavesey and is an informal social for Ukrainian families and their hosts. The event is part of the ‘Jubilee Sing’ celebration being run by Swavesey Community Choir at the same venue from 4:30pm. Details of both events are in the attached infographics.

That rounds off our latest update. I wish to thank you once again for your continued support.

CamRuSS-HelpLine-Information-Flyer

National Volunteers’ Week (1st- 7th June 2022)

Message Type Icon
Almost 40,000 hours given up by volunteers to keep the streets of Cambridgeshire safe
Almost 40,000 hours were given up by committed volunteers to policing the streets of Cambridgeshire during 2021 and this amazing contribution will be recognised as part of a national event.  As well as these hours given up by special constables, many other people give up their time to support the force and chief constable Nick Dean, along with police and crime commissioner Darryl Preston, have thanked them for their wholehearted contribution as National Volunteers’ Week (1 – 7 June) approaches.  This year’s event is on the theme ‘A time to say thanks’.  Other volunteering roles at Cambridgeshire Constabulary include: cadet leaders, supporting victims and witnesses of  crime, crime reduction, supporting local policing teams and role players.  Mr Dean, said: “Volunteering for the police is a unique opportunity to give something back to the community as well as learning new skills while bringing in transferable skills from outside.  “It also offers an extraordinary insight into what policing is all about and they have the chance to get involved in some incredibly valuable and very rewarding work.   “There are lots of different reasons for joining the police and no doubt our volunteers have many different motivations for doing so.  “I would like to personally thank all of them for their hard work, determination and resolve during what has been yet another challenging year.  “An example of some outstanding work by volunteers is shown by our Special Constabulary who have contributed almost 40,000 hours supporting policing in the county over the past 12 months.  “This is a wonderful achievement and one I would like to thank them for.  “However, there is so much more when it comes to volunteering for the police and not just the Special Constabulary.  “A massive amount of work is done in every area of policing to support our efforts to keep people safe and every volunteer is a valued member of our policing family.  “I am constantly impressed with their commitment and support – they are an inspiration to us all and I hope they act as an inspiration to others.  “If anyone wants to volunteer and do something very worthwhile with their time then I would strongly encourage them to visit the volunteering pages of our website.”    Darryl Preston, Police and Crime Commissioner for Cambridgeshire, said: “My office provide volunteering opportunities which ensure our force operates to the highest possible policing standards.  “The Independent Custody Visitors (ICV) check that the rights and wellbeing of those in custody are being respected; while a Community Scrutiny Panel review police use of force and stop and search.  “Anyone looking to get involved can apply on my website. “I would like to thank all our volunteers for the enormous contribution they make to our force. As ever, their commitment, professionalism and dedication is outstanding.” We will be featuring some of the fascinating background stories of our volunteers throughout Volunteers’ Week on our social media accounts, and if you fancy giving up some of your spare time to volunteer for Cambridgeshire Constabulary, then visit our volunteering page here.
Message Sent By
Grace Corney
(Police, Communications Assistant, Cambridgeshire)

Update -south Cambs – Homes for Ukraine – paid roles to support programme

South Cambs have received an amazing response to their call for help and would like to thank everyone who has come forward. They are now not looking for any additional applications.


Due to the generosity of local communities, South Cambridgeshire is the district area with the highest number of visas granted in the country. This means the number of arrivals is high. The Council’s housing officers have been carrying out the welfare checks to ensure hosts and guests are settling in. However, as re-matching is now also being carried out by the Council, we need to bring in extra resources in paid roles and are looking for people with the right skills who would consider joining the team carrying out this important work.

South Cambs know many people want to support the scheme locally who may not have been able to be a host. You may know of people with the skills they are looking for. Maybe you are retired or not in work now but would be keen to commit to a role to help deliver this important work.

What South Cambs are looking for?

  • Commitment to work at least 3 days a week, up to full time, for one year
  • Good communicator
  • Previous experience or knowledge in safeguarding would be advantageous
  • Good listener and ability to empathise and give advice to Ukrainian guests who may be suffering from trauma
  • The ability to travel using own car all over South Cambridgeshire to visit the homes of hosts
  • Ability to use Council translating services to support conversations with guests where necessary
  • Good attention to detail to ensure information from visits is logged correctly and any issues reported and referred to relevant service
  • Confidence to ask guests or hosts further questions to uncover underlying issues
  • Sensitivity to cultural differences and able to put people with a variety of backgrounds at ease
  • Confidence working with basic Microsoft computer programmes such as Word, Excel and Outlook as spreadsheets are used for recording and collating information

They are looking for people who can start quickly to support the team.


Anyone wanting to find out more should email Susan and Dan on susan.hinawski@scambs.gov.uk and Daniel.toussaint@scambs.gov.uk. Please include in your message that you are interested in the role and provide your contact details. Susan or Dan will call you back as soon as possible to discuss the role.