Host Information Centre
Safeguarding
Managing Allegations / Concerns against hosts under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme
People arriving from Ukraine are at risk of the 4 main types of modern slavery: labour exploitation, criminal exploitation, sexual exploitation, and domestic servitude.
There are many different signs of modern slavery that depend on the type of exploitation. Unseen UK have produced information on signs of modern slavery to look out for. There are also many free resources on modern slavery.
Accessible and multilingual information and resources on modern slavery are also available at online sources including:
- The Welsh Government’s Sanctuary site
- The Welsh Government’s Live Fear Free site
- The Wales Safer Communities Network site
If you have any concerns about modern slavery, you should call the Modern Slavery and Exploitation Helpline on 08000 121 700 or report your concerns online.
If you become aware that a Ukrainian guest has gone missing from your premises, you should contact the local authority who can make enquiries and follow the procedure for missing people.
If you have any concerns about the safety or well-being of your Ukrainian guests, please contact the local authority to raise these concerns in a confidential manner.
Safeguarding Training
There is no expectation that you will complete this training but as some Ukrainians will have suffered trauma and may be vulnerable, your staff may wish to access our free training on safeguarding and trauma-informed practice.
Online Safeguarding Training Module. This is available using Google Chrome as a web browser: Course: Safeguarding Training - Supporting Ukrainian Refugees in Wales (nhs.wales) Enter as a guest for free access.
Introductory trauma-informed services training
Managing Allegations / Concerns against hosts under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme
There may an occasion you where someone makes an allegation or raises a concern against you. Welsh Government considers hosts as both a volunteer and a person in a position of trust as set out in section 5 of the Wales Safeguarding Procedures 2019.
A host may at some point become subject of an allegation that they have caused harm to an adult or child at risk, in that:
- A host may have behaved in a way that has harmed or may have harmed an adult or child at risk
- May have committed a criminal offence against a child or adult at risk or that has a direct impact on the child or adult at risk
- Behaved towards a child or adult at risk in a way that indicates they are unsuitable to be a host
The Local Authority has a duty to manage allegations and concerns about hosts and this is undertaken by the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO).
Safeguarding is everyone’s business. Anyone who becomes aware of an allegation / concern must report their concerns to social services and/or police.
What happens when an allegation / concern is made?
Where an allegation / concern that a child or adult has been harmed, the LADO will discuss with the Social Services Child Care Assessment Team Manger or Adult Safeguarding Team Manager and decide what further action will be taken and what you will be told about the allegation made against you.
What action may be taken?
Social services and Police will decide whether a full investigation needs to be undertaken by the Police and Social Services.
In some cases, the police may decide to proceed with a criminal investigation, you may be interviewed under caution or invited to assist the police with their inquiries. You are entitled to legal representation which can be arranged by Police at the station.
Internal investigation
The Home’s for Ukraine department within the Local Authority may be required to conduct an internal investigation and complete a risk assessment. This may mean your guests will need to be moved from your home until the process has concluded and an outcome has been reached.
Support
This process can be stressful and worrying time, your lead worker or nominated officer will offer you support throughout the process and sign post you to other services if needed.
Record keeping
A comprehensive record will be kept on your confidential personnel file and retained in line with GDPR requirements. This includes investigations that were unsubstantiated.
DBS / Welsh Government / UK Government
The Local Authority has a statutory duty to alert DBS / Welsh Government / UK Government if a decision has been made to end your role as a host based on the outcome of the investigation.
Report a war crime
If you have been a victim of or witness to a war crime, please let the Metropolitan Police know as they are supporting the International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation regarding possible war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity in Ukraine. The War Crimes Team is part of the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command.
Your information could be vital to an investigation in the UK or another part of the world.
They will treat all of the information you provide in the strictest of confidence.
If you're not sure what you want to tell us is a war crime, find out what makes a crime a war crime.
Please note: you can contact them in your first language or whichever language you feel most comfortable using. Your report does not have to be in English.
For more information visit Report a war crime | Metropolitan Police