Stratford welcomes Syrian refugee families

Stratford District Council is preparing to welcome the first group of Syrian refugees to the town.

The first family will be arriving in Stratford-upon-Avon next week and another family the following week.

The families given sanctuary in Warwickshire are amongst those who have suffered the most following the humanitarian disaster in Syria since the civil war erupted in 2011.  Many have been displaced from their homes or had their homes and livelihoods destroyed in the subsequent conflicts that have ravaged the country they once called home.

The District Council has been working closely with partners, Warwickshire County Council, the Health sector and the local Welcome Here group, to put in place a package of support to meet the needs of these families.  This support includes housing, education, health care and emotional support.

As well as securing the arrangement of privately rented accommodation and support Stratford District Council are also gifting the families a mobile phone to enable them to keep in touch with family members and loved ones back in Syria.

Cllr Robert Vaudry, Housing and Infrastructure Portfolio says: “The rehousing of vulnerable people who have been made refugees by the conflict in Syrian is a national priority. Stratford has been asked to play its part, together with partners and we have made a commitment to provide as much support as possible to those arriving.  I have no doubt that they will be made to feel welcome by the wider community as they adjust to life in the UK."

 
Frequently Asked Question: Finance

Q: As you are making cuts, how can you possibly afford to pay for such intensive support for people who are not Warwickshire residents.

A: The vast majority of funding to pay for the support that will be provided to the Syrian families is coming from the Home Office

Frequently Asked Question: Housing

Q: Will these families be taking up housing that would otherwise be used for social or sheltered Housing?

A: No, all property has been sourced from the private rental market and will have no impact on waiting lists for social or sheltered housing.

Frequently Asked Question: Education

Q: Will the children of these families be taking up places that would otherwise go to children from the county.

A: All children of school age will be going to schools in the county where there are existing places and capacity.

Frequently Asked Question: Security (Information provided by Home Office)

How will you ensure that the individuals admitted under this programme do not pose a security risk to the UK?

We take security extremely seriously in cases referred to us for resettlement, working closely with the UNHCR.  When potential cases are submitted by the UNHCR for consideration they are screened and considered for suitability for entry to the UK: we retain the right to reject individuals on security, war crimes or other grounds.

How many have been refused on security grounds?

Although we are monitoring this closely, we will not be disclosing this information for operational reasons

What security checks have you done on Syrians arriving under the scheme?

We take the utmost care to ensure that those people coming here undergo rigorous security checks. By taking people directly from the region, working with UNHCR, we are able to screen and consider everyone coming here for suitability for entry to the UK – not only enabling us to reject individuals on security, war crimes and other grounds but also to ensure that we are helping the truly vulnerable who most need our help.

When refugees arrive in the UK they have all been through a thorough two-stage vetting process. In addition, the UK works closely with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which has its own robust identification processes in place. This includes the taking of biometrics, documentary evidence and interviews.