BCP Council wants Ukrainians coming to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole to feel welcome.

A booklet has been launched which aims to help settle Ukrainians into the area with advice on how to access a support payment, open a bank account, link in with the wider community and register for a doctor.

It includes information from all the council’s partners, including Jobcentre Plus and Dorset-based community groups, such as the International Care Network and Dorset Race Equality Council.

The 26-page booklet, which will be available in English, Ukrainian, Polish and Russian, also includes details of how people can report war crimes they have witnessed when in Ukraine.

A booklet for sponsors is also now available, with guidance on how hosts can apply for the £350 ‘thank you’ payment and how accommodation checks and Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks will be carried out.

Cllr Karen Rampton, portfolio holder People and Homes, said: “Thank you to everyone in our community who has made generous offers to accommodate Ukrainian guests at this difficult time.

“We recognise that this is a truly terrible period of their lives, and we will endeavour to do everything we can to help them feel safe and welcome.

“We will ensure that the support our guests need will be made available to them and we hope that this welcome guide will help them find their way around and access that support. Our local services will continue to support our new arrivals over the coming months as they settle in.

“We want our guests to know that we are here to help, and we very much hope that while they may feel they arrive as strangers they are very much among friends.

“We’d also like sponsors to know just how appreciated their act of generosity is – thank you.”

Residents who would like to sponsor Ukrainians and who are not yet matched through the Government Homes for Ukraine scheme, should look at the BCP Council website if they have any questions.

The council will come and inspect properties once sponsors and their guests are matched and the council is informed by government.