Help and guidance

For more information advice and support, please read the Ukraine FAQs (PDF, 9.33MB)

We are working with Kent County Council and other district and borough councils, as part of the Kent Resilience Forum, to welcome Ukrainian refugees.

Central government has announced that local authorities will be provided with funding to deliver the wraparound support needed by refugees. This will include accommodation, safeguarding checks, translation services, access to health services and education.

We have created a dedicated email address and phone number for enquiries relating to refugees and how you can help those caught up in the conflict in Ukraine. Call 01303 853600 for more information.

Charities and volunteers or people needing advice about refugees, or Ukrainian refugees themselves, can email the local Folkestone Team at ukrainefolkestoneandhythe@kent.gov.uk or the central team at ukraine@kent.gov.uk, or call 03000 419820.

Kent Adult Education is offering free English classes (spoken and written) to Ukrainians arriving in the district. Also available are maths and digital skills, all taking place at The Cube in Tontine Street, Folkestone. These classes are also for anyone who has English as a second language. Go to: https://-us/news/support-for-Ukrainian-nationals/ or email Skillsfolkestone@kent.gov.uk.

Free online resources for Ukrainians settling in the UK and Ireland are available from Open University. 

For those who are aged 25 and over, the National Careers Service provides professional, advice and guidance to help people move forward with their careers for free. 

Barnardo's has set up a free helpline to provide a holistic support service: 0800 148 8586 (10am-8pm Monday to Friday and 10am-3pm Saturday). It is available to anyone fleeing the conflict in Ukraine and is staffed by English, Ukrainian and Russian speakers. Callers will be able to get help and advice on a range of topics. A dedicated email address ukrainiansupport@barnardos.org.uk and webpage have also been set up. 

The government's guidance on respiratory infections, including COVID-19, has been translated into Ukrainian and Russian.

The NHS's Kent and Medway vaccination team has produced three COVID-19 vaccination guides (all in Ukrainian): 

The leaflets below provide information about the measles, mumps and ruebella (MMR) vaccination which helps protect against all three diseases and have been translated into Ukrainian.

Bus Passes: children between the ages of 11 and 16 arriving from Ukraine who are registered as in care under Kent County Council social services are entitled to apply for the free KCC Travel Saver bus pass for transport to school or college: kent.gov.uk/education-and-children/schools/school-transport/KCC-travel-saver

Host families can apply for KCC's free home-to-school transport. Information regarding eligibility and how to apply is here: kent.gov.uk/freeschooltransport.  If you wish to contact the free school transport team, you can email them at homeschooltransport@kent.gov.uk, or call 03000 412121 ( 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday).