Council and children’s services leaders are calling on the government to clarify how they will be supported to resettle 20,000 refugees, including unaccompanied children, from Syria.
The first of the Syrian refugees to be rehomed in the UK over the next five years arrived in the country last week, but the Local Government Association (LGA) says councils are still in the dark over key details around funding and when and where they will be arriving.
Such information is needed to ensure they have the right number of available school places, support services and are able to effectively assess and place unaccompanied children.
Meanwhile, the charity Home for Good has already offered its support to councils in the search for extra foster placements for unaccompanied children from Syria. It has received 10,000 offers for support after it launched an appeal earlier this month for potential carers to come forward.
A spokeswoman for the charity said: “What is happening now is that all those who have come forward are being processed and then put in touch with the relevant local authority.
If you are considering fostering and would like more information please call Fosterline on 0800 040 7675.