The homes of people who have signed up to host Ukrainian refugees will not be checked because there isn’t enough time.
The Refugees Minister Lord Harrington said that he couldn’t guarantee that all homes would be assessed before the arrival of refugees because thousands are expected to enter the country next week.
According to The Times:
More than 138,000 have signed up to offer accommodation for at least six months under the Homes for Ukraine scheme since Monday.
The Local Government Association warned that some accommodation would not meet safety expectations and that councils faced a “very tight timeframe to make appropriate safety checks”.
Lord Harrington of Watford, the refugees minister, said he could not guarantee that all homes would be assessed before refugees began arriving.
He told the Commons home affairs committee that resettling vulnerable children at risk of being preyed upon by traffickers and criminal gangs took precedence.
Asked whether homes would be checked by councils before refugees began moving in, Harrington said:
“I mean, I’m talking next week . . . I’m expecting thousands of people to come but it will be their [councils’] responsibility and, particularly where there’s a possibility of vulnerability with children, this sort of thing, that would take priority.
But if we started saying we’re going to preview it, it’s just not possible.”
This is madness. If there isn’t enough time to assess the suitability of homes to take in refugees, it stands to reason that there isn’t enough time to properly assess the hosts themselves, doesn’t it?
Harrington said that getting vulnerable children into the UK as quickly as possible is a priority to protect them from traffickers, but surely it’s of paramount importance to thoroughly check the backgrounds of the host families and their extended families first?
Marilyn Hawes is a teacher and a tireless advocate for the victims of child abuse and trafficking. Her organisation works to reduce incidents of abuse, stalking and bullying, through education.
She told The Richie Allen Show on Tuesday, that the government’s Home For Ukraine scheme is a “paedo paradise.”
Marilyn said that the haphazard and rushed plan to take in refugees is manna from heaven for predators. Listen to the interview here:
https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/richieallen/episodes/2022-03-15T12_33_28-07_00
For more on Marilyn Hawes, go here:
