Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:11 pm on 15 March 2022.
Well, speaking here two weeks ago, I called on you to ensure that the Welsh Government provides local authorities with support to enable and encourage them to come forward with a quicker ability to provide support to refugees fleeing Ukraine. But of course, effective delivery will also require local authorities to work with community organisations, and much of the heavy lifting across Wales is already being done, often on a shoestring, by a myriad of third sector bodies and partnerships between the third sector and others, including NWAMI, Networking for World Awareness of Multicultural Integration; Synergy in Flintshire, and the Wrexham Town of Sanctuary coalition. Ukrainian Friends and Families Link has also now been in touch. They're being established by a team of local professionals and partnering third sector organisations and churches across north Wales, working from a central hub in Llandudno, to prepare for the arrival of Ukrainian nationals and others affected by the war who will come to north Wales in the weeks and months ahead. How will the Welsh Government support these vital initiatives and facilitate local authority engagement with them?