DORSET is preparing to house more Syrian refugees following the successful transfer of two families.

In June 2016, Dorset County Council cabinet agreed to resettle six to eight families through the national Syrian Resettlement Programme.

A report before cabinet on Wednesday asked councillors to consider expanding the programme.

Cabinet member for learning, skills and children’s safeguarding, Cllr Deborah Croney said the programme was making good progress.

She said: “We currently have two families in Dorset and we are confident in the support we are able to provide for them. We are looking to increase the number of families in this scheme.

“We are looking at resettling up to 12 families per year here from this next year to 2020 and we hope members are able to support this programme.”

The two families arrived through the Dorset programme at the end of 2016.

A third property has been secured and is awaiting a family being matched and another property will be made available in the coming months.

The report read that the first two families have achieved “successful outcomes” in that they are proactively participating in English lessons and are going out into their local community independently.

One adult has started some training and the children have made friends and are actively participating in school.

The programme has a commitment to resettle 20,000 Syrians by the end of 2020. It takes the families identified by the UN as the most in need in the camps that border Syria and matches them with offers of accommodation from local authorities.

Each individual is then granted five years humanitarian protection status after which time they can either apply to remain in the UK or return home.

Funding of £8,520 is received from the Home Office for the first year with the expectation that families will be independent after 12 months.

Further funding is available for extreme cases.

Cllr Croney added: “The unaccompanied asylum seeking children’s programme is completely separate and is only partly funded.” Chairman of the meeting, Cllr Robert Gould, said: “This is a particularly important report in light of the current situation in Syria.”

He added: “It is important that the work across the South West is coordinated in this programme to make is as successful as possible.