Three families from Afghanistan have made a new life for themselves in West Dunbartonshire, a new report confirms.

West Dunbartonshire Council (WDC) has taken in three families fleeing the collapse of their former country following the withdrawal of Western military and diplomatic personnel after 20 years.

Since November 2015, the local authority has taken in 135 refugees through the Syrian Refugee Resettlement Scheme, and council officials said they had significant experience in supporting those coming to the area.

This includes interpretation and translation, housing, health and social care, schools integrations, and especially making sure families feel safe in their new homes and communities.

The UK introduced the programme for supporting Afghans as the US, UK and other countries pulled out and repressive Taliban regime retook the country.

Originally 3,000 Afghans were to be resettled in the UK but the crisis of the collapse of Afghanistan means the number is about 7,000 families.

West Dunbartonshire Council (WDC) agreed with other Scottish local authorities to help those in need.

In a report to next week's WDC meeting, council officers state: "To date, the families have been registered for GP services, signed up for benefits, opened bank accounts, and the children have started school.

"Housing support workers are also exploring employment and retraining opportunities with the new adult arrivals and ensuring the limited language gaps are addressed through English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) classes.

"The families have also met and made contact with other Afghan families living in the area who have been very welcoming and supportive and have helped them become familiar with their local area."

The UK decided earlier in September to resettle 20,000 Afghan refugees in the coming years, prioritising those who helped British efforts in the country, such as standing up for "values such as democracy, women’s rights and freedom of speech, rule of law (for example, judges, women’s rights activists, journalists)" and at-risk groups such as women and girls, minority groups and LGBT+ Afghans.

Funding for local authorities resettling refugees would be £20,520 per person, said the government. It meets all council costs for the programme.

No specific areas of West Dunbartonshire have been chosen for taking further refugees, states the report.

The report adds: "Offering resettlement on a rolling programme basis will allow us to manage the intake of families, ensure coordination and collaboration across services and partner organisations, in order to maximise benefits while also having the flexibility to pause, reduce or increase the pace depending on the availability of resources."