How does war affect the social protection system? How can we effectively utilize and optimize available resources in this sector? What helps integrate internally displaced persons into the community? These and other pressing questions were discussed at the forum “Social Sphere During Wartime: Challenges and Prospects, Best Practices for Communities of Ternopilska Oblast,” organized by our Foundation.
The forum brought together representatives from the government, local authorities, civil society, and social institutions to exchange experiences and ideas. Among the speakers were Viktor Ustenko, Deputy Head of the Ternopilska Oblast Military Administration; Nina Schrepfer, Assistant Representative of the UNHCR in Ukraine on Protection; and Anna Borysova, Director for Humanitarian Programs at the Charity Foundation “Stabilization Support Services.”
Yana Shkuratova, regional coordinator of the project in Ternopilska Oblast, stated, “This forum was crucial because, for many years, social sphere professionals in Ternopilska Oblast had not had such an opportunity to meet. Meanwhile, the country underwent reforms, power decentralization, the establishment of new structures, and the introduction of new services in communities. Therefore, it was vital for social service providers, community heads, and social protection workers to come together to discuss changes and work directions. We are grateful to everyone who made this forum possible. The positive feedback indicates that the social sector community had a great need for such an activity.”
The forum featured panel discussions and workshops. Participants discussed:
- Long-term solutions for integrating IDPs into the community;
- Specific approaches to working with different groups of affected individuals;
- Best practices in community-level social work and enhancing the capacity of the social sector in Ternopilska Oblast;
- The relationship between a well-developed social sector and community prosperity;
- Legal regulations in the social sector;
- The role of NGOs in providing social services.
One of the workshops was conducted by Yuliana Hasanbekova, the Foundation’s project coordinator for the development of social passports, “We conducted the workshop ‘Developed Social Sphere = Thriving Community’ for the leadership of Ternopil communities. This is an extremely important audience, as a significant portion of social issues is resolved at the community level. The community is closest to the people, especially felt during times of war. Whether a community is socially oriented directly depends on the leadership’s position. Workshop participants discussed organizing social services in their communities, familiarized themselves with tools for community resource management (such as social passports and needs assessment), and shared experiences of cooperation with NGOs for the development of the social sector.”
Yevheniya Dobrozdiy, a lawyer of the project and forum participant, said, “I’m glad we were able to organize and hold this forum. Such events not only allow local community representatives to exchange real-life cases but also establish close communication for the future, which will ultimately contribute to improving service provision and developing the social sector in the region overall. I believe it is reasonable to hold such events across all regions of Ukraine, as there is a palpable need for forums where we unite people from different areas but from the same social sphere.”
Focused on cross-sectoral communication, the forum enabled the development of joint strategies to address the challenges related to the increasing burden on the social services system during wartime.
“The main message of the forum was unity and striving for positive change. Everyone felt like part of a large team working for people in need of help and social support. We saw that there was a tremendous demand for this format of collaboration in Ternopilska Oblast. The forum allowed for an exchange of experiences regarding social protection issues, fostered dialogue between state social protection institutions, local authorities, and social service providers, and showcased best practices in the civil society sector. This is another step towards each other for the sake of collective work, without competition,” added Yuliana Hasanbekova.
We held the forum as part of the Supporting the Capacity of the Social Protection System to Register Internally Displaced Persons project, funded by the United Nations Refugee Agency in Ukraine (UNHCR).
