What social services are available in the community? How many women, men, and children live in its cities, towns, and villages? Are there enough schools, hospitals, and banks? How developed are small and medium-sized businesses?
Throughout 2023–2024, we collaborated with 63 communities across 15 oblasts to answer these questions: assessing the need for social services, assisting in updating social passports, and developing medium-term plans for the development of the social protection system.
In this special project, we share the outcomes achieved by the communities thanks to the research and documents developed. In particular, we describe how they expanded the range of social services to provide essential support to community members in need.
In the first episode, we focus on the experiences of Turiyska and Shatska communities (Volynska Oblast) and the Klevanska community (Rivnenska Oblast).
Our Support for the Communities in 2023–2024
- Studied the accessibility and quality of social services available in communities.
- Conducted workshops for social system workers and local authorities on compiling social passports.
- Updated and design a social passport.
- Helped develop medium-term plans for the development of the social protection system.
A social passport is an identity document containing information about the community’s resources and social characteristics that enables an assessment of the community’s potential.
Experience of the Turiyska Community
Results achieved by communities after research and development of the documents:
- Developed a Development Strategy for the Turiysk Settlement Territorial Community through 2027, including a social service development strategy.
- Introduced Social Taxi and Social Route services used by parents of children with special educational needs to transport them to correctional and developmental sessions or comprehensive development assessments at the inclusive resource center.
- Began creating registers of families of veterans and fallen defenders of Ukraine.
Zhanna Yakovinich, Deputy Head of Turiysk Settlement Council:
“The social passport helps community members find necessary information daily. For instance, if someone needs data on available social services in the community, we already have a table where everything is listed.”
Experience of the Shatska Community
Results achieved by communities after research and development of the documents:
- Established a Social Protection Department under the Shatsk Settlement Council.
- Found partners who helped equip facilities for family mediation services and care for children needing psycho-emotional correction and psychological assistance (including children with disabilities, internally displaced children, and those affected by hostilities and armed conflicts).
Nataliya Borsuk, Director of the Territorial Center for Social Services (Social Service Provision) of the Shatsk Settlement Council:
“We are grateful to our partners, CF SSS, for providing technical and advocacy support to strengthen the resilience of our social protection system. Based on recommendations and advocacy efforts, the Shatsk Settlement Council established a Social Protection Department to coordinate and strategize social services in the community.”
Experience of the Klevanska Community
Results achieved by communities after research and development of the documents:
- Created the Accessibility Council of the Klevanska Territorial Community.
- Purchased a vehicle for monitoring and analyzing the accessibility of educational facilities in the community.
- Strengthened control over the accessibility principles in new construction projects.
- Conducted accessibility monitoring of the physical environment for all social groups.
- Initiated the creation of the “Accessibility of the Klevanska Territorial Community” channel to facilitate communication between local self-government bodies and residents and to address issues promptly (planned for 2025).
Olha Melnyk, Regional Project Coordinator in Rivnenska Oblast:
“In advocacy, it is crucial to align actions with societal demand for them. Establishing the Accessibility Council under the Klevan Settlement Council addressed public needs and ensured rational changes in the community that will make life easier for everyone living there.”
Vitaliy Vakaliuk, Deputy Head of the Settlement and Chair of the Accessibility Council of the Klevanska Territorial Community:
“The Accessibility Council of the Klevan Settlement Council improves the quality of life for its citizens, ensuring equal access to services, infrastructure, and opportunities for everyone.”
Learn more about social passports: bit.ly/3KkHm3l.
Take a look at the social passports we helped update: bit.ly/4ggkSi5.
We were helping communities develop social passports as part of the Supporting the Capacity of the Social Protection System to Register Internally Displaced Persons, funded by the United Nations Refugee Agency in Ukraine (UNHCR).