“Social sphere in the conditions of war: Challenges and Prospects, Successful Experience of Hromadas of the Zakarpattia Oblast” was the main topic of the forum, which brought together social sector professionals from all over Zakarpattia, representatives of the authorities and NGOs, experts and experts in Uzhhorod. The participants discussed how to develop social services in times of war, initiate new projects (including for veterans) and adapt the successful experience of individual communities in the region.
The event was opened by Ruslan Prykhodko, Deputy Minister of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine, who joined the forum online. He focused on the government-approved Veterans’ Policy Strategy for the period until 2030, which defines strategic goals for the interaction between the state and veterans. “A significant part of the strategy is directly related to the components of social policy and social protection of war veterans, which regulate the provision of various social and administrative services to veterans,” said Ruslan Prykhodko. — “To this end, we are implementing a number of different projects, including the integration of our services into ASCs for maximum convenience and accessibility. At the same time, we are empowering other assistance providers. I mean psychologists, specialists in supporting veterans, especially those who have been seriously injured.” According to the deputy minister, the state considers a veteran in conjunction with his or her family members, as any family problem leads to a decrease in the quality of his or her integration into civilian life. “And our key strategic objective in the area of veterans‘ policy is to create a set of measures that will enable all defenders of Ukraine to recover as much as possible, find their role and place in economic life, and be financially independent,” added Ruslan Prykhodko.
The social sphere is probably the most difficult area of work, especially in times of war. This was emphasised by Vasyl Demianchuk, Deputy Chairman of the Zakarpattia Regional Council: “I am grateful to social workers for their endurance and work. Today, the number of people in need of social protection and support is increasing. And I thank the representatives of our international partners — I don’t know how we could have done it without your support.”
“Every day you rebuild the lives of people in need. You give hope that everything can be done,” said Vira Shelest, Acting Head of the UNHCR office in Uzhhorod. — “You can start all over again, see how to rebuild your life.” She noted that the current burden on the social sphere is really significant, as communities are hosting a large number of IDPs. At the same time, communities have a unique experience in the social sphere that needs to be shared.
“Social protection is the first line of support for Ukrainians who have been internally displaced by the full-scale war and contributes to better integration of IDPs into communities,” said Kristina Myronenko, project manager of the Charitable Foundation «Stabilization Support Services», which supports IDPs, increases their capacity and social protection.
In Zakarpattia, 115 social service providers are working in the context of the war, although the workload has increased several times during the full-scale war. Five resilience centres have been opened to provide psychosocial support services, and the VDOMA veterans’ space has been launched. Olha Travina, Director of the Department of Social Protection of the Population of the Zakarpattia Regional State Administration, presented the peculiarities of the functioning of the social services system during the war. According to her, 7 regional programmes to support vulnerable categories of citizens are being implemented in the region. Myroslava Sukhar, Deputy Director of the Department of Social Protection of the Transcarpathian Regional State Administration, spoke in more detail about the possibilities of state support for social service providers and the specifics of social support for veterans and their families.
The Forum also included panel discussions. The participants discussed the specifics of working with different categories of war-affected population, problematic issues of providing social services to veterans and their families, changes in approaches to early intervention services, and practical aspects of providing psychosocial support.
Successful cases of social service provision were presented by representatives of Stavne and Dovzhe territorial communities. Anastasia Tsybulska, Head of the IDPs, State Benefits and Family Policy Division of the Social Protection Department of the Zakarpattia Regional State Administration, commented on the practical aspects and problematic issues of implementing the State Policy Strategy on Internal Displacement of Persons.
The participants of the forum also took part in its practical part. The practical block consisted of two parts: a workshop on the implementation of early intervention services in territorial communities, conducted by Iryna Roshkovych, Deputy Director of the Regional Centre for Comprehensive Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities, and a lecture on the mechanism of social services implementation by NGOs as alternative social service providers by Tetiana Machabeli, Executive Director of the NGO “Nehemiah”.
At the end of the forum, the participants signed a resolution that, among other things, calls for the promotion of social protection of the population in times of war and the further development of the social services system, in particular for internally displaced persons, veterans and their families, people with disabilities, the elderly and other categories requiring special attention.
The event was organised by Charitable Foundation “Stabilization Support Services” in cooperation with the Department of Social Protection of the Zakarpattia Regional Military Administration and with the support of the United Nations Refugee Agency in Ukraine (UNHCR).
