Project “Social initiatives for families with children at the community level in Dnipropetrovsk region” II stage (September 2024 – January 2026)

Within the project, case management became the basic tool for comprehensive support for families with children from vulnerable categories of the population and included individual needs assessment, support planning and systematic support taking into account the security context. Case managers coordinated families' access to administrative, social, psychological, legal and inclusive services.

They also provided crisis response to the consequences of military operations and worked using mobile formats in remote and frontline communities. In particular, the Team piloted a new family mentor service as a form of crisis support for families in difficult life circumstances and in need of external support.

Psychosocial support became one of the key components of the project and was provided to children and adults in the format of individual consultations and group activities taking into account the experience of war and crisis events. The team's work was carried out in accordance with UNICEF's programmatic approaches in the field of psychosocial support, which were integrated into the activities of Child-Friendly Spaces and adapted to the local context of communities. The component also introduced the service of a crisis psychologist.

The Hub for Social Services Development became a systemic component of the project aimed at strengthening the professional capacity of social workers and representatives of local governments. Through training programs, supervisory support, consultations and analytical work, the Hub ensured the development of practical skills, interdisciplinary interaction and the implementation of modern approaches to the provision of social services in communities, taking into account the challenges of wartime.

As part of the implementation of the second stage of the project, a branch of the Hub for the Development of Social Services was also established in the city of Kryvyi Rih. This allowed expanding the geography of professional support and bringing educational, consulting, and supervision formats directly to the communities of the western part of the region.

As part of the activities of the Hub, training courses, workshops, and supervision were organized for social work professionals aimed at improving the quality of services, preventing professional burnout, and adapting social work to the crisis context.

As part of the second phase of the project, a pilot component «Creating an Inclusive Environment for Children through the Provision of Social Services» was implemented from 2024, aimed at developing accessible and comprehensive inclusive services for children with disabilities and their families at the community level. The initiative was implemented in 7 territorial communities and combined individual support for families with the formation of systemic solutions in the field of inclusive social services. As part of the implementation of the component, the infrastructural capacity of communities was also strengthened, in particular through the provision of rehabilitation equipment and the creation of a Day Care Center for Children with Disabilities in the city of Kryvyi Rih.

The NGO team initiated and implemented a nanny service for children with disabilities as a tool to support families with children, in particular those raising children with disabilities. Before the project began, this service was not standardized and systematically available in communities. Its implementation was carried out both within the case management component and within the framework of a pilot component for creating an inclusive environment, which allowed testing the model in communities with different levels of needs and capabilities. The service received high demand and positive feedback from parents, as it helped stabilize the family situation and reduce the emotional burden on parents/guardians.

More than 100,000 people were involved in the project. 250 people from among the residents of the communities where the initiatives were implemented. The team included social workers, teachers, lawyers, psychologists, speech therapists, coordinators, mobile specialists, and administrative staff.