Social Services for Children and Families During the War: Training for Communities Held in Zaporizhzhia Oblast

A training session titled “Development of Social Services for Families in the Community: Practical Solutions for Community Leaders and Managers” was held in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, bringing together representatives of local self-government authorities, child protection services, and social protection institutions.

Today, communities are operating in the face of new challenges. Families are returning from abroad, households are relocating from temporarily occupied territories, and support is needed for military and veteran families, as well as for children who have experienced evacuation, shelling, and prolonged periods of remote learning. In these circumstances, the development of quality social services has become not just a priority, but a necessity.

During the training, participants discussed the key challenges currently hindering the development of the social services system, including limited accessibility of services, workforce shortages, and constrained funding. Particular attention was paid to the impact that the lack of timely support has on the well-being of children, families, and communities as a whole.

Participants explored practical approaches to planning and developing social services for families with children, mechanisms for using existing legislative and financial instruments, and the integration of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) into community-level service delivery systems.

One of the key topics was interagency cooperation and the integrated case management model. Community representatives discussed effective coordination mechanisms between social protection, education, healthcare, and child protection services, as well as ways to overcome barriers that arise in the course of such cooperation.

Strengthening community capacity is an investment in regional resilience. This is particularly important for Zaporizhzhia Oblast, where the need for social support for families with children continues to grow every day. It is at the local level that decisions are made which determine access to assistance for the most vulnerable population groups and create conditions for the safe development of children even during wartime.

The event was held within the framework of the UNICEF project “Protection Services for the Most Vulnerable Children and Parents (or Their Caregivers) in Communities of Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia Oblasts”, implemented by Responsible Citizens NGO with the financial support of the United States Government and UNICEF.