MES, Health Ministry, Ministry of Social Policy jointly with UNICEF launch a project of crisis assistance for children with disabilities and their families
Ministry of Education and Science, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Social Policy, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the Dzherelo Rehabilitation Center in Lviv have launched an emergency response project to address the needs of children with disabilities. In particular, these are internally displaced children and children whose condition has deteriorated as a result of hostilities in Ukraine.
As part of the project, families will have an opportunity to receive professional support for the child or the necessary advice, information on services and resources available in the community, consultations with specialized professionals, assistance with equipment according to the child's needs determined by specialists. If necessary, mobile teams will get to remote areas.
The project is implemented in 7 regions of Ukraine where it is possible to provide services and where a large number of displaced families are concentrated, namely: Volyn, Zakarpattia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, Rivne, Ternopil and Chernivtsi.
"Even before the war, we faced many challenges in ensuring the realization of the rights of children with disabilities and special educational needs. Inclusive education, barrier-free spaces, quality services. But in the face of war, these children are becoming even more vulnerable. The project is designed to join effort to neutralize the negative effects of the war on children, as well as to continue to build a system in which they will feel protected," said Minister of Education and Science Serhii Shkarlet.
"Quality and timely access of children with disabilities and developmental difficulties to professional assistance, including psychological, is an issue that was relevant before the full-scale invasion of russia, and now the need for such projects has only grown. That is why it is critical to do everything it takes to make children with disabilities and their parents feel not only being protected, but also equal members of society, where there are no barriers to accessing any services," said Minister of Health Viktor Liashko.
"It was important for us to provide comprehensive support to children with disabilities, their families and communities whose population has grown critically as a result of internal displacement. Children and families should receive accessible and high-quality services that will mitigate the traumatic impact of the war on their lives, psychological support, and opportunities to socialize faster in a new place. The impact of war on the lives of children with disabilities and families raising such children is disproportionately more devastating. Therefore, they should be the focus of attention of both the state and communities. And communities need to alleviate the burden that is currently being placed on their social protection infrastructure and the provision of social services," said Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine Maryna Lazebna.
"War is a threat to the childhood and future of every little Ukrainian. For children with disabilities and their families, the stakes are even higher. Even in relatively safe areas, due to stress and interruptions in access to services, the full development of the child is complicated. Forcefully displaced families with children with disabilities cannot socialize in new places due to exclusion and the need for round-the-clock childcare. It is our duty to support them," said Murat Sahin, UNICEF Representative to Ukraine.
In addition, the project combines the efforts of various specialists and professionals to ensure that each child receives the comprehensive care he/she needs.
The project specialists will also develop and disseminate important materials on the development of free-barrier space and support for children with disabilities in the host communities, train social workers and other community professionals on the practical aspects of helping children with disabilities. Parents and guardians will receive the necessary expert advice and psychological support in difficult times. Within the framework of the project it is planned to train community professionals to work with children with disabilities and their families, including those who have been forced to leave their homes.
The project is part of the "SPILNO" - a program of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), which aims to unite efforts with government, local authorities, the public sector and business partners to provide multisectoral assistance to families with children affected by the war.