UNICEF and the Ministry of Social Policy launch a comprehensive support program for social workers

UNICEF is partnering with the Ministry of Social Policy to provide comprehensive support to social workers across the country who continue to provide services to families with children in wartime.

This includes scale-up of the electronic case management system to simplify documentation and introduce digital social services. In particular, UNICEF is helping to provide social workers with technical equipment needed to digitalize their work.

At the request of the Ministry of Social Policy, UNICEF has procured 5,000 tablets to facilitate the work of social workers and children’s services specialists. The delivery of tablets across the regions has already begun.

UNICEF has also provided 1,000 specialists with laptops since the start of the full-scale war.

“Efforts of social workers in wartime are of particular importance. At the same time, the workload on them is growing significantly. Therefore, there is a need to support them with additional knowledge, mental health skills, and digital tools to facilitate their work. All these measures are priorities for us and our international partners. We are grateful to UNICEF for supporting the development of social services in Ukraine,” said Oksana Zholnovych, Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine.

“Social workers continue to deliver in Ukraine for the most vulnerable children and families who have been affected by this war – and they need support too,” said UNICEF Representative in Ukraine Murat Sahin. “UNICEF understands that, and so we make sure that social workers have access to the help they need to do their jobs well, which in turn means better support to the children and families the social workers serve.”

UNICEF continues to build capacity of social workers and prevent their burnout through trainings and webinars.