Today, on July 3, a webinar "The Role and Place of Public Associations of People with Disabilities and Veterans in the Provision of Social Services" was organized by the Resource Center of the National Assembly of People with Disabilities of Ukraine (NAPWD) as part of the Rehabilitation in Ukraine (Rehab4U) project.
The speakers of the event were: Iryna Sergienko, trainer at the Ukrainian Human Rights Initiatives NGO; Svitlana Demko, head of the Vinnytsia-based NGO Association for the Protection of Rights and Assistance to People with Disabilities "Open Hearts"; and Olha Maruda, deputy chairman of the board of the NGO Charitable Society for Assistance to People with Intellectual Disabilities "Dzherela" (Kyiv).
During the webinar, the attendees learned how effective cooperation between the public and government agencies in the provision of social services contributes to the creation of a flexible, efficient, and person-centered support system. This approach ensures accessibility of services and takes into account the interests of each community member.
"Involvement of the non-governmental sector in the provision of social services is a strategically important step that helps to make support more accessible, effective and person-centered," said Iryna Sergienko, listing the main advantages of such involvement. These include flexibility and efficiency, a clearer understanding of the needs of the population, innovation and creativity, as well as the ability to attract additional resources.
The trainer also analyzed the main provisions of the National Strategy for Creating a Barrier-Free Space in Ukraine until 2030, as well as other strategic documents that define a comprehensive approach to building barrier-free principles for all social groups. She also explained how the system of social services is managed and what actions are involved in organizing the provision of such services.
During the webinar, the speakers paid special attention to identifying community needs for social services. Participants were told how to form a coordination or working group to study the needs of the community, as well as about possible challenges and how to overcome them.
An important topic was informing about grant opportunities for social service providers. In particular, they talked about the Small Grants Project aimed at supporting families with children and children, as well as early intervention services. The speakers presented the results of last year's competition and described the procedure for determining the winners.
Other panelists shared their practical experience in providing social services. Svitlana Demko presented successful cases of cooperation between the NGO "Association for the Protection of Rights and Assistance to People with Disabilities "Open Hearts" and the Rehabilitation Center "Obriy", which include support for people with disabilities, children, youth and veterans.
Olha Maruda, a representative of the NGO Dzherela, spoke about the organization of temporary recreation services for people who care for people with intellectual disabilities.
The speakers summarized that active cooperation between the public and the government contributes to the formation of a society where trust prevails, and joint efforts help to effectively solve social problems.
NAPD Resource Centre::
- Address: Office 109, 8/5A Reitarska St., Kyiv
- Appointments can be made by phone at: +38 (044) 279 6182, +38 (095) 909 1413
- або електронною поштою: hubnapd@gmail.com
This material is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents are the responsibility of Momentum Wheels for Humanity and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.
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