A progress report on Development Leaving Care Services by EveryChild Ukraine - representative of an international non-governmental organisation, fighting to protect some of the world's most vulnerable children.

1. Contents
Background
Supporting Young People Creating a Strategy
Improving the preparation
Leaving Care for leaving care
Tailoring individual support
for care-leavers
Development Leaving-care Services in Kyiv oblast Project
Accessing training,
Summary Report for April – December 2008
education and employment
Reconstruction of premises
EveryChild Ukraine, 2009
PR and media outreach
Financial Report

2. Background
The initiative is aimed at setting up the pioneering extended innovative promises a vicious circle for the future of crime, drugs, alcohol, HIV and yet more
services for care leavers of Tarashchanskyy rayon (Kyiv oblast) aimed at orphans.
reducing the negative impact of the risk factors affecting the child once
leaving the care system. It aims explicitly to make a visible impact on a Alarming statistic of Ministry of Family, Youth and Sports shows that after leaving
specific area of Kyiv oblast and to provide a gateway to more permanent care 20% of care leavers from institutions in Ukraine are unable to find a job, or
support services. obtain a profession, 41% of care-leavers have no perspective in solving of housing
problems, 28 % of care-leavers are engaged in criminal activities.
In total, annually there
are at least 35-40 The Project which is implemented by EveryChild Ukraine with the support from the
children in three British Embassy and Kyiv Lions Club helped these children to develop life skills and
residential care employability, raising their chances to have successful lives.
institutions of Tarashcha,
who are forced as young During the reporting period different types of activities have been implemented:
as 16 to leave care and trainings for social workers in delivery specified services; trainings and master-classes
fend for themselves. for care leavers on life skills (budgeting, negotiating with officials, employers,
practical skills, self care, domestic skills (cooking, laundry, cleaning), vocational
guidance, preparation of pathway plans for care-leavers; introduction of
With the Soviet break-up,
these orphanages were mentoring system for 20 children; preparation of individual care plans for
children from Nadia internat; and establishment of School of Social Adaptation.
left in a vacuum.
The main result of this project would be that 50-70 children will be fully prepared for
independent life in their communities after leaving residential care.
The children from these
institutions are often This project is very important nowadays, when a high number of child
Tarashcha care leavers parents to be
underdeveloped © Simon Crofts/EveryChild Ukraine orphans are educated in state specialized institutions on an insufficient level of
intellectually and socially, budgetary financing. School of Social Adaptation in Tarashcha is a specific
and are left with little hope of advancement of private sector employment example of how we are developing the method of social adaptation for orphans
after they leave. and children without parental care in order to create a model of basic
adaptation and rehabilitation for similar institutions in Ukraine.
It is all too easy for them to fall prey to a circle of crime, drugs, prostitution and
prison. The hopelessness faced by the graduates of children’s institutions

3. School of Social
Adaptation
Developing a series of
training courses for orphans
and children deprived of
parental care was one of
the key objectives of the
project. The training
programme for School of Social Adaptation Creating a strategy
included the following courses:
One of the integral parts of the project itself was preparation and planning. The
• Course on social adaptation aimed at
agreement between Tarashcha rayon state administration and EveryChild Ukraine
overcoming the orphan’s antisocial
was signed on introduction of leaving care services. Moreover, we decided to
tendencies, formed by the circumstances of
create an additional pilot site for leaving care services in the city of Pereyaslav-
their birth, the situation in their family during the
Khmel’nitsky, where care-leavers there are several institutions on oblast level.
early years of childhood and by living at the
According to these agreements two social workers specialized in leaving-care
children’s home from an early age;
services were introduced into the existing social services system.
• Course on social adaptation aimed at Tarashcha care-leavers on
overcoming the psychological vocational training in internat EveryChild Ukraine signed an agreement with Kyiv oblast Institute of post-graduate
consequences of the child living for a long time ©Simon Crofts/EveryChild studies for scientific and methodological expertise of the project. This agreement
at the orphanage-school; Ukraine will also ensure further promotion of project results in Kyiv oblast.
• Course on providing quality competitive education by creating a system After a series of research, analysis and adaptation ∗, which was complete during
of regular study-groups and seminars, which enable the orphanage July-September, EveryChild staff and experts developed a methodology of
graduates' professional self-determination; preparation of individual care plans and mentoring. The methodology was based
on needs assessment of children leaving care, so-called ”social passport”,
• Course on finding employment for orphans and children without developed with the help of Service for Children of Kyiv Oblast. If
employment; successfully implemented, this allows us to have information database on
care leavers of Tarashcha residential institutions. “Social passport” provides
• Course which will enable the rise in the hygienic education and practices of all the necessary information about reasons of institutionalization, place
the teenagers and will serve as a reliable and permanent source of and time of being in care, development of a child, his or her rights (for
information about modern hygienic products and their use. instance on housing), contacts with biological relatives and etc.

In total 2 Ukrainian model projects were analyzed and statistical data for care leavers in Ukraine, 1 British project, 2
Russian projects and Bulgarian Care Leavers Integration Programme - a joint project of the Bulgarian Ministry of Education
and Science, the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation

4. The methodology itself was presented to agencies, partners during special
session held in Kyiv Oblast Sate Administration. With the help of inter-agency
approach we broke the stereotype that support for care leavers was still seen
as a social services issue. Pereyaslav-Khmelnitsky City Council adopted a
special strategy for development of leaving care services and support for
children leaving care.
Improving preparation for leaving care
In September EveryChild Ukraine organized a special training on inter-agency
Trainings cooperation and joint work of social agencies in Pereyaslav-Khmel’nitsky. A multi
agency meeting brought together local authorities, social services providers,
EveryChild Ukraine developed training modules for on social work, inter- educational institutions to establish effective mechanism of future project
agency cooperation and mentoring. development.
Trainings for social workers and professionals of Some of the issues raised included: beginning preparation for independence
institutions on individual care plans and mentoring training as early as possible; mentoring system introduction; training care leavers to
system were held on the 27-28 November help with the training of workers; developing work-experience opportunities for
“Development of individual care plans in order to care leavers; training facilities for social workers were reviewed. Awareness of
socialize care leavers”, and on the 11-12 December assessment and pathway planning by social workers and staff in partner agencies
“Training on socialization and adaptation of care was reviewed; key champions for care leavers in relevant agencies in project sites
leavers for personnel of residential institutions”. with social services responsibilities were identified.
Training on socialization and Round table on inter-agency cooperation,
All trainings on looked-after children and care adaptation of care leavers for Joint training allowed us to ©EveryChildUkraine
leavers were organized on a multi-agency basis to personnel of residential promote a common set of values
spread knowledge and support networking. institutions ©EveryChild, Ukraine by all professionals working with
care leavers.
Inter-agency co-operation
As a result a multi-agency
working group was set up from
In the framework of the project EveryChild Ukraine invited a range of partners
residential institutions’
to attend the seminars, which resulted in an open and interesting exchange of
representatives, local authorities
views and experiences. Across all of the seminars, participants highlighted a
and social workers including
range of barriers and challenges to working together effectively to improve
labour center, medical and
outcomes for care leavers, and identified potential ways to overcome these.
educational institutions for the
preparation of School of Social
Adaptation in Tarashcha.

5. The same group operates in Pereyaslav-Khmel’nitsky for children leaving care, accessible and young-person-led, offers a range of advice and support, ensures
who study in lyceum and local institute. This leaving-care “corporate parents young people’s involvement, places young people at the centre, focuses on the
group” includes social workers, psychologists, specialists from labour center, young people’s agenda, helps develop friendships and peer support.
teachers, representatives of administration and health sector.
EveryChild Ukraine developed a training pack for young people∗. The training pack
nd
On the 2 of December EveryChild Ukraine held a round-table with key shows the impact that support can have on care leavers’ results, focusing on
stakeholders in Tarashcha on the problem of care-leavers in this district. Key education, training and employment. Training modules for care leavers present a
officials and decision makers from Kyiv Oblast State Administration clear pathway plan for independent life and include such areas as
participated in the meeting. money/budgeting, cooking, communication skills, job search opportunities and
etc. The complete list of trainings was agreed with our partners.
Tailoring individual support for care leavers
Mentor’s System
School of Social Adaptation The other innovative and quite new for Ukraine component of the project was
development of mentoring system which could ensure individual support to
The vision of the School of Social children and building relationships.
Adaptation originated from
care leavers’ feeling that they We started an introduction of mentoring system for care-leavers. A group of
didn’t have a voice in the mentors was selected and trained on a meeting “Introducing the mentoring
leaving-care services provided system’ in December in Tarashcha. The scheme – still in development – is a
to them. partnership between EveryChild Ukraine, Tarashcha Centre of Social Services for
Family, Children and Youth, Tarashcha residential institutions.
Therefore, EveryChild Ukraine
after adaptation of Reconstruction of premises
methodology for School of
Social Adaptation and
With help of additional funding
functioning of Leaving Care
from Kyiv Lions Club we decided
Services on the basis of Centres
Opening School of Social Adaptation, to make a reconstruction of the
of Social Services decided to ©EveryChild, Ukraine premises (the centre will have
organize a focus group from
comfortable sofas, kitchen, and tables to
care-leavers and to hear their voice about the School of Social adaptation.
learn and spend free time).
We came to the conclusion that School of Social Adaptation is a club not only
A soon as secure funding was received,
for care-leavers, but for those who would like to be independent in adult life,
the tender was held for reconstruction. A
thus to avoid positive discrimination.
contract was signed with local company
Tarashcha care-leavers on
which completed the renovation.
An appropriate venue was found and renovated and, working in partnership reconstruction of premises
with agencies including education, labour, and health agencies wide range ©Simon Crofts/EveryChild Ukraine
of trainings is run in the School. These include education, employment advice,

life skills – cooking, budgeting, accommodation, health education. The School EveryChild Ukraine reviewed r international and national experience in care leaving services (individual pathway
works from 2nd of December effectively, because it is a one-stop shop, plans, mentoring methodology, methodology for School of Social Adaptation).for training pack for care leavers 3 Ukrainian
pocket books and 3 international pocket books were analyzed

6. Renovation and equipment of premises was completed. Two rooms, corridors,
toilet and kitchen were renovated. Now the Centre has an equipped training
room for studying and just to spend free time and a comfortable “home-
styled’ room for regular meetings between mentors and care-leavers.
We changed water communications and made a kitchen on the first floor of
the Centre of Social Services. We changed the windows, so now it is much
warmer and comfortable to spend time there.
The sitting room was excellently refurbished. We bought furniture for kitchen
and plan to buy all the necessary things to start classes in cooking, sewing
courses, self support groups for care leavers, leisure activities
The care leavers no longer have to spend their free time on the streets, but
can sit comfortably on the sofas. They have been also actively involved in the
reconstruction works.
On the photos placed below you may see how it looked before and now it
looks completely different now.

7. The possible type of support could be as following:
 pro bono services for design and
printing of publications in the
framework of the project
 job opportunities for children
leaving care
 volunteers for mentoring
 stationery (flip-charts, pens,
notebooks, paper etc.)
 furniture for the School of Social
Adaptation (tables, shelves)
Feedback from partners
and project participants
“Young people leaving care are
particularly vulnerable to exclusion which
is why I am committed to making sure
public services meet their needs. I believe
that our club can become an
Tarashcha care-leavers on a
organisation of integrity and experience.
vocational training in internat
Interesting training curricula, materials ©Simon Crofts/EveryChild Ukraine
friendly “home-like” atmosphere make
children become more open, communicative and self-confident”, - Tarashcha
PR/Fundraising and media outreach social center for family, children and youth, social worker, Olga, coordinates
activities in club “How to become successful”;
British photographer Simon Crofts filmed care leavers for future “I am grateful to the Club “How to become successful” for their great
exhibition for raising funds for the project activities. work supporting young people who are making the transition from care to
independent living. During our classes I learned a lot of useful and interesting
All project activities are updated at EveryChild Ukraine website and information. But most importantly, now I know how to set up goal and to reach it
newsletter. successfully”, - Vika, 17, care leaver from Tarashcha internat, visits Club “How to
become successful” regularly;
Need for further support
“I don’t feel like the only care leaver anymore! “All the activities were great fun
and I would love the chance to do it again. You all helped me to overcome my
EveryChild Ukraine continues to implement the project and we would be glad fears and learn things which I had not experienced before.
for the further possible support. I wish to keep the gained knowledge well and to avoid mistakes in my life in the
future”, Vitaliy, 16 – care-leaver from Tarashcha internat feedback after training;

8. “I liked everything we discussed during the classes. I understood how to start Thank You!
my job search, how to communicate with people more confidently and
effectively” – Marina, 15, care-leaver from Tarashcha internat, after training on EveryChild is grateful to the support we received from individuals, business and
career management and job search; community organisations, British Embassy and Kyiv lions Club, who share our
commitment in striving to provide the quality care and services to the care-leavers.
“I am grateful to people who helped our leaving-care services system to get
organised and become empowered. Their words inspired all of us to make a Without these donations much of the innovative work carried out in social care,
positive and enduring difference to the children and young people in our education and activities; and the opportunities provided for young people would
care. Our community realized that preparation and support for life after care not be possible.
is particularly important for care leavers, and it’s everybody’s business. The
renovated social center now attracts more and more young people, I think,
We are looking forward for further co-operation with you to gain more mutual and
it’s a good start.”, -Tarashcha social center for family, children and youth,
socially beneficial experience.
Director Mrs. Tetyana Yakubovska
EveryChild Ukraine team
Financial Report
Project duration: April 1, 2008 - September 30, 2009 (18 months)
Report period: April 1, 2008 - December 31, 2008 (9 months)
Funders Total Contribution, Reporting Period Expenses,
USD USD
British Embassy 6000 1355
Kyiv Lions Club 9268 9268
Ukrainian businesses 8298 8298
Local government 1080 1054
EveryChild 8880 5651
Total 34526 25625
A number of Ukrainian companies have also supported the Project by in-kind
contributions including computers, office equipment (tables).