NEWS FROM UKRAINE from our Brother Mykola Kuleba (June 2017)

BUILDING THE BETTER FUTURE FOR THE CHILDREN IN UKRAINE

As you know, the reform process of residential care facilities (deinstitutionalization) was launched one and a half year ago to implement the decree of the President of Ukraine.

To this end, the working group was set up to process the proposals concerning the reform and headed by me as the Children’s Ombudsman and by Deputy Head of the President’s Administration Rostyslav Pavlenko. This group includes the representatives of the specialised ministries, leading national and international non-governmental organizations.


The vision and the strategy of the reform of residential care facilities for 2017-2026 were prepared and approved at the meeting of the National Council of Reforms on March 31, 2017. Within a month, the National Action Plan has been drafted according to the ruling of the National Council of Reforms. It is to be approved by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.  

We are moving steadily towards fulfilling the tasks aimed at reforming the residential care facilities and implementing new approaches and best practices to improve the life of children in Ukraine.  Please read below the latest news about deinstitutionalization in Ukraine.
I would like to  to invite you to cooperate with us for the sake of a better future of the Ukrainian children. 
 
We will highly appreciate your support and experience! 

Best regards, 
Mykola Kuleba,
Commissioner of the President of Ukraine for Children’s Rights

https://doc-04-9k-docs.googleusercontent.com/docs/securesc/a7j9on6bhtcl27bgsb7ed5k00o6fl971/3boo0ec95fhhblgahq2b959idvkfhdg9/1504720800000/07823563742216821239/07443031149087119282/0B_1iEuz-Glf8SDRpVDJJRTRmSEE?e=download&nonce=11ijqtvn45uoq&user=07443031149087119282&hash=3al47996cmapld7u3mhalkspiu7u3sdo
THE STRATEGY AND THE NATIONAL ACTION PLAN
 
The National Strategy for Reforming the System of Institutional Care and Education of Children and the National Action Plan, which we have developed, have already been reviewed by all the authorized agencies within the system of executive authorities and are to be signed by the Prime Minister of Ukraine.
After these two documents are finally approved, i.e. signed by the Prime Minister of Ukraine (expected in July or August), we are planning to present them at the national level and – in partnership with the central executive authorities, international partners, and representatives of the civil society – to start implementing the Action Plan.
*these documents are being translated and will be presented shortly
 
LAW ON EDUCATION
 
Over the past month we have been working hard on the amendments to the new law “On education”, having tried to take into account the interests of children being brought up at the residential care facilities and educated at the lyceums and gymnasiums subordinate to the Ministry of Science and Education of Ukraine. 94% of the total of 106 thousand children staying at the residential care facilities of Ukraine are being educated within the system of the Ministry of Science and Education of Ukraine.
This draft law has regulated the issue concerning gradual liquidation (by 2021) of boarding schools for orphans and children deprived of parental care, as well as boarding schools for children in need of social assistance (around 16 thousand children are living at such facilities).
It is expected that residential care facilities of the abovementioned types will be liquidated provided that the children get an opportunity to study and receive proper social services in their community.
This draft law also regulates the issue of preventing placement of children below 11 at the specialized orphan boarding schools, orphan lyceums, and orphan gymnasiums where almost 30 thousand children are studying right now. It is critically important that children of this age should be brought up in a family setting and get education in their community.
INCLUSIVE EDUCATION
 
The President of Ukraine has signed the Law “On amendments to the Law of Ukraine “On Education” regarding the access of persons with special educational needs to educational services.”
It is a milestone in the development of inclusive education, as it has introduced a legislative and a regulatory framework, as well as an independent subvention (209 million UAH in 2017) that will increase annually. This is a great foundation to make sure that each child with special needs has access to daycare and school education, and – most importantly – a chance to live in a family and be happy.
It is worth mentioning that the issue of inclusive education development is tackled by First Lady Maryna Poroshenko herself who is doing her best to ensure that inclusive education is developing in Ukraine and that children with special needs lead a fulfilling life.
Analyzing the problems of children living at the residential care facilities, we have come to a conclusion that 80% of the children have special needs which is the main reason they are placed at such facilities.
 
CHILDREN’S SAFETY IN THE LAW “ON THE FUNDAMENTALS OF NATIONAL SECURITY OF UKRAINE”

One and a half year ago, we prepared an ambitious draft law which was submitted by the President of Ukraine to the Parliament and was being reviewed and actively discussed for a long time.
Its purpose is to amend the Law of Ukraine “On the Fundamentals of National Security of Ukraine” and to classify the issues of children’s safety as the priorities of national interests and the fundamentals of national security. Fortunately, most of the MPs (231) have voted for this draft law. From now on, the issues of protecting children and ensuring their rights and legitimate interests are of top priority for Ukraine!

The amendments to this Law stipulate the following:

  • Child welfare is one of the aspects of the national interests of Ukraine;  
  • To maintain and to strengthen the institute of family is one of the top-priority tasks of the state, key for a sustainable development of the society;
  • Growing danger and threats to life and health of the civilians, primarily children, due to warfare or armed conflicts is one of the major threats to the national interests and national security of Ukraine
  • Key tasks of the domestic policy of Ukraine is to create an effective system to support implementation of children’s rights, their safety, and welfare; to ensure that children are brought up in a family setting; to prevent social orphanhood, and to fight violence against children and their involvement in criminal activities.   

The National DI Office set up under the Commissioner of the President of Ukraine for Children’s Rights has actively contributed to the preparation of this draft law.

Adoption of this draft law and its implementation is part of the reform of deinstitutionalisation of residential care facilities in Ukraine and will strengthen the state guarantees of children’s safety through creation of favorable, stable, and safe conditions for their fulfilling life and development.

 FINANCING 

It was agreed that the Ministry of Finance will provide special assistance to orphans and children deprived of parental care. The President of Ukraine suggested considering the issue of an independent subvention from the state budget for the local budgets during the revision of the state budget of Ukraine for 2017 and allocating additional 277 million UAH (10.8 million USD) to purchase, construct, or renovate family type homes, as well as purchase apartments for the orphans who graduated from the residential care facilities.

It is also expected that funds will be allocated in 2017 to prepare design documentation to build small group homes and homes for assisted living. Additional funds for their construction will be allocated in the future.

Small Group Homes is an alternative family-based form of bringing up and educating children with disabilities (up to eight children), and the government has taken the first step to ensure provision of such services at the community level. 

We consider it as our great achievement and our office will continue working in this direction to ensure that, after the aforementioned amendments are adopted, each region prepares relevant plans to implement these initiatives and to ensure and monitor their implementation.

Therefore, we have initiated establishment of a working group to develop the standards for small group homes for this category of children. We are looking for partners to develop these standards and design workshops.

We would like to remind you that Mykola Kuleba presented the national strategy at the National Council of Reforms with the participation of the President of Ukraine on March 31, 2017. The President said that over the next two-three years we should do our best to ensure that in the process of decentralization each community could arrange the conditions for orphans in its territory. Every community should be capable of providing proper conditions to make sure that these children live in families. It was decided to provide governmental financial support to the children at the community level and to develop new financial mechanisms for this.

HAPPY STORY OF A BOY NAMED ANDRIYKO 

Volunteers have found a six-year-old boy named Andriyko late at night at the boarding school for the children with disabilities in the village of Romaniv in Zhytomyr region.
The nurse on duty has locked the boy with a 41-degree fever in the infirmary waiting until he dies. “He is a vegetable. He has lots of diagnoses incompatible with life. The boy has to die. He has mortal agony and won’t last till morning. So what? It’s not the end of the world, is it? Children die all the time, don’t they? Why call an emergency?” said that woman to the volunteers who arrived to inquire about the boy’s health. The nurse refused to let them in to see the child and, having called the volunteers ‘zombies’, locked the door…
Half a year has passed – owing to unconditional love and patience of the primary caregiver and support of the volunteers and other kind people, Andriyko is gradually recovering. The boy put on five kilos. He started to sleep through the night, has less seizures and cramps, and eats well. The boy is staying with a temporary foster family in Zhytomyr, living and recovering at the house of his caregiver who loves him and takes care of him. Andriyko is undergoing a rehabilitation course at a specialized center, receives treatment at home, and even attends the swimming pool.
Please follow this link to learn more about the boy’s story:
Published in GKPN Connect on

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