Strengthening and professional development of social sector specialists: Ministry of Social Policy and Ukrainian Catholic University join forces

The focus of cooperation between the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine and the Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU) is the training and strengthening of social sector specialists, particularly those working in Resilience Centers. Minister of Social Policy Oksana Zholnovych and UCU Rector Taras Dobko signed a Memorandum of Cooperation, which formalizes the already established collaboration and opens new opportunities for joint work.

"We are building a system where a social sector specialist is a key support point for individuals. That's why we invest in quality specialist training: through practice, education, and competency development. Cooperation with UCU combines state policy and academic expertise to strengthen the human capital of the social sector," noted Oksana Zholnovych, Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine.

The Ministry of Social Policy and UCU have already covered several areas of professional development for social sector specialists. In particular, trainings have been organized for providers of social support services to military personnel and their families, social workers assisting military personnel, as well as providers of resilience-building services. Separate programs were implemented in partnership with UNICEF, Astarta, and other organizations. Lecturers of UCU's "Social Work" program are involved in developing methodological materials, including the analysis of international practices in social service classification.

An important part of the collaboration is organizing internships and practical training for UCU students at the Ministry. Some graduates already work in projects of the Ministry of Social Policy, particularly in the Resilience Centers development project. The Ministry is also open to hosting students from other disciplines — law, public administration, political science, sociology, journalism, and others.

"For our university, this cooperation is an opportunity to contribute to building modern social policy in Ukraine, as well as concrete participation in supporting people. We train specialists who work with individuals in the most vulnerable situations, and we highly value the opportunity to combine academic knowledge with real-world practice in Resilience Centers," emphasized Taras Dobko, Rector of the Ukrainian Catholic University.

Resilience Centers are an initiative of the Ministry of Social Policy under the nationwide mental health program "How Are You?" launched by First Lady Olena Zelenska. The Centers provide free psychological and social support to people.