Ukraine and the United States Strengthen Cooperation in Child Protection System

The Ministry of Social Policy, Family and Unity of Ukraine hosted a meeting with the participation of U.S. Chargé d’Affaires in Ukraine, Ambassador Julie Davis, and UNICEF Representative to Ukraine, Munir Mammadzade. First Deputy Minister Liudmyla Shemelynets represented the Ukrainian side.

The key focus of the discussion was the protection of children affected by the war, in particular, the return and proper reintegration of children forcibly relocated by Russia within the temporarily occupied territories, deported children, as well as those evacuated abroad from institutions at the start of the full-scale invasion

“Our highest priority is to ensure the return of every child to Ukraine and to create conditions for them to grow up in a family environment. Our efforts are aimed at ensuring that children who return receive not only shelter, but also care, love, and family support. The Ministry is focused on developing effective protection mechanisms so that every child’s future is safe. All our programs are aimed at achieving this goal,” said Liudmyla Shemelynets.

The meeting addressed the implementation of the Strategy for Ensuring the Right of Every Child to Grow Up in a Family Environment. This entails preventing the separation of children from their parents through strengthening family capacity to provide quality care and ensuring the necessary support systems are in place. The challenges of war have only increased the urgency of the Better Care Reform, implemented in line with the Strategy. Ukraine is building a comprehensive system of family support, based on an individual approach to meeting needs, including psychological assistance and access to essential community services.

With the support of the United States, Ukraine, in cooperation with UNICEF and the State Service for Children, conducted a series of monitoring visits abroad to children evacuated as part of institutional groups, during which individual needs assessments were carried out for each child. The findings formed the basis for providing recommendations to regions on developing return plans and identifying family-based care arrangements that best serve the child’s best interests.

A key focus remains on the return of children who are still abroad. In September last year, amendments were introduced to Ukrainian legislation stipulating that the return of such children is carried out exclusively based on an individual needs assessment, in the best interests of the child, and only into family-based forms of care.

The parties reaffirmed their commitment to deepening cooperation in reforming the child protection system, combining the resources of governments, local communities, and international partners to ensure the best interests of every child.

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