Ways to Improve Social Services: Experience of Voznesensk Community

The social sector faces many challenges today since the full-scale invasion has exacerbated social problems and increased the demand for social services. Since local governments are responsible for providing social services at the regional level, given their limited financial and human resources, communities must look for ways to optimise social services, new partnerships, and additional resources. Voznesensk Community’s experience, which it shared during the research conducted by the Agency for Legislative Initiatives on the provision of social services, shows that flexibility and the use of a comprehensive approach have become crucial for adapting to new challenges.

Prior to the full-scale invasion, social services in Voznesensk Community in Mykolaiv Oblast were provided by three municipal institutions: the Centre for Social Services, the Territorial Centre for Social Services, and the Centre for Rehabilitation of Children with Disabilities. However, such an organisational structure burdened the local budget due to the administrative costs of maintaining each institution separately. Therefore, in 2023, the city council decided to merge all social service providers into one municipal institution, Voznesensk Social Service Centre. This institution has divisions for social services, in-kind aid, social work, daycare, and comprehensive rehabilitation of children with disabilities. Such reorganisation allowed the community to direct its resources mainly to providing social services. Savings on the maintenance of various institutions made it possible to expand the staff of the daycare centre and social workers and introduce a case manager position for dealing with veterans.

Currently, the community provides 18 social services, which are mainly aimed at supporting the most vulnerable categories, such as the elderly and people with disabilities. However, if residents need social services that cannot be provided in the community, the social protection division forwards the matter to oblast divisions. This applies to services provided at the Oblast Centre for Reintegration of Homeless People, the Centre for the Rehabilitation of Drug Addicts, and the Geriatric Nursing Home. Such cooperation with oblast-level social institutions allows the community to focus on the most required social services while providing residents with access to more specialised services at the regional level.

In general, the primary source of funding for the social services sector is the local budget. However, the Social Service Centre is open to cooperation in providing social services to other communities. This allows additional funds to be attracted to the community and optimises the provision of specific services at the level of several communities. For instance, the rehabilitation division provides services to children with disabilities from neighbouring communities where the number of children with disabilities is not large, and it is not feasible to create their own institutions or departments. Thus, in 2023, the department rehabilitated 8 children from other communities, and it is planning to expand this activity, as Voznesensk Community has all the necessary resources and qualified staff. According to the Voznesensk Community, cooperation is a profitable format for providing social services, as it allows partially covering the service provider’s costs and providing the necessary services for children not only in their own community but also in neighbouring communities where it is impossible.

In addition to financial revenues from community cooperation, Voznesensk is actively seeking opportunities to attract additional resources. It happens through international programmes and project competitions. One example of such cooperation is the creation of a mobile team that provides in-kind aid, which resulted in the community receiving a specialised vehicle and the necessary equipment. This enables team members to help people with limited mobility in remote communities with everyday issues. The team is composed of a social worker, a driver, a hairdresser and a building maintenance worker. This way, the mobile team can simultaneously provide help with self-care and cleaning, minor repairs, gardening, and hairdressing services. This significantly reduces the time required to provide services and allows more people to receive aid. The community notes that although organizing the work of the mobile team was not easy, it now allows for the fast and efficient delivery of social services in remote locations. Another example is the launch of a single contact centre, which is a general system of communication between residents and local authorities. How it works: when a request for social services is received, it is forwarded to the Social Protection Division, where it is processed, and a decision is made on the provision of such services. It simplifies the application process for social services and allows for faster organisation of the required assistance.

However, projects and cooperation with international partners are not the only additional source of resources to address pressing social needs. The use of opportunities provided at the state level is also effective. According to community representatives, since the outbreak of full-scale war, the number of domestic violence cases has increased significantly, which requires an appropriate response. In this context, the community is actively attracting state resources. Repairs are being carried out on the premises that will soon become a day centre for victims of domestic violence. They are carried out at the expense of a state-targeted subvention, which is co-financed by the local budget. Moreover, the community is also considering options for attracting funding in the context of international projects if the day centre is not enough to provide the necessary social services to all those in need.

There are also philanthropists and social organisations in the community. They help solve the community’s social problems, although they are not registered social service providers. For example, hot meals are distributed twice a week at the Social Service Centre to the homeless, the elderly, and other vulnerable populations. The food is delivered by a philanthropist, and the Centre’s staff organise the distribution on a voluntary basis. The community sees substantial potential in involving NGOs in the provision of social services and is already working on including one of the volunteer organisations in the Register of Providers and Recipients of Social Services. This will allow the NGO to provide social services officially and open up its opportunities to participate in social projects and competitions.

Of course, the situation with the provision of social services varies in different communities. However, the experience of Voznesensk Community shows that a combination of different tools is an effective approach, especially in the context of limited resources. By reorganising the social service provider, the community simultaneously optimised administrative costs and retained the ability to provide social services in different areas. The community improved the organisation of social services, in particular through new social initiatives. This makes the social service system more flexible and able to respond to current social challenges.