ISAR Ednannia is strengthening the capacity of social service providers who receive small grants. At the training on Networking and Safe Practice: Basics of Inclusive and Gender-Sensitive Safeguarding for Social Service Providers and NGOs, we brought together over 180 representatives of organizations selected under the project onProviding Financial Assistance in the Form of Small Grants for Social Services to Families with Children and Children and/or Early Intervention Services.
For many participants, this was the first systematic step towards introducing safeguarding policies in their organizations; for others, it was a valuable opportunity to view their work from a new angle and assess how well children, vulnerable adults, and teams are protected.
The training emphasized that safeguarding is not only about following agreed procedures, but first and foremost about a culture of care for oneself, one’s team, and those who receive social services. Participants discussed risks, ethical boundaries, response mechanisms, team roles, and how to create spaces where people can feel safe regardless of age, gender, background, or life circumstances. The networking that took place during the training has already become a first step towards shared and sustainable solutions.
We are grateful to our partners who made this training possible, and to all participants for their engagement, open questions, and willingness to share their stories. It is thanks to such open conversations that formal requirements turn into living practice and policies become real working tools.
Special thanks go to our trainers: Natalia Shyhonska, National Safeguarding Expert (NDSL), and Iryna Lishchuk, Programme Safeguarding and Child Protection Expert (CP/PSL), for the depth of content, sensitivity to participants’ experiences, and practical tools that everyone can take back to their organizations.
The training wasfunded by the UK Government under the SPIRIT project, implemented in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Policy, Family and Unity of Ukraine, the Fund for Social Protection of Persons with Disabilities, and UNICEF Ukraine, with administration by ISAR Ednannia.
