Minister of Social Policy, Family and Unity of Ukraine Denys Ulyutin took part in the third meeting of the Supervisory Board of the joint project providing financial assistance in the form of small grants to support the development of social services for families with children, children, and early intervention services in Ukraine, held at the Civil Society Home of ISAR Ednannnia.
The discussion brought together representatives of the Ministry of Social Policy, Family and Unity of Ukraine, the Social Protection Fund of Persons with Disabilities, UNICEF, the Embassy of the United Kingdom in Ukraine, ISAR Ednannia as well as members of the Supervisory Board.
During the meeting, participants reviewed the interim results of the project’s implementation and discussed next steps for the development of social services. To date, 12741 people have already received social services under the programme, including internally displaced persons, children, and persons with disabilities.
Denys Ulyutin noted that the Small Grants Programme has demonstrated a clear demand for social services and the readiness of service providers to operate in line with unified standards.
“We see that social services can function as a system, not as one-off assistance, but as continuous support for people. The results achieved provide a solid foundation for moving from pilot projects to sustainable mechanisms for the procurement of social services,” emphasized the Minister.
UNICEF Representative to Ukraine, Munir Mammadzade, stressed that the pilot is an example of how state mechanisms can work effectively with the support of international partners.
“This initiative demonstrates that investing in social services through national systems delivers tangible results for children and families. Such an approach lays the groundwork for strengthening social services, especially for children and families who need more support, and the scaling up of successful solutions,” Munir Mammadzade said.
As of December 2025, 120 contracts have been signed with social service providers under the programme, including civil society and municipal organizations. The total amount of financial support exceeds UAH 274 million. Some projects are specifically aimed at bringing services closer to people, including by improving the mobility of service providers within communities.
Special attention has also been given to frontline communities. In 13 frontline communities, more than 1600 people have already received services. These include day care services for children with disabilities, early intervention services, and social support for families with orphaned children, among others.
Samuel Carpenter, Head of the Humanitarian and Resilience Team at the Embassy of the United Kingdom in Ukraine, noted that procuring services through open and competitive procedures is a leading international practice.
International partners reaffirmed their readiness to continue supporting the development of Ukraine’s social services system and the scaling up of effective solutions.
The Supervisory Board also agreed on further steps, including the continuation of the Small Grants Programme and the preparation of decisions to transition to sustainable mechanisms for the procurement of social services.
The Project on Providing Financial Assistance in the Form of Small Grants for Social Services to Families with Children and Children and/or Early Intervention Services in Ukraine is funded 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.
