Supporting a single project can open up dozens of new opportunities for children, their families and the wider community. This is particularly valuable when support extends beyond individual sessions to drive systemic change: strengthening local professionals’ skills, improving coordination between institutions and establishing a sustainable model of service delivery.
Through collaboration with its partners, Future for Ukraine (FFU) continues to expand access to professional social support and specialised therapy for Ukrainian families raising children on the autism spectrum.
The FFU foundation received a grant of UAH 1,022,085 from the NGO “Southern Development Strategy” in partnership with Save the Children in Ukraine, with financial support from Danida Embassy of Denmark in Ukraine.
The funding supports the project “Piloting and Integrating a Social Service Delivery Model for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Mykolaiv Community,” implemented at LEVCHYK SPECTRUM HUB.
About the project
The project involves piloting and refining a model of social service delivery for children on the autism spectrum and integrating it into the Mykolaiv community’s social services system.
Children receive specialised therapy and psychosocial services, while the team can test the model in a real community setting, assess its effectiveness and adapt it to the needs of children and their families.
Alongside this work, professionals are documenting their practical experience: approaches to service delivery, the pathway through which families access support, the roles of the specialists involved and mechanisms for coordination across social services, education and other relevant sectors.
The next step will be to work with local authorities to agree on how the model can be integrated into the work of municipal institutions. This will lay the groundwork for its long-term sustainability and wider adoption across the community’s social services system.
“The main goal of our project is to establish a social services centre for children on the autism spectrum in Mykolaiv, get it up and running, and eventually transfer it to the city council’s management and funding. This will enable families raising children on the autism spectrum who need support to access specialised therapy sessions free of charge. The city, in turn, will have a centre that follows a clear, effective model and provides high-quality services,” said Olha Yavorska, Project and Programme Lead for FFU’s Children’s Support Programme.
Project objectives
- Provide specialised therapy and psychosocial services to at least 40 children with developmental disabilities, including autism spectrum disorder.
- Train local professionals who work with children with developmental disabilities, special educational needs, disabilities, serious illnesses, disorders, injuries or other conditions. Participants will learn current approaches to specialised therapy, communication development and behavioural interventions, gaining skills they can apply in their daily practice.
- Develop a social service delivery model informed by practical experience from the pilot. The team will identify key approaches to supporting children on the autism spectrum and document the service access pathway, professionals’ roles and mechanisms for cross-sector coordination.
- Hold working meetings with representatives of Mykolaiv City Council and the Municipal Centre for Comprehensive Rehabilitation for Children and Persons with Disabilities to agree on how the model can be integrated into the community’s social services system.
- Develop a monitoring and evaluation system to assess service effectiveness and the results of the pilot, informing further improvements to the model.
- Prepare practical recommendations for implementing the social service delivery model in the Mykolaiv community.
The project combines direct support for children with efforts to strengthen the community’s capacity to provide services. Children and their families receive the support they need while the project is underway, while local professionals and institutions gain the knowledge, practical tools and tested model needed to continue delivering high-quality social services.
The project marks an important step towards a sustainable, accessible support system for children on the autism spectrum and children with other special educational needs in the Mykolaiv community.
The project is supported by the NGO “Southern Development Strategy” in partnership with Save the Children in Ukraine, with financial support from Danida Embassy of Denmark in Ukraine.
