Svitlana Mykoliuk EFFECTIVENESS OF SOCIAL SUPPORT FOR ORPHANS AND CHILDREN DEPRIVED OF PARENTAL CARE IN UKRAINE

(2026) Science and education, 3, 166-174. Odessa.

DOI:https://doi.org/10.24195/2414-4665-2026-3-19

Svitlana Mykoliuk,
Candidate of Economic Sciences, Associate Professor,
Associate Professor at the Department of Psychology and Social Work,
Western Ukrainian National University,
11, Lvivska Str., Ternopil, Ukraine,
ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8447-6409

 

EFFECTIVENESS OF SOCIAL SUPPORT FOR ORPHANS AND CHILDREN DEPRIVED OF PARENTAL CARE IN UKRAINE

SUMMARY:

The article provides a comprehensive theoretical and methodological substantiation of approaches to evaluating the effectiveness of social support for orphans and children deprived of parental care in Ukraine. The relevance of the study is determined by the need to improve the quality of social services in the field of child protection, enhance the social support system, and develop objective criteria for assessing its effectiveness in the context of social protection reform and decentralization processes. Social support is considered as a complex, multi-level system of assistance aimed at ensuring social adaptation, psychological well-being, and integration of a child into society. It is emphasized that its effectiveness cannot be assessed solely through quantitative indicators but requires a comprehensive approach that includes resource, process, and outcome dimensions of social work. The study substantiates key approaches to evaluating the effectiveness of social support, including the resource-institutional, process-management, and outcome-oriented approaches. It is highlighted that the most appropriate approach in contemporary conditions is an integrated one, combining the assessment of service provision conditions, quality of implementation, and actual changes in the child’s life situation. The article systematizes the criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of social support, including social, psychological, educational, behavioral, institutional-organizational, and long-term life criteria. Their application enables a comprehensive assessment of social work outcomes and identification of areas for improvement. An integrated model of social support effectiveness is proposed, consisting of resource-institutional, process-management, and result-personal levels. This model allows social support to be viewed as a dynamic system aimed at achieving sustainable positive changes in a child’s life. It is concluded that improving the effectiveness of social support for orphans in Ukraine requires the implementation of integrated assessment models, strengthening interagency cooperation, developing professional competencies of specialists, and focusing on long-term outcomes of social assistance.

KEYWORDS:

social support, orphans, effectiveness, social work, social services, evaluation criteria, interagency cooperation

FULL TEXT:

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