FROM SOCIAL INITIATIVE TO INSTITUTION: FORMATION OF THE VETERAN ASSISTANT INSTITUTION IN UKRAINE

Abstract

The institutionalization of veteran assistants as an institution of informational counselors for combat veterans, persons with war-related disabilities and military personnel at the stage of their transition to civilian life is studied. The main problems of the functioning of the veteran assistant institution are identified, and proposals for increasing the efficiency of the activities of specialists in supporting war veterans are substantiated. The relevance of this institution is shown to be due to the large-scale social effects of war, the growth in the number of veterans and the need for comprehensive support for their reintegration into civilian life. It is established that the veteran assistant institution performs an intermediary function between veterans and the system of state and municipal services, contributing to increasing the availability of social, medical, psychological, legal and educational services.

The key problems of the functioning of the veteran assistant institution are outlined, in particular, insufficient transparency and justification of funding mechanisms, the need to uniformize the methodological framework of support specialists’ activities, the lack of clear criteria for assessing the effectiveness of their work, as well as the need for systemic monitoring of the effectiveness of relevant state program implementation. The study substantiates the advisability of further institutionalization of the veteran assistant institution, taking into account the best international practices of veteran support, which involves a clear definition of functional authority, mechanisms for interagency interaction, a system of specialist training and upskilling, as well as the integration of this institution into a broader system of social policy and employment policy. The foreign experience of organizing support for veterans and the possibility of its adaptation to national conditions are analyzed. The effective functioning of the veteran assistant institution will contribute to ensuring long-term social cohesion and resilient post-war development of Ukrainian society.