“The League of the Strong” has joined the KOVA working group, which will carry out a comprehensive assessment of the needs of people with disabilities and older people living in residential care homes in the Kyiv region.
The working group was established by the Kyiv Regional Military Administration by Order No. 991 of 17 June 2026. Its members include, in particular, Iryna Yakovets, legal adviser and analyst at the “The League of the Strong” public association.
Experts will assess the support required by each individual and, based on this, draw up personalised plans.
One of the key areas of work is identifying opportunities to help people transition from living in residential care homes to living within the community. The working group is also tasked with developing proposals for local authorities on creating the conditions for the development of social services, including supported living, social support and transport services.
“Our main aim is to identify gaps, develop proposals for the necessary changes and assess the actual state of affairs. The group will carry out a comprehensive assessment of the needs of people with disabilities and older people living in residential care homes. I hope we will be able to make this work as practical as possible and ensure it helps to change approaches to supporting people after they leave institutions,” comments Iryna Yakovets, legal adviser and analyst at the “The League of the Strong”.
Expected outcomes
The directive stipulates that, following a comprehensive assessment, the following must be carried out:
- an assessment of the needs of people with disabilities and older people living in residential care homes;
- the drafting of relevant reports and conclusions;
- the drawing up of individual plans;
- proposals prepared regarding the transition from institutional care to community living;
- proposals developed for local authorities on the development of necessary social services, in particular supported living, social support and transport services.
For “The League of the Strong”, participation in the working group represents a continuation of its systematic work in the field of deinstitutionalisation and the development of supported living. The organisation has researched the needs of people with disabilities in this area, submitted proposals for the Strategy for Reforming the Institutional Care System, and participated in the development of a standard for supported living, which has not yet been approved.
Supported living enables a person to live in the community rather than in a residential care home, whilst receiving exactly the support they need. Participation in the working group will therefore allow “The League of the Strong” to contribute to assessing the actual needs of residents in residential care homes in the Kyiv region and to developing solutions that will help people transition to community living.