Community specialists completed the interim stage of training at the School of Supported Living
The interim stage of training at the School of Supported Living has been completed in Lviv. The course was organised by Rokada together with the NGO Social Synergy. 25 specialists from ten communities – Khmelnytskyi, Vashkivtsi, Chernivtsi, Mykolaiv, Strilky, Sheptytskyi, Voznesensk, Zabolotiv, Burshtyn and Mukachevo – are gaining knowledge and practical skills. As members of multidisciplinary teams, they will later provide the supported living service locally.
Unlike closed residential institutions, supported living allows older people and people with disabilities to live in specially equipped housing with flexible support from specialists. The goal is to gradually restore independence skills and give people back the right to make decisions about their own lives.
Before the meeting in Lviv, the community specialists studied online. The topics covered the concept, principles and values of supported living, the specifics of working with people with intellectual and mental disabilities, the professional competences of multidisciplinary teams, organising the service and developing a supportive environment.
“It is not enough just to create places to live. We need to train specialists who understand the philosophy of the service and know how to ensure its proper quality, taking into account a person’s needs, abilities and right to independent living. Training is an important step towards high-quality introduction of supported living in communities”
Rokada Community-Based Protection Coordinator
The in-person meeting focused on practical exercises, including assessing the needs of people applying for the service, developing individual support plans, and building self-care and independent living skills.
The community specialists were also trained in record-keeping, crisis response and risk management.
“The special value of the school is the shift from a theoretical understanding of the service to practical readiness to provide it. Specialists learn not to do everything for the person but to support them in making decisions, developing their own abilities and taking part in community life. Supported living is a fundamentally different model of support, with the person, their dignity, choice and the greatest possible independence at its centre,” adds Liudmyla Vysotska.
The final stage of the School of Supported Living will take place in a month – on 26–27 November the participants will gather in Chernivtsi. To receive a certificate, each will defend their own project for introducing the service.
The School of Supported Living was made possible with financial support from the UN Refugee Agency in Ukraine.
