Report on the findings of the study ‘Analysis of the needs of young professionals and future professionals in the field of care for people with intellectual disabilities’
The All-Ukrainian Public Organisation ‘Coalition for the Protection of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Resulting from Intellectual Impairments’ carried out a study between August and October 2023 as part of the project ‘EU4Youth – Youth Employment in Times of Crisis: a personal assistant programme to support people with autism, intellectual disabilities and psychosocial disabilities in Ukraine”, carried out a study entitled “ANALYSIS OF THE NEEDS OF YOUNG PROFESSIONALS AND FUTURE PROFESSIONALS IN THE FIELD OF CARE FOR PEOPLE WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIESTO ENHANCE THEIR ABILITY TO PROVIDE HIGH-QUALITY PROFESSIONAL SERVICES DURING THE WAR”.
Aim of the study: to identify the needs of young professionals and future professionals in the field of care for people with intellectual and behavioural disabilities (social workers, special needs teachers, psychologists, rehabilitation specialists, occupational therapists and others) with regard to reinforcing the knowledge, skills and values that determine their ability to provide high-quality professional services during wartime.
The study involved 153 participants from 27 specialist non-governmental organisations and 20 local authority institutions and universities across 8 regions of Ukraine, including: students, young professionals and graduates, practitioners currently providing rehabilitation and social services to adults with disabilities at community level, young people with disabilities, parents, carers, family members, legal representatives, university lecturers and NGO leaders.
The main research method was focus group interviews.
The findings of the research were used as the basis for developing a distance learning programme for young professionals, graduates and students, designed to meet both the needs of the learners themselves, and the expectations of potential recipients of rehabilitation and social services and their legal representatives regarding the competencies of service providers.
Project: ‘EU4Youth – Youth Employment in Times of Crisis: a personal assistant programme to support people with autism, intellectual disabilities and psychosocial disabilities in Ukraine’ is implemented with the financial support of the European Union and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania. The EU4Youth Phase III programme on youth employment and entrepreneurship is implemented by the Central Project Management Agency (CPVA) in the Eastern Partnership countries, including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.