Project report

From Commitment to Action: Ukraine Advances Children’s Care Reform

Maestral · 9 Oct 2026

Abstract

by Anna Jolly & Olha Boyko (Maestral International), in partnership with the Coordination Centre for Family Upbringing and Child Care Development Ukraine is turning its commitment to global care reform into concrete national action. On 30th June 2026, the government of Ukraine formally submitted Ukraine’s national commitments under the Global Charter on Children’s Care Reform, following a three-month process supported by Maestral International’s Anna Jolly and Olha Boyko in collaboration with the Coordination Centre for Family Upbringing and Child Care Development (Coordination Centre). The commitments were shaped through a structured, multi-stakeholder process. Maestral reviewed Ukraine’s existing national strategic frameworks and worked with the national stakeholders to identify eight potential commitments. An online stakeholder consultation, held in early June with the support of the Coordination Centre, brought together central executive bodies , in particular the Ministry of Social Policy, Family and Unity of Ukraine, National Social Service of Ukraine, and the State Service for Children) as well as civil society organisations to review and prioritise the proposed commitments. Participants identified their priority areas, and the highest-priority options were further refined and finalised before formal submission. Importantly, the process connected the Global Charter with reforms already underway in Ukraine. Proposed commitments were carefully mapped against Ukraine’s National Strategy (2024–2028) and ongoing EU Child Guarantee processes, helping to ensure that the Global Charter complemented rather than duplicated existing national efforts. The final Ukrainian commitments for the Global Charter are the following: Establish a comprehensive, standardized system for enhancing the professional competence and qualifications of the social sector workforce. Develop and implement models of the social service of temporary respite care for parents and caregivers of children with disabilities. Consolidate and expand emergency foster care based on lessons learned. Implement the state social service standard of social support for family-based alternative care, and ensure monitoring of its quality and impact. The commitments reflect coordinated engagement across government, civil society, and technical partners, while remaining firmly grounded in Ukraine’s existing frameworks and reform priorities. The stakeholders involved in the consultations described the process as well organized, collaborative and efficient and noted that the resulting commitments accurately reflect national priorities and provide a strong foundation for implementation. Maestral congratulates the Ministry of Social Policy, Family and Unity of Ukraine, and all national stakeholders on this important milestone as Ukraine moves from commitment to implementation.