A series of specialized training sessions for specialists at Survivor Relief Centres has concluded

In August 2026, a series of specialized training sessions was held for specialists at Survivor Relief Centres on organizing and providing comprehensive assistance to survivors of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV).

📚 The training was organized for various categories of professionals who work with survivors on a daily basis:

🔹 August 4–6 – representatives of the implementing partner, coordinators, and lawyers from the Survivor Relief Centres;

🔹 August 11–13 – case managers and social workers;

🔹 August 18–20 – psychologists from the Survivor Relief Centres;

🔹 August 25–27 – psychologists and other specialists from the Centres. The program aimed to foster a shared understanding of PTSB issues and strengthen the professional competencies of the specialists. Participants worked on the regulatory framework and procedures for establishing victim status, issues related to the risk of retraumatization during interviews, case management, psychological intervention practices, trauma-informed and holistic approaches, as well as interagency coordination.

❓Why is this important?

Amid a full-scale war in Ukraine, professionals working with victims of SPC must be prepared to provide assistance that takes into account a person’s traumatic experience, their safety, needs, and right to be treated with dignity. Such work requires not only professional knowledge but also clear coordination among various specialists and services.

That is why systematic training for the teams at the Survivor Relief Centres is a crucial component of developing a high-quality and comprehensive support system for survivors.

The training sessions were organized by the NGO “Association of Women Abmassadors of Ukraine” and the National Training Center for the Prevention and Counteraction of Substance Use Disorders at the Higher School of Public Administration, in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund in Ukraine (UNFPA).

🎓 The training was conducted by the following trainers:

Ruslan Gorchynskyi – trainer at the Higher School of Public Administration, methodologist at the Kyiv City Center for Social Services, and a graduate student majoring in “Social Work” at the Boris Grinchenko Kyiv Metropolitan University.

Anzhela Golchenko – Master’s degree in psychology, psychologist specializing in a multimodal approach, trauma-focused therapist, crisis psychologist, and counselor on family issues and sex education.

Guest speakers and experts from government agencies, law enforcement agencies, the legal aid system, human rights organizations, and civil society organizations also participated in the training sessions. Among them were representatives of the Ministry of Social Policy, Family, and Unity of Ukraine; the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine; the Coordination Center for Victim and Witness Support, the Secretariat of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, the free legal aid system, the Global Survivors Fund, and civil society organizations working with victims of sexual and gender-based violence and survivors of captivity.

This interagency format allowed for a comprehensive approach to assisting victims—ranging from social support and psychological assistance to the protection of rights, access to justice, and coordination among various services.

We are strengthening our professional teams so that every person who seeks help can receive it in a timely manner, safely, and with respect for their experience.

🖇 The Survivor Relief Centres were established on the initiative of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, with the support of the Government Commissioner for Gender Policy, in partnership with UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund in Ukraine, thanks to financial support from the governments of Austria, Belgium, Spain, and Sweden, and in cooperation with local authorities.